The WhitSundays

Last week, I was able to enjoy a 4 day vacation (away from my vacation) up in the WhitSunday's. My friend Jelena, from work, and I flew up on a Monday. I was surprised when I got off the plane and the weather was actually hotter then it was in Brisbane. I didn't think it was actually possible. I went from very hot weather to even hotter. Regardless, we grabbed our bus and started with our 20 minute drive to Airlie Beach. We stayed at a busy hostel called 'Beaches' right on the main (or only) strip at Airlie Beach. The place was quite happening with loud music, good food, and backpackers everywhere. The first night we laid low as we had to catch a bus at 7:00am. The second day, we went on a sailboat called 'Camira' and sailed around all the Islands in the crystal blue water with the sun shining down on us. It was magical. The first Island we went to was called Daydreamer. We stayed for a few and picked up some more passengers for the day. The voyage continued unto the next Island called Whitehaven. This is apparently voted one of the best beaches in the World. The sand is actually completely white and is so fine that it gets everywhere. What was quite interesting was that the sand doesn't retain any heat so you don't have to jump from towel to towel or run into the water to cool off. At whitehave, I was lucky enough to see sea turtles swimming around and a white tip reef shark cruising only 10 feet away from the beach. So.... observing all the safety rules, the first thing I did was get as close as I could haha. it was quit amazing. Lunch was next on the menu and then continued to sail for the rest of the day. Day 3 consisted of another boat trip but this one was headed 95km into the ocean to a little place called the "GREAT BARRIER REEF." It would be impossible to explain how amazing it actually was to see the reef in person. Everything was just stunning. The boat brought us to a floating platoon where we enjoyed activities like snorkeling, scuba diving, boat tours, and even a water slide. Who would have thought that I, in a million years, would go down a water slide 95kms away from shore. It was some great fun. A few hours later, they took out waterlogged bodies back to the main land and finished off the day was some fun at the public lagoon across the street and then some dinner and drinks for the rest of the night. Day 4 was a quiet day at the lagoon as we had to be out of the room by 10am. We caught our flight in the evening ending our beautiful 4 day trip. All I can say was it was Amazing and I know that the pictures do not do it justice.

luv Jenn

North Straddie Island

My old roommate Carissa and I decided that we definitely had to do a trip somewhere in February... Something cheap, close by, and relatively simple to get to. We decided that North Stadbroke Island would be the ideal place to relax, have some fun, and enjoy the sun. On the 7th, 11 of us girls packed up, drove to the Big Red Cat ferry and hit up Straddie Island. We had a gorgeous house that was about a 2 minute walk to the beach, where we saw wild Koalas in the trees and wild dolphins. We were actually lucky enough to meet a couple that were vacation at amity beach (where we stayed as well). The man would fish and then give us the fish to feed the dolphins which came right up to the shore. It was amazing, something that you never really get to see up close in the wild. Amity beach is also known for its high shark population which was a little scary. Originally we were sceptical about going into the water, but we braved it and all of us came back in one piece. That Saturday, we grabbed the bus and headed over to point lookout which was absolutely stunning. We went for an hour walk on the boardwalk and checked out the sights and then stopped for some ice cream since it was like 30 degrees outside. Carissa ended up getting stung by a blue bottle jellyfish which was a little scary and apparently quite painful. An experience I hope I never have to go through. Keeping my fingers crossed and so far so good. In the end, it was a great weekend. A lot of first experiences. First time seeing a wild koala, first time feeding wild dolphins, first time using an outside shower, and first time on Straddy Island.

Living for first experinces,

luv Jenn

New Home - 15 Royal Ave South Golden Beach NSW

Wow, sorry everyone. It's been a long time since I have posted anything lately. Well a lot of new things have happened. On february 1st I move once again, however, this time it was a move the the east coast just north of Byron Bay. I'm litterally a 3 minute walk to the beach and it is beautiful. I'm not working thing month so everyday I can go to the beach, go for walks, read, and do pretty much whatever I want. Dave has left me his car which is great so I can check out different towns and even go back to Brisbane for a day or two to see everyone again. I moved into a one bedroom basement apartment (it's a little dodgy) and once in a while I'm not alone and am comforted by giant spiders, cockroaches, and or lizards. It keeps my life interesting haha. As long as no snakes show up I should be fine. The spray kills all the other pests. I plan on doing one or two trips this month, probably going to spend all of my money but thankfully I have a job to go back to when I go back to the city. Unfortunately, in my room, my internet service is terrible so everytime I want to go online, I have to sit in the car to get service which is quite annoying. Its great being by the beach but it a little to remote to be by myself. If I am to do this again, I would defintely go somewhere where there are more people... probably like surfer's paradise or coolangatta (same coast just not as far south).

Anyways, Until next time,

luv Jenn

Australia Zoo - I miss you Steve Irwin

Today Dave and I went to the Australian Zoo which is well known for being the home for the family of Steve Irwin. For those who don't know who he was; well he used to have a TV show called "the Crocodile Hunter;" where was would actually wrestle crocs and take on poisonous snakes and come face to face with any other dangerous/non dangerous animal. Well Dave and I were able to check out the croc/snake show at the exhibit, as well as hang out with some kangaroos in Roo Heaven, and pet some koalas nesting in the trees. Koalas are the cutest but laziest things I have ever come across, all they so is sleep in eat (mostly sleep). But they are so cuddly. I just want to take one home with me. Unfortunately Canada is lacking in its ability to grow eucalyptus trees to feed these amazing animals. I guess I'll just have to be satisfied with seeing them at the zoo. It was was great seeing all the amazing things the zoo does for wild and hurt animals. Everything there is to help protect and educate about wild and dangerous animals. You can tell Australia is proud of their local icon Steve and I was lucky enough to get a picture with him, even though he has past on. We love you Steve.

Luv Jenn

O'Rielly's Raintforest - Lamington National Park

Earlier last week, Lauren (my roommate) and I spent the day at a beautiful dry rainforest in Lamingting National Park. We drove the hour and half in the country side through little suburbs like boyland (which I believe is an incorrect name as there were little to men to be seen). We surprised ourselves by not really getting lost on the way there; it was only difficult to find the correct roads once in a while. Thankfully we were able to use Dave's car as White Magic (the girls car) probably wouldn't have made it up the mountain on the last leg of the trip. I would wager that road up the mountain would give the "tail of the dragon" strip a run for it's money. I lost count of the number of hairpin turns I had to make. We finally made it to the rainforest retreat and decided to take one of the hiking trails to Moran Falls. Even though I have been here for over four months, I am still astounded by the Fauna and flora that can be seen. The trees and plants are amazing and unlike anything back home.
Vines are everything and can be as big as trees and the mountainous landscape is breathtaking. We hiked the 2.5kms to the falls which had an 80m drop, took some pictures, has some lunch, and the mosied on back to the car. Within the hike, Lauren and I made sure to get some good use of the vines, swinging on them like Tarzan and climbing and hanging on them like gymnasts. Thankfully, along the trip, we didn't run into or see anything remotely poisoness or life threatening.

luv Jenn

Sydney for Christmas

I was fortunate enough to get some time off of work for the Christmas holidays this year. My roommate, Carissa, had her heart set on going to the famous Bondi Beach for Christmas day. In our minds, we pictured hot weather, warm sandy beaches with beautiful rolling waves and a lot of good looking people haha. However, what we got was rain and more rain with a side of cool winds. However, we made the best of it by enjoying ourselves Christmas eve at the Scubar club right beside one of Sydney's Hostels. There we met up with some friends from Fiji and had a great night, with Santa coming in at midnight handing out gifts. It was great spending time with all the other Christmas Orphans this year haha. Christmas day we heading to Bondi Beach in our sweater and shorts, shivering all day. We saw the beach through the misty rain and decided to have some hot chocolate and bailey's inside the warm restaurant. We then proceeded to have an amazing Christmas dinner, Pizza from Domino's with some fine entertainment, watching 'the Hangover.' Boxing day was spent travelling the city, where we went a saw the Opera House, taking pictures of us jumping down the miles of stairs. We saw the Sydney harbour bridge and people doing the bridge climb. However, my favourite was the Darling Harbour. It is a beautiful water front with many nice restaurants and a nice skyline. It is definitely a place where I would love to sit and people watch. That night, the girls and I went out for a nice dinner in the city and then went out for our final night to a awesome bar called Ivy. The next day the party was over, we packed up all our stuff, went out for some breakfast, and then hit the airport for our long 1.5 hour flight.

Kangaroo Feast

About a week ago I was able to have an amazing home cooked meal with Dave which consist of an Aussie delicacy, 'Roo'. Since being here, I was waiting for the chance to try roo and see what it was actually like. It was nice to actually cook for more then one person, so we did it up right. We made a fresh salad with some nice baked potatoes and grilled up these thick juicy roo steaks with a great glass of wine to compliment the dinner (or 'tea' as it is called here). It was probably the best meal since thanksgiving so it has been a few weeks. I realize that I talk a lot about food in my blogs, it's because I get really excited when I can actually have a good meal and have the urge to express that to everyone. haha. Regardless, It is another activity/event/thing that I can now cross of my list. One down, only hundreds of things left.

luv Jenn

December Times

I have been living in my new quarters for 2 weeks now and I love every minute of it. As my parents know, I love rearranging and decorating my bedrooms, so the first thing I did was clean out the room, removed all of the other tenants stuff and put it in the hall closet. I proceded to rearrange to the furniture to my liking, and then went to the store and bought some new sheets and comforter for the bed. I even spruced the room up with some flowers. Its great having a space for my own. After 2months of living in a family room, I have learned to appreciate the wonders of privacy. I haven't been doing much of anything lately, mostly working about 35 hours a week, hanging out with new and old friends, running into old university comrads (in Brisbane of all place), and going to the beach. It's funny being over here for Christmas as the weather just keeps getting hotter and hotter everyday. It usuallys hits about 33 degrees during the day and drops to about 20 at nights. As much as I love the hot weather, I would be more enjoyable if A/C was available. For now, I just have to stick with the fan. Today, I booked my flight to go the Sydney for Christmas with my roommates, Lauren and Carissa. I can't wait. We are meeting up with some travellers that we met in Fiji and are going to spend Christmas on Bondai Beach. If I'm lucking, I might even catch Santa in his Stubbies(aka. short shorts), thongs (flip flops) and sunglasses. That's everything I have to offer for this post.

Sydney bound,

Luv Jenn

Goodbye Kessels Road

Today I have been packing up all my things and will be moving into my new house till february. It is sad to see that I can pack up my entire life within two suitcases and a couple of bags. It is very exciting knowing that I will finally have a room with a door on it haha. No more sleeping in the living room for me. Please note that I am not complaining about my current sleeping arrangements as it as a been a great time, but a part of me just can't wait to have some sort of privacy. I'm not moving to far, just the next suburb over which is about a 5 minute drive or a 30 minute walk (as i walked over last night to sign my agreement). I'm actually closer to the mall now and still have the bus route close by for when I have to work and all the poeple that I have met are still close by. I don't have the exact address yet but can email it to those who want to send me christmas gifts, haha, just kiddng. However, if you do want my address, please ask as I don't want to post it online for everyone.

Luv you

Jenn

Nadi - Fiji 2009

I recently returned from an amazing trip to Fiji with six other girls; Kim, Erin, Kaitlin,Carissa, Julie, and Lauren. And what a trip we had. On Saturday, the 14Th, we managed to find our way to the airport, got our duty free, and took the 4 hour flight over to Nadi. Needless to say, I will never complain about 4 hour flights compared to the flight going to Australia. A movie and a couple of chapters later, we arrived. All of us were excited and were looking around to see if we can find our ride to are little resort. We ran into a women who asked as where we were heading, and we all said with great big smiles on our face "smugglers cove." To our astonishment, the women looked at as and said with a weary face, "all 6 nights?" Our smiles kind of wavered as we gave a hesitant,"yes." She then proceeded to tell us that we wouldn't want to stay there every night we made us panic a little. We were not really sure what we got ourselves into. But ready to make our little adventure, we all hopped into the cab and took the 20 minute drive the Smugglers. Given that it was no Five Star Resort, the place was still good and we managed to upgrade to the family room so we wouldn't have to stay in the dorms. It was the best decision we ever made.

For the first two nights, we stayed near smugglers, sun tanning, swimming, eating, drinking and many other activities. The third day we hired a van for the day and drove to the Natadola Beach after stopping for the delicious pineapple on the way. The drive was about 50 minutes, and most of the time we couldn't stop laughing as it was quite the interesting drive through dirt roads and rickety bridges in a ghetto van. However, the drive was completely worth it. This beach had Crystal clear water and nice soft white sand with a brand new five star resort right on the beach. It was breathtaking. While there, I was able to give a go at the new upright paddling on a surfboard trend. It is much harder then it looks but I was finally able to do it after a few mishaps. There was even a stingray hanging around which made the other girls get out of the water very quickly. A couple of days later, we went on the South Sea Island trip that included a boat ride to the Island, free drinks, free lunch (which was amazing and devoured like I haven't eaten in a week), and free water and beach activities. Here I tried once more to find sharks while snorkeling for 2 hours. I even had one of the divers with me to go to all the hot spots at the drop off of the reef but still no luck. I was, however, able to see some Barracuda and stingrays. I even got to see Nemo, haha. Clown fish are curious and will come right up to you opposed from swimming away like all the other fish. After a great day in the sun, we made our way back to the mainland for some more relaxation. All in all, we had a great vacation, we met a lot of the locals who are all very friendly and helpful, met other travellers, tried some Kava (local drink called muddy water), and had a lot of fun.


Until next time,

luv Jenn

Surfer's Paradise

FINALLY.... After being in Australia for over 2 months and living only 45 minutes away, I made it to Surfer's Paradise. It was a spur of the moment trip on the only day of the week that I do not work. The night before my friend Rachelle from work (a Brissy local) and I decided to hit up Surfer's for the day. I actually work up ealier then usual (around 8:30am) and then walked to Garden City to meet Rachelle. With a fun drive with great music and hilarious jokes, we found the beach and enjoyed a few hours of perfect, not a cloud in the sky, hot weather. What always surprises me is how warm the Pacific Ocean is here. It barely even shocks the system. You just walk in and get plummelled by decent side waves. Its comforting knowing that there are shark nets out, it only means that the truely smart sharks are the only ones within biting distance. Just kidding, I have only seen whales in the water. That's it. Although Mark will be disappointed if I don't go home with just a small shark wound. For lunch, Rachelle and I walked down Cahill Avenue, where are the pubs and restaurants are, grabbed some food and just walked around. We saw he famous Surfer's MeterMaids in their old bakinis and high heels. We were going to take a picture with them but the men in line jst wouldn't budge. I wonder why? haha. We decided to head back to the beach after lunch, did some more swimming and took some pictures with the Aussie Lifeguardson he beach. All in all, it was a great day with Fiji looming just over a week away.

Till then,

luv Jenn

Hi Everyone,
Its been a while since I've posted anything interesting so I think I'm about due. I have been here for over a month now, getting used to the Aussie culture, meeting a lot of new and interesting (and not so interesting) people and just having a good time. I haven't been able to do many trips yet which is frustrating but now that I have a job, it just means the trips will be delayed for a few months while i make some money to support them. I an going to Fiji in three weeks and am definitely looking forward to it. October has been pretty quiet it for me. It was my birthday on the 21st when I turned 24. The girls and I decided to have lovely dinner at Dicey's (the pub Kim works at) at which Kim surprised me with an amazing piece of Cheesecake... yummm! It was a pretty low key birthday, but I was in the mood for that. It's hard to celebrate an event like that when friends and family aren't around but the girls did a great job at looking after me. :) I'm currently composing list of things that I would like to accomplish while I am away. I think I have convinced a few people into going sky diving with me. Don't worry Mom, I'll be coming back home in one piece. I'm also going to check out some rock climbing (hopefully) Kangaroo Point. While working at Jojo's, I have made some good connections, so when I do actually travel, I'll have people to visit and places to stay. Things are going very well despite a few bad days here and there. I just wanted to say that I miss everyone back home and appreciate all the happy thoughts and facebook hugs sent my way.

Luv ya

Jenn

Back to Work Already

So I decided is was time for me to get a job in the city. Thinking this was going to be a long and tedious task, I took the bus to Brisbane and walked down Queen Street. The first place I went to was Jojo's Restaurant. I went up the stairs, walked straight up to the front desks and asked if they were hiring. The manager looked over my resume, looked at me and then asked if I was able to do a trial run the following day. So there it is.. in a matter of 15 minutes I have a job. Why can't that happen at home. I a now a casual worker at Jojo's being a drink server. It's a pretty sweet deal.

Workin' in style,

luv Jenn.

Thanksgiving in the Outback

Being here, i definitely miss certain aspects of the Canadian culture. Thanksgiving does not exist down here. There aren't any freezers full of turkeys, red leaf centerpieces, or smells of Cinnamon and cider lingering throughout the stores. It was quite saddening, but, spur of the moment, the girls called me up and asked if I could help prepare an Aussie thanksgiving dinner. We cooked up some ham with pineapple, chicken stuffed with homemade stuffing, cooked carrots, mashed potatoes, with an amazing platter of homemade desserts. To top it off was some great boxed white wine (aka goon) and amazing company. After starting the cooking, I went to pick the girls up from school. And, of course, on the way back, about 300 feet from the house, a police car pulls me over. I wasn't really sure why, as I was definitely not speeding and all the girls had their seat belts on. So i pulled over to the left side (I panicked for a minute because i wasn't sure where I was to pull over) and the cops, in their checkered uniform, came over. Apparently, I had to participate in a random Breathalyzer test that they do regularly in Queensland. I would like to point out that it was about 6pm and that I did NOT have anything to drink. The cops looked at my Ontario licence (confused) asked me where i lived, which i continued to point to the house across the street and then told them about Canadian thanksgiving. We were going to invite them but figured they were to busy working. We got home and then destroyed our dinner. It was amazing.

thanksgiving salutations,

luv Jenn

Mitchelton - Part Two

Went to visit Kim again the other day. Turns out Wednesdays is sports night at the YWAM campus and everyone came out for a great game of soccer. Finally, I was able to get some great excercise for two hours and meet many new people from all over the world. The next day, groups of us were helping with the new house on campus. We hung up curtains, replaced locks, painted, and moved a lot of furniture with a wonderful and reliable vehicle known as 'the beast.' I was pleasently surprised that the vehicle was able to make it down the street without falling apart. after all that hard work, I was rewarded with an amazing dinner and great company. Unfortunately, I was unable to take pictures as I was too busy helping out, but the new house looks great.

Mitchelton - YWAM Base

This afternoon I decided to go and visit Kim at the YWAM base in Mitchelton. Not quite knowing the transit system, I took the bus the to the train station and ended up going on the wrong train. I was able to push away my pride and actually ask someone for directions (a trait I'm sure that i got from my mom), so I got off the train at the next station. Thankfully, the correct train was on the same platform only 5 minutes behind. Once in Mitchelton (after my 1hr of travelling) I met up with Kim and checked out her digs. We then walked to the actual YWAM training facility, picked up Nathan (or Gil as he likes to be called) and went to Brian and Lisa's house for dinner. This was the best dinner I have had since arriving in Australia. We had amazingly cooked steak with roasted potatoes and roasted squash and freshly made bread. Needless to say, I will definitely be going back there for dinner. After the good food and conversation, I had to catch the train and the bus and made it back home. Tomorrow I am spending another beautiful day at South Bank to enjoy the sun and the sand.

Until then...

Luv Jenn

Byron Bay - New South Wales

On Monday and Tuesday, Kim, Kaitlin, Erin, and I travelled to Byron Bay. We left early Monday morning, after packing up some foods and lots of water, and headed south for hour 1hr 45min drive. We did have a pit stop in a little town called Pottsville, where we filled up with gas and drove past a snake that was road kill. What's funny is when you drive on a motorway (highway) here, you don't see 'watch out for deer' signs, they have 'koala crossing' signs. I was hoping to see a wild koala bear but no luck as of yet. We finally made it to Byron Bay around 10:00am. It's a small town that kind of has a Port Perry/Banff feel to hit. Just much more sand floating around. After grabbing some Subway to bring to the beach, we found our motel and headed for some fun in the sand. I wish my words and pictures could actually show how amazing this place really is. At one part of the 5 minute drive to the beach, we were on top of a cliff, and you could look out and see the part of beach and the beautiful blue water of the pacific ocean with the mountains far in the distance highlighting the horizon with the white cap waves brushing up to the white sand. Byron Bay is known for its beaches but also for the fact that it is the most eastern point of Australia. On top of one of the cliffs is the lighthouse in which the most spectacular views can be seen. We were also able to watch a couple of people go hang-gliding which I could only imagine how amazing it would be. I might have to try that sometime during my adventures here. After hours of sunning in the cloudless sky, we decided to go for a walk along the coast and were able to take some pictures of the waves crashing into the rocks. Around 4:00pm, we decided to head out, Kaitlin was getting up and but then points out to the water. About 500m off the coast were some whales jumping out of the water and slashing their fins around. It had to be the best way to end off that day at the beach. For dinner the girls and I went to the Rog's breath Cafe, known for their steak, which non of us had, and then continued to the Cheeky Monkey for a few drinks, where the bartender was actually from New Market Ontario. Go figure. Tuesday we went back to the beach for some more sun and sand, and then mosied back to Brisbane later the afternoon. Needless to say, I will definitely be going back to Byron Bay when I get the chance.

Luv Jenn

Botanical Gardens - Brisbane

On Sunday I caught up with Kim Brinkman at South Bank. We took a walk through the market, listened to some street music, and checked out the shops. We then ventured over the bridge to the Botanical Gardens in Brisbane. The most amazing trees and flowers can be found in Australia. My favourite had to be the huge fig trees that would branch straight out for meters and would grow new roots once the branch was getting to heavy. When I saw these trees, the first thing that came to mind was that this would be the perfect spot to build a large tree house and live like the Robertsons. Of course, Kim and I couldn't leave the gardens without climbing at least one tree. So there we were, slowing climbing our way up the giant tree, checking each step and hand grab carefully for spiders or any other type of creepy crawling thing. I also enjoyed my first experience with an Australian delicacy; the Kebab. This is a delicious grilled wrap with either thin slices or chicken, lamb, or both with all the fillings. It was absolutely amazing. Soon after, Kim and I split ways to finish off the day.

Until Tuesday,

Luv Jenn

Stay on the Left

Since being in Australia, the one phrase that i live by and keeps me out of trouble is the following; Stay on the left. This is good for walking on streets, in the mall, or anywhere for that matter. Today, however, I was lucky enough to experience my Stay to the left mantra while driving. Kimmie and her roomies were running a little late for school and asked if I would like to drive them. I, wanting to help them out, hesitantly agreed to drive them the 5 minute distance from the school. I am proud to say, not only did I not die, I didn't run the car or any other cars off the road, hit any pedestrians, or enter into the wrong lane. I would loved to provide a picture, but I thought I would be pushing my luck trying to drive and take a picture at the same time. Hopefully, in my days to come, I will become proficient in my left side driving abilities.

Keep on truckin'

Luv Jenn

A Sunday Stroll

Today I was excited to go the Hillsong Church in Brisbane. After taking an hour to walk there in the intense heat, I was able to enjoy the upbeat and emotional worship band in front of hundreds of fellow Christians. What was amazing is that in that one church, roughly 90 countries in the world were represented. It is definitely and amazing sight. After the services was over, I walked into the welcome center and met a few other young adults that were members. They were quite welcoming and even offered me a ride home, which I snapped up in a second.

When I finally got back home, Kim and I decided to go to South Bank, in the city. We jumped onto the bus for the 17 minute express ride there and enjoyed the pleasures of the man made beach and swimming area. The Sun was quite hot, being 30 degrees outside but I have been told, it will only get worse (or better if you like it hot). After dosing on the beach for a few hours and getting pooped on by a stupid seagal, we headed over the bridge into the city to visit the shops at Queen's Street. We then continued back over the Brisbane River, which is infested with Bull sharks, and went back home. Unfortunately, the river water is quite murky and I was unable to spot any sharks. Maybe I'll have better luck at the Ocean.

Later

Luv Jenn