Again i've left this thing for ages so lots to catch up on as usual. In my last Blog i mentioned how excited I was about the Whitsundays, well that turned out to be a waste of time. On the first day when we set off everything went ok, all though we were a little aprehensive as we had just learned that it was meant to be a "party" boat which we didn't really want but we thought that it couldn't be all that bad. So anyway, things were going fine, we got to the island where we were staying and all was well. The next day we were woken up at 6.30 am and got back on the boat for breakfast. 3 and a half hours later we were still in the harbour wondering why we weren't going anywhere, at this point we were told that the engine was broken and they didn't have a main sail on the boat! We were asked to wait on the boat for another hour or so while they tried to get someone to fix the boat but couldn't and we were told that we would have to stay on the island until a rescue boat could come for us. I'm not going to go into every detail of what went wrond cos we'd be here for ever but basically we were stuck on a rubbish island with rubbish food and nothing to do for 2 days and then didn't get any money back at the end of it all. So anyone reading this who's going to the Whitsundays don't choose the boat "Reality Is...", it's even got a rubbish name.
After the Whitsundays we made out way up to Cairns where we stayed for a few nights before flying back down south to Sydney. While we were in Cairns we took a boat trip out to the Great Barrier Reef to go Scuba diving. It was such a good day out especially in comparison with our whitsundays sailing trip! We left early in the morning and sailed out to near to Green Island where we dropped anchor and went diving. I thought I'd be really scared of diving because of all the sharks and stuff but i really enjoyed it. After the diving we were taken on a little speed boat to green island where we spent a couple of hours and then headed back to the boat for lunch which was amazing. During lunch there were loads of Reef Sharks hanging around our boat and we were feeding them meat and things, it was really amazing to see but also a little scary as we were going snorkelling after lunch. So, after lunch, when the sharks had gone, we got back in and saw lots of fish and coral and colours and more fish, it was fun. After the snorkelling it was time to go home so we sailed back to cairns drinking wine and eating fresh fruit and cheese and crackers and cake, it was such a good day.
We left Cairns the day after to Sydney and then to Perth for the night and then on to Bali, a very long way round to get there i know but for some reason that's the way we had to do it. So we're in Bali now and it's really really hot and very very cheap, we're on a weekly budget of 1,800,000Rp, thats right, i am a millionaire. We're staying in an amazing villa with two bedrooms and it's really fancy and it's costing about 5 pounds a night. There are thousand and thousands of people on scooters here, it's terrifying when you're in a car, i keep thinking the taxi's going to kill someone but it's kinda fun. We went to a water park today which was so much fun. There were loads of slides and a bar in the pool so you were sat on under water stools at the bar, i like that alot. Anyway, i think that brings me back to date. We're going to a monkey forest tomorrow with lots of temples so i'm looking forward to that.
Monday 16 April 2007
Monday 2 April 2007
Team B'awesome!!!
I keep leaving this thing for too long. I've got loads to write about now. We had a really good time in Byron in the end. The beach and sea there is gorgeous, white sand and turquoise water. We even swam right next to dolphins! We had a good time in the evenings too. We met up with a few guys that we met in Lennox head and went out to a place called cheeky monkeys. It's terrible, it's like Magaluf or something, it was funny though. After we left cheeky monkeys we went to a place called the beach hotel which is a massive outdoor bar. It was really nice and they had a live band playing funk and mowtown so that was really fun. After we'd had a few in there we went and sat on the beach all night drinking wine from a box (classy). It was good to be able to be out at night and just sit on the beach.
We spent most of our days in Byron on the beach although we did do a little shopping. It was basically a mini beach holiday where we didn't do much else although we did walk up to the lighthouse which is meant to be the most easterly point in australia and from there we saw dolphins, sea turtles and stingers. It was a really amazing view. It was a very hot walk though and it took us hours because we had to keep stopping for some shade and a drink.
Later that night we met up with some people who cooked us dinner at their hostel which was really yummy, we had red thai curry. after we'd eated we just went back to the beach hotel for a drink or two and then home to bed. A bit of quiet one but it's what we needed after the night before.
The next day we were off to Brisbane where we stayed with some friends of Hannahs parent who have just moved out there to be near their son and grand children. It was nice to have our own room and not to be in a hostel for a few nights. Jeff and Yvonne (who we were staying with) took us around Brisbane and showed us the sights. It's a nice city but there's nothing amazing about it. They also took us to Australia zoo (the steve Irwin zoo) and that was really good. We saw lots of crocs and snakes and kangaroos and lots of other animals too. We also saw the show where they feed the crocodiles with big chunks of meat. It was a fun day but very tiring. On way back from the zoo we stopped to look at the glass house mountains, it was an amazing view but we were very tired after our day out so we didn't do any walking or anything, just headed home.
After Brisbane we set off for Noosa. We didn't really do much there, we were only there for one day really which we spent on the beach and booking tours and things for further on up the coast. It seemed like a nice town but we didn't really see much of it.
We set off to Hervey bay to do our Fraser Island tour. We had to be up and 6.30 to be put into our groups which was very early. Luckily we were put into a really nice group which was good because we spent the next 3 days together. We were doing the self drive tour, so after we got into groups and got our food and things sorted be drove to the ferry to take us to the island.
Fraser Island is basically a national park so there isn't anywhere to stay, no hostels or anything so you have to camp. It is a really beautiful island. The main road is the beach and there are inland tracks, no concrete or anything like that. When we first arrived we decided to go to a place called lake McKenzie which was stunning. It was more like a tropical beach than a lakeside. The water was so clear and again the sand was white and the weather was lovely. It was really beautiful. I need to put some pictures on here so you can see what i mean. I havn't got the stuff with me to do that today but i will add photos later. After Lake McKenzie we set off for Lake Wabby. Lake Wabby is very strange, it looks like a desert with a small lake at the bottom. It was really fun though because you run down a big sand dune and then straight into the water at the bottom. There were 11 of us in our group and we all had races and things, it was brilliant. After Lake Wabby we headed off to set up camp. Then we had a big BBQ for dinner (we had far too much food) and then went down to sit on the beach for a while. There was a dingo on the beach which was cool. We were scared to death at the camp though because the ranger was telling us all about the venimous snakes and poisenous spiders that they have on fraser and in the camps so as soon as it went dark i was terrified to walk anywhere. In the end we didn't see any snakes and only one big spider but we did see some dingos and some guranas (big lizard things, they look like mini crocodiles).
The next day we headed to Indian Head which is the highest point of the island and also a breeding ground for tiger sharks. We saw lots of sharks but because we were so high up they just looked like little fish. From Indian head we walked to the Champagne pools. The pools are like big rock pools that you can swim in right next to the sea (shark free pools) and they're called the champagne pools because the waves coming into the pools make them bubble. That was really lovely, the water was so warm. It did start to rain though so we had to walk back to the truck feeling very cold but the sun soon came out again. After the pools we set of for Eli Creek which is a river that runs out to sea but it has quite a stong current so you walk up the river, get in and float down it. It was so nice and again the water was so clear but that where we say the big spider and possibly a swimming snake or an eel, i'm hoping it was an eel! That was a really good day. In the evening again we made food and played cards and drank wine. The group we were in was a really good group we got on really well together. When the groups were chosen they called us team B but throughout the trip the word "awesome" was used alot by Ryan, a Canadian guy and then by everyone else so that is where team B'awesome comes from, the best team on fraser.
The next day we went to a lake called lake Birribeen which has sand that is so pure its 98% silica and so is pure white, it's so white that in the middle of the day it doesn't get hot from the sun. It was a really beautiful beach but it was so windy that we got covered in sand and decided to spend our last afternoon at Lake Mckenzie. Sadly we had to get the ferry back to hervey bay after that but we had such a good time on fraser island and we were all staying in the same hostel in hervey bay so we shared a room with everyone and had another nice night together.
We've in Airley beach now waiting to get boat on friday around the whitsundays, we've very excited about it, everyone we've spoken to says its as good as Fraser island so i can't wait.
We spent most of our days in Byron on the beach although we did do a little shopping. It was basically a mini beach holiday where we didn't do much else although we did walk up to the lighthouse which is meant to be the most easterly point in australia and from there we saw dolphins, sea turtles and stingers. It was a really amazing view. It was a very hot walk though and it took us hours because we had to keep stopping for some shade and a drink.
Later that night we met up with some people who cooked us dinner at their hostel which was really yummy, we had red thai curry. after we'd eated we just went back to the beach hotel for a drink or two and then home to bed. A bit of quiet one but it's what we needed after the night before.
The next day we were off to Brisbane where we stayed with some friends of Hannahs parent who have just moved out there to be near their son and grand children. It was nice to have our own room and not to be in a hostel for a few nights. Jeff and Yvonne (who we were staying with) took us around Brisbane and showed us the sights. It's a nice city but there's nothing amazing about it. They also took us to Australia zoo (the steve Irwin zoo) and that was really good. We saw lots of crocs and snakes and kangaroos and lots of other animals too. We also saw the show where they feed the crocodiles with big chunks of meat. It was a fun day but very tiring. On way back from the zoo we stopped to look at the glass house mountains, it was an amazing view but we were very tired after our day out so we didn't do any walking or anything, just headed home.
After Brisbane we set off for Noosa. We didn't really do much there, we were only there for one day really which we spent on the beach and booking tours and things for further on up the coast. It seemed like a nice town but we didn't really see much of it.
We set off to Hervey bay to do our Fraser Island tour. We had to be up and 6.30 to be put into our groups which was very early. Luckily we were put into a really nice group which was good because we spent the next 3 days together. We were doing the self drive tour, so after we got into groups and got our food and things sorted be drove to the ferry to take us to the island.
Fraser Island is basically a national park so there isn't anywhere to stay, no hostels or anything so you have to camp. It is a really beautiful island. The main road is the beach and there are inland tracks, no concrete or anything like that. When we first arrived we decided to go to a place called lake McKenzie which was stunning. It was more like a tropical beach than a lakeside. The water was so clear and again the sand was white and the weather was lovely. It was really beautiful. I need to put some pictures on here so you can see what i mean. I havn't got the stuff with me to do that today but i will add photos later. After Lake McKenzie we set off for Lake Wabby. Lake Wabby is very strange, it looks like a desert with a small lake at the bottom. It was really fun though because you run down a big sand dune and then straight into the water at the bottom. There were 11 of us in our group and we all had races and things, it was brilliant. After Lake Wabby we headed off to set up camp. Then we had a big BBQ for dinner (we had far too much food) and then went down to sit on the beach for a while. There was a dingo on the beach which was cool. We were scared to death at the camp though because the ranger was telling us all about the venimous snakes and poisenous spiders that they have on fraser and in the camps so as soon as it went dark i was terrified to walk anywhere. In the end we didn't see any snakes and only one big spider but we did see some dingos and some guranas (big lizard things, they look like mini crocodiles).
The next day we headed to Indian Head which is the highest point of the island and also a breeding ground for tiger sharks. We saw lots of sharks but because we were so high up they just looked like little fish. From Indian head we walked to the Champagne pools. The pools are like big rock pools that you can swim in right next to the sea (shark free pools) and they're called the champagne pools because the waves coming into the pools make them bubble. That was really lovely, the water was so warm. It did start to rain though so we had to walk back to the truck feeling very cold but the sun soon came out again. After the pools we set of for Eli Creek which is a river that runs out to sea but it has quite a stong current so you walk up the river, get in and float down it. It was so nice and again the water was so clear but that where we say the big spider and possibly a swimming snake or an eel, i'm hoping it was an eel! That was a really good day. In the evening again we made food and played cards and drank wine. The group we were in was a really good group we got on really well together. When the groups were chosen they called us team B but throughout the trip the word "awesome" was used alot by Ryan, a Canadian guy and then by everyone else so that is where team B'awesome comes from, the best team on fraser.
The next day we went to a lake called lake Birribeen which has sand that is so pure its 98% silica and so is pure white, it's so white that in the middle of the day it doesn't get hot from the sun. It was a really beautiful beach but it was so windy that we got covered in sand and decided to spend our last afternoon at Lake Mckenzie. Sadly we had to get the ferry back to hervey bay after that but we had such a good time on fraser island and we were all staying in the same hostel in hervey bay so we shared a room with everyone and had another nice night together.
We've in Airley beach now waiting to get boat on friday around the whitsundays, we've very excited about it, everyone we've spoken to says its as good as Fraser island so i can't wait.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)