Paradise Lost..Paradise Found

"Its dead"...I said

"What do you mean dead?!?" Kristen quickly replied

"The gears won't engage. Somethings seriously wrong here," she could hear the panic in my voice.

"Uh-oh, This is not good! What do we do now?," Kristen remarked trying to remain calm.

For a few seconds we just stared into the rain forest surrounding us. The sound of birds chirping and the buzzing of insects seemed to be intensifying. I took my cell phone out of my pocket.

"Damn, No signal!"

"All we can do is wait," I said surrendering to the situation.

The Land Rover was our life raft in this sea of sand and trees. Now we were grounded in the middle of nowhere. As the seconds crawled by, the severity of the situation begin to unfold itself. Alone in a broke down car on a dirt road on the largest sand island in the world. Fraser island was a formidable environment for even the most experienced adventurers. With the passing of each minute fear and panic began to win over rational thought.

"We could be stuck here all night. Maybe for days," Kristen seemed to be thinking out loud.

"Someone will eventually come along. This road is a main artery of the island for people trying to reach the east shores," I said reassuringly.

In the back of my mind the thought did occur. She may be right. It was late in the afternoon and most people were setting up camp for the night. No one travels the island after dark.

We had only been on the island for three hours and it was looking as if we were in over our heads. Maybe we should of joined a tour group instead of taking on the island alone, I thought. It was only six hours ago we were in the office of the rental company watching an aging video on 4x4 driving safety. It was something like, use low 2nd gear for blah blah blah.. if you get stuck try blah blah blah... something else import blah blah blah... here are your keys. "Call us if you have any problems."

In the beginning the day seemed to be going as planned. Even though my driving skills were immediately put to the test after leaving the ferry. After conquering the first few challenging climbs, a false sense of security set in. There was nothing to this off road driving, I thought. Sitting behind the wheel of the land rover, plowing my way through the jungle, I begin to imagine myself as a Spanish conquistador. Venturing into the deep dark jungle on my way to exploit some unknown civilization.

Now, staring through the bug smeared windshield at the rain forest surrounding us it was quite clear. I am no conquistador. We are mearly strangers in a strange and unforgiving land. Waiting in vein for fate to throw us a friggin bone. And a bone it did toss.

"I hear something," Kristen said excitedly. "Its a car!"

Just then a SUV came speeding around the corner and quickly slammed on its breaks. It seemed fate hadn't complettely abondoned us. The driver and his passenger exited the vehicle and approached us. It was a man and a women in their mid 40's .

"What is wrong?" the man asked. He had a eastern European or Russian accent.

"The car is dead. None of the gears will engage," I explained.

"Did you try all the gears?" The man said as he examined the car. "Maybe we push car?"

We all gathered at the back of the large vehicle and begin pushing. We tried multiple times but our effort was futile. It was too heavy. The car had now become a two and a half ton roadblock. No one was leaving. It seams we had trapped two more souls in our ever growing vortex of bad luck. The two good Samaritans were now grasping the same situation we had already accepted. We are stuck in the middle of Fraser Island. Even if the couple decided to turn around and leave, there was no where to go. The road led to the eastern beach and was impassible at this part of the day due to high tides. It was also clear they were not prepared to camp as the told us they were heading back toward the resort when they came upon us. Disbelief soon turned to frustration, spurred on by the intense heat and thick humidity. We began to try again to remove this boulder from our path.

Meanwhile, fate it seems underestimated the strength of our ever expanding negative vortex, seeing that a bone was not enough now graced us with an entire skeleton. This "skeleton" took the form of another SUV. This time the SUV was filled with eight young backpackers who quickly came to our aid. With all of our combined strength we managed to move the car enough to let them continue on their way. After thanking them they quickly did so.

" What will you do now?" asked the couple.

" I need to get a signal to call the rental company," I said.

" We are staying at kingfisher resort, we will take you there," he replied.

Not knowing how long it would be until we saw the car again, we quickly gathered our packs and other necessary items and loaded them in to their car. We immediately began driving back.

" My name is Jakub and this is my wife Anna" he explained.

It turns out they live in Warsaw, Poland and had been on the island for two weeks on holiday. It was also quickly apparent this car was rented and Jakub drove it like he stole it. Now that we were rescued it seemed the vortex wasn't quite ready to release its grip on us. I began to doubt we would make it back at all. Jakub slowed for nothing! Anna hit her head on the roof, while random fruit, candy, books, and bags danced around the car is if we were in zero gravity. Jakub was definitely getting his money worth. White knuckled and clinging on to every available anchor we tried to maintain a polite conversation. Anna, who seemed to have gotten used to this chaotic ride asked us about our home and our views about our new president Obama. The couple was congradulatory and seemed to hold the same opinions of Obama as we do. Our minds now stuck in survival mode, our responses seem to come via autopilot.

"Its nice...

Obama Good" we responded in monotone voices.

They were very friendly people. After a while we calmed down and even began to enjoy the crazy ride. Soon we were all in agreement. These are the moments that you remember the most. It's these random encounters that travel and exploration are all about. Four people from different worlds being thrown together and all enjoying the journey. It was a beautiful moment! We had finally escaped the gravity of the vortex and were were once again free. Everything was again possible. We arrived safely to Kingfisher Resort. It was expensive looking. If we could not find accommodation Anna and Jakub offered us the spare bedroom in the villa they had rented. Not wanting to impose, we decided to try get our own room. They went to the pool and I approached the young man at the reception desk.

"How ya goin?" he said in typical Aussie fashion.

"Terrible! It's our first day here. Our car broke down in the middle of the island. The nearest campsite is nine kilometers away and we have no where to go. Do you have any availabilities?" I responded trying to evoke some sympathy. It was, however, surly obvious we were hard up. Our shirts were now so soaked with sweat they were transparent. I hadn't shaved for 6 days. All the while most of our earthly belongings were hung all over us. It appeared Fraser Island had chewed us up and spit us out.

" I see," said the young man. He wasn't expecting such a long winded response to his greeting." I will see what I can do."

After a few moments he returned.
" Your in room 132. I spoke with my manager and I was able to take $70 of the room. Its $215. Will that work for you?"

"Yes any little bit helps," I said feeling exhausted.

We found Anna and Jakub at the pool. Explained to them we are OK and decided to ask them to dinner to thank them for their kindness. We hurried into our air conditioned room took showers and readied ourselves.

At 7:30 we met them at one of the resorts restaurants. The wine and and conversation flowed all night. Turns out they have travelled extensively. They both own their own company and have three kids. Jakub is an avid collector of ethnic art. Especially from Indonesia and the south pacific. He instructed me on how to identify authentic pieces. As well as what you could sell them for if you found the right market. We hung out late into the evening. It was about 11:30 when the fourth bottle of wine was finished. They even picked up the bill for dinner which was very generous and unexpected. We exchanged information and retired to our rooms. We will remember our encounter with them forever.

In the morning we picked up another vehicle at the ferry. This was a much larger and older Land Rover. It was a diesel and quite a beast. It made easy work of some of the toughest terrain the island offered. I named him Sherman, because it reminded me of a Sherman tank. He was a grumpy old man, but he did the job. In the four days that followed we spent our time exploring the island. The highlight of which was Lake Birrabeen. The sand of which is so fine its used in spa treatments and to polish silver. We spent three days there. I have never seen such a beautiful lake. The water was crystal clear and probably about 75 degrees. It was a beautiful oasis in the middle of the hot jungle. Other memorable places included Lake Mckenzie, Lake Wabby, wreck of the Maheno and the Champagne pools.

(Sherman)

However, the trip was not all fun and games. It rained every night and most of the daytime as well. Trying to sleep in a tent when its 90 degrees outside is hard enough. When you have to keep it zipped up all water tight its quite miserable. Then there are the mosquito's, blowies (flies), and marsh flies. Marsh flies are like horse flies on steroids with a bite like a bee sting. To be fair there were also allot of nice creatures on the island. At night the big fat bright green tree frogs would come out. The island is also inhabited with a decent size population of wild dingos. Add in the all the crabs, snakes, and giant lizards you begin to see what a real gem this place is.

Marsh Fly

Cute fat little tree frog

One of the many large lizards

The Pinnacles (Sandstone formations)

Back at our new favorite...Lake Birrabeen

Spa treatment Fraser style

Relaxing at Lake Birrabeen

Guess Where?
Lake Birrabeen again! Love it!

The Champagne pools. Water splashes over the rocks into the pools and creates champagne like bubbles.

After all 11 days of camping and living out of a van we needed a break. We took refuge in Rockhampton for three days. Rocky (as its called) is the beef capital of Australia. It has a very cowboy feel to it. They even listen to country music. It was a nice place to get away from it all. We are on our way to Cairns to finish of the last leg of our Australia adventure. Great Barrier Reef, we are coming for you!

Road Trippin

As my bell bottoms graze the earth below me, Lonnie and I begin the hippy segment of our adventure.

I rose early Thurs. AM to take a long, thorough shower as I knew it could be my last for a good long while. We said goodbye to our private, luxurious hotel room and to Brisbane. And so we picked up our "Wicked" van out of which we are currently living. Yes that's right, the Wicked van is our home now. It is our bedroom, our kitchen, our storage, and our transportation.

Wicked Van (The Down Under)

We hop in and we are still in Brisbane which is a sizable city. As long as you have a driver's license they send you on your way, no questions asked. So Lonnie gets behind the wheel and I can tell he's a little nervous about city driving, especially in a big van on the left side of the road, with the driver's seat on the right. And oh boy, it's a stick shift too. This will surely be entertaining. At first I'm white knuckled and horrified but he does quite well and the freeway driving is much more relaxing.

After a couple of hours drive through gorgeous, lush green country, we arrive in Nimbin. To step forward in Nimbin is to step back in time. This tiny city is comprised of die hard hippies. In 1973 an Aquarius Festival was held in Nimbin. Party goers enjoyed it so much that many never left. They adopted Nimbin as their home and it feels much like I imagine it did 36 years ago. Naked babies run the sidewalks and dread headed, tie dye wearing men shuffle the streets. While there's a part of me that feels at home here, I know I'd go crazy living in a town so small and comprised solely of like-minded individuals. As we check out a couple of quaint shops the smell of patchouli shares the air with the familiar lyrics of Janis Joplin. The surroundings bring me back to my high school years and I'm surprised a city like this thrives. Nimbin stands for freedom. It stands for making love, not war. While I only spent an hour here, I think it left such a strong impression that I will remember it for a lifetime.

We ended up sleeping at a rest stop just 6 km outside of Byron Bay. Tons of people around Byron Bay seem to be doing as we are, squatting. People sleep in their cars everywhere here. It almost seems to be the norm.

I keep having these moments where I start to laugh and I can't stop. My stomach literally aches. After all, we are LIVING out of a van and I find this notion incredibly amusing. I am a very brave sole to share such a tight living space with Lonnie.

We bought boogie boards and spent the day in the ocean. The sun here is hot, the beaches are topless and the water is warm!

Last night we made friends at our new home, the rest stop outside Byron Bay. Three German guys and a French girl were our neighbors. Remo, a blond early twenty something invited us to join their circle. We drank goon (boxed wine) and sang songs from the Beatles as Remo played guitar. He was incredibly good and a very talented singer as well. They have been traveling for four months and working picking rock melon for money as needed. We hung out until late and slept in til noon today.

Today has been rainy so we drove to the lighthouse, shopped and hung low. So, until we meet again my friends...

We will fill you on our Fraiser Island adventure too...What an adventure that was!

Trains, Planes, and Automobiles

Arriving 9Am on the 11th, we stepped off a length 13 hour train ride from Melbourne. We opted to take the overnight train to save on the cost of a night's stay in Sydney. So, happily and groggily we found our way to the YHA hostel just two blocks from the train station. We enjoyed the day shopping Paddy's market for goodies. I came back with a purse I've been wanting and Lonnie with a pair of shoes. We then visited The Sydney Chinese Garden of Friendship. It was a nice break from the manic city surrounded. The design was based on the idea of yin vs yang. As we wandered through we were quickly absorbed into our tranquil surrounding. The sound of waterfalls transformed us to a near comatose state. After the garden we wondered through Darling Harbor. We ended our first day in Sydney with dinner in Chinatown, enjoying the people watching as we ate and drank. We brought our own liquor as we often times been doing. A cork fee here is rare. Our hostel roommates (hostel being the venue, not their disposition) are from Sweden, about an hour south of Stockholm. Fortunately they were very kind and considerate. We lucked out as we all ended up going to sleep about the same time so as not to disturb one another.

Monday morning Lonnie broke out early for the fish market. The fish market has a behind the scenes tour of the fish auction. The tour guide, who was a Canadian, would go from bin to bin on the auction floor and give you information about different species. He also pointed out ways of identifying freshness, as well as how some are used as cheap imitations for other more valuable sea food. After the tour Lonnie indulged himself in a variety of fresh offerings. A dozen fresh oysters just in from Tasmania were delightfully creamy and clean tasting. The giant New Zealand mussels were bought and cooked on premise. To him it felt a little odd being one of the only people gorging on shellfish at 8:00 am, but a better breakfast he could hardly remember. After our breakfast we were ready to hit the famous Bondi Beach... some more relaxation needed. After about a 45 min ride on a crowded bus we arrived. Gorgeous!! The beach itself was quite busy but not overcrowded. We took turns swimming and sunbathing. Even with multiple sunscreen applications we both managed to get burned at Bondi. Like I said before- the sun in crazy hot here. Morbid ads relating the harshness of skin cancer are found everywhere here.

So today we checked out at 10 AM, ate breakfast and headed to the ever popular Sydney Harbor. As beautiful as I remember it, we took photos, walked around the Opera house, and viewed the bridge. Walking back from the harbor we ambled through Sydney's royal botanical gardens. It was fantastic surprise. All different species of trees scattered through a park next to Sydney harbor. We were in awe of the amazing figs trees and their enormous root structures. Our skin now extra sensitive, we took advantage of the glorious shade these giants provided. We meandered from tree to tree, admiring the sheer size and uniqueness of each one. It was one of my favorite things about Sydney.

Tonight we fly to Brisbane on a 9:30 flight. We were able to buy the plane tix for about 70 bucks Aus- roughly 55 USD. Not bad- cheaper than a train or bus.

On top of the world

So for our last night in Melbourne we decided to check out the skybar and see Melbourne from a new and high perspective. From eighty eight floors we viewed the city. Beautiful. Then we had sushi and headed to the Workshop, a local bar/ club scene. Today we have planned out the next three weeks of our stay, booking tickets and such. We'll be staying in hostels, camping on beaches and renting a Wicked van. We can drive, sleep in, and even cook in the Wicked van. We've been on this trip for 27 days now and we've done and seen so much!! We have 26 days more in Australia alone!! It's a crazy experience being on a trip this length... your mindset really does begin to alter.
We board a train for Sydney in a couple hours and we will arrive tomorrow early AM in Sydney. And so we much say goodbye to family. Amber, Bj and Tiger have shown us a great time here and we have been on an amazing holiday together. We are so lucky to have spent time together and sleeping in the living room of their small one bedroom has saved much money.

So now Lonnie and I are stuck with each other on our own for the first time. Mexico with family was awesome, Colorado great as always, and Australia thus far has been insanely beautiful. I can only imagine what else the trip will hold for us.
This is the end of free internet as well but we'll try and write relatively soon. xoxo
And so our journey continues...

Great Ocean Road... Super happy fun high quality good value!

So we've just arrived home from our 5 day Great Ocean Road trip and it was beautiful. Amber and BJ amazingly got 12 days off work so we are all on holiday together. We went up to camp our first night in Port Campbell. Lonnie found a tent for just 22 bucks so that worked out. Our first day out we went to the Otway Treetop Walk. It is a series of catwalks that are attached to the tops of towering trees. Its a dizzying walk not for the lighthearted. The Otway forest is filled with huge trees and large ferns covering the forest floor. It's absolutely prehistoric looking. The highlight is a 135 foot tower you can walk to the top of. Highly recommended!



We then continued to travel great ocean road. We stopped repeatedly to witness the enormous rock formations jutting out of the ocean waves. Most impressive was probably the 12 Apostles. There are only 8 of the original 12 remaining. The London Bridge is another awe inspiring sight. It is now an island but at one point had a land bridge you could walk on. In 1990, the land bridge collapsed and stranded some tourists. We later veered off the road to view koalas in the wild... so cute! We spotted three and snapped some photos.

London Bridge12 ApostlesThe Grotto

Our destination was Torquay, "The surfing capital of Australia". We enjoyed two full days on the beach under the hot sun. We went to Jan Juc beach the first day and loved it so much we went back for the second. A great beach for beginning wave riders. The sun is insanely hot here and it beats down on you. The ozone is so thin it is almost nonexistent. 1 in 3 Australians have skin cancer. So we were careful to constantly reapply sunscreen. With the scent of salt in the air and the warm breeze upon us, we spent 4-5 hours boogie boarding, skim boarding and sunbathing. Lonnie and I got wicked board burns on our tummies. So day two we bought surf shirts which provide spf protection and well as helping prevent board rash. The waves were solid and strong. We caught lots of rays and played in the water long enough to see the tide come in roughly 50 feet.

We also had some delicious Indian and Thai food for dinners. When it comes to dining in Australia be advised this is not a tipping society. There is no concept of customer service. You learn quickly to take full advantage whenever a server graces you with their time, ordering everything at once because you may never see them again. Our dinners average two and a half hours from beginning to end. One good thing though is that they nearly all allow you to bring in your own wine for free. This helps you manage until service and food arrive.
At one point in the trip Lonnie wanted to drive... and so it was. The Great Ocean Road is constantly winding and kinda scary on it's own. But with Lonnie behind the wheel it is extra frightening. So he drove the skinny, cliff hugging curves as the rest of us yelled, "stay left, stay left". Somehow we made it.

This morning our plan was to rent surf boards and hit the waves. But we woke to damp earth, overcast and rainy skies. So after breakfast we decided to do some shopping and check out the local sights. Being the surf capital of Australia, Torquay is comprised of one major surf retailer after another. So basically it's the same stuff over and over. One entertaining item, the current fashion trend is wearing day glow colors done in obnoxious patterns, very 80s. It strains the eyes to look at. It seems the boys here are trying to out do one another by blinding their peers with their blazing neon outfits.

In final thought, the Great Ocean road is a beautiful and peaceful stretch of highway. The natural wonders are free to view and they are breathtaking. Good value!!

Loch Ard Gorge... jealous?



p.s. "Good Value" is our new favorite aussie term. It's used for people or things.
"You know that Johnny fella?" yea " he's good value!"

Dancing in the future

Being just second in the world after New Zealand to see the new year come in, we did it just right. We celebrated the new year a good 16 hours before you all back home. We are in the future here!
11:59 pm Dec. 31st, 2008: As I scanned the crowd of over half a million heads, I noticed them begin to glow simultaneously. We stood before the Yarra river in Federation Square in downtown Melbourne. Peering into the night's sky, fireworks illuminated my surrounding world. They were synchronized with the music that filled our ears. The air was cool and brisk, the scent of sparkler smoke wafting through the air. In seconds we were surrounded by literally 9 sets of full sized fireworks in 360 degrees around us. It was spectacular. I kissed Lonnie and could consistently feel a broad smile across my lips. Happy 2009. What a perfect start to our new year together.
After enjoying the free show we made it to a club called ''Cookie'' that was amazingly cover charge free. A couple drinks later Amber, Bj, Amber's Aussie friend, Zainab, Lonnie and I went down to the street to catch a cab. Waiting on the corner we witnessed a taxi cab with vomit spilling down the side door pull up. A group of wasted teenagers approached and literally stuffed their girlfriend through the back window head first. I think this was their attempt at avoiding direct contact with the vomit. She couldn't stand on her own and it made me immediately question the 18 yr old drinking age. It was not a pretty sight. So we caught a cab back to Amber and BJ's and Amber and I had our own dance party in the kitchen. It was lovely. We danced til the sun came up.
So as you can imagine today has been low key, filled with movies and sporadic meals. Tomorrow he head to Torque to camp and surf and spend a few days strictly on the beach. So far I love 2009. We are so lucky, I'm just doing my best to take it all in...