ANZAC day and more

Last Sunday was ANZAC day.
ANZAC is an acronym for ‘Australian and New Zealand Army Corps’.

This name came about when Australia and New Zealand joined forces to enter into World War One.
The ANZAC’s landed on the Gallipoli Beach in Turkey on the 25th of April 1915 (hence why ANZAC Day is on that date).

ANZAC Day now incorporates all Australian men and women that have fought in times of war. That being the Boer, Vietnam, Borneo, Iraq and Afghanistan Wars to name a few.  It is a day when every Australian celebrates and remembers the men and women who have done so much for Australia.

On the ANZAC Day itself, all around Australia people gather for the marches in the streets with past and present soldiers and dawn services in such squares as Brisbane’s ANZAC Square.
It was an honour to experience this day in Australia.

What else have I been doing? I took a free walking tour and learned even more history about Brisbane and Australia. Apparently, about 40.000 years ago,  carnivore kangaroos about 3 metres tall were living in Australia. Glad they have been extinged. Australia has enough dangerous wildlife as it is.
The most venomous snakes and spiders are found in the land Down Under. But as you can see, I travelled all around Oz and I'm still alive. :)

I've also been to the biggest man made beach in Queensland, which is right here in the city. It's a true lagoon, white sand, and crystal clear water with a view over the Brisbane skyline. *Sigh* If we only had something like this in Belgium!
And the bes thing about it: it's free. Yep, FREE...  A  lot of things in Australia are free. Toilets, for example, you never have to pay for a public toilet! Saved me a lot of money ;)
Or in every big city there is a free bus that loops around from 7am-6pm.
Water! Everywhere you go you can find free drinkable watertaps to refill  your bottle, also in bars & restaurants the water is free.
In most parks you can find gasBBQ's free of use.
And of course, you can see so  many sunrises and sunsets for free, along with the friendly smiles of the Aussies...

My feelings right now are bittersweet.
Sweet because of all the amazing things I've seen, done, experienced,...
Bitter because in exactly 3 weeks I have to leave this place I called home for almost 4 months...
But, alsways look on the bright side of life, I still have 3 weeks. I will go snorkling on Moreton Island to see the ship wrecks, I'll stop over in Surfers Paradise & Byron bay to enjoy some surfing and laid back beachlife to end up where I started: Sydney. the city where it all began...

Torn between two... continents

In less than a month I have to leave this beautiful & amazing country to fly back to reality.
Only a few weeks left and this lifechanging journey is coming to an end. I can't believe how fast time flies.
I have changed a lot. Not the basics of course, I'm still me, goofy, stubborn, a dreamer. But when it comes to everyday life stuff, or dealing with others I have changed for the better.

Some other stuff that I have noticed:
-I look right before I cross the streets
-When I meet a belgian or dutchie I'm translating the English in my head into Dutch before speaking. Therefore I think in English now.
-I love to eat toast with avocado, in fact I eat avocado's with almost everything
-I'm much more laid back. Stressing over things won't help!

Some amazing things I have done on my trip:
-Walking on glaciers in New Zealand
-Swimming with Dusky dolphins
-Wine tasting in the Barossa Valley
-Horseback riding on the beach in Mornington Peninsula
-Walking around Uluru in the Outback
-Seeing crocodiles in the wild
-Meeting wonderful people from all over the world

And so much more...

At the moment I'm in Brisbane, the biggest city of Queensland. It's situated between the Sunshine coast and the Gold coast.  Friendly people, surfers mentality, nice areas...
I think I'm gonna spend my last few weeks here. I feel at home in Brizzie.
As I said in my last blog, I'm trying to find a volunteer job to take care of wildlife. Unfortunately it's not as easy as I thougth. Near Brisbane there is a Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary. I called them but all volunteer jobs are booked untill september!
Maybe that's a sign I need to stay here, don't you think? :)

Anyway, I will keep looking for a job here. In the meantime I'm having fun in and around the city.

Two days ago I got to see Pablo Francisco, one of the best comedians I know! I was laughing from the start to the end, good for the happy hormones. Added a few months to my life :)

Keep on smiling!
Tania

Do as Dundee

Darwin, the town of Crocodile Dundee or background to the recent movie Australia.
Known as 'the top end' of the Northern Territory.
It's hot, it's humid; it's tropical. Once I get out of the shower and leave the aircon room I'm sweating again.
My hair gets frizzy from the humidity and the heat slows me down.
Right now we're at the end of the wet season here. Soon the dry season will start which is the busiest season in this part of Australia.

Darwin itself is not that special. In the 70's there was a hurricane and wiped out everything. They rebuilt some of the buildings but still, everything you see here is not older than 40 years. Buildings that is :)
The aboriginals have been here longer of course. Though they have only been recognized as 'Australian citizens' since 1972. Not even 40 years.

Australia... A home away from home. I love it here, as you probably figured after reading my blog.
Only 1 month and 2 days before I have to fly back to reality. It makes me sad when I think about leaving Oz.
I could live here easily. Well, not in Darwin because it's too humid but I wouldn't mind settling in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide or maybe Brisbane, where I will fly to tomorrow.

I can't believe these 3 months went by so fast... I have seen so much beauty and I have learned so much from life. You could say I did a trimester on the University of L.I.F.E. :)
Some people asked me: What do you miss about Belgium? After long consideration I'd have to say: Belgian Chocolate :)
Of course I miss my friends and family from time to time, but thanks to the internet it's not that bad.
What else? My bed & bedroom. I've got quite used  to living in hostels now, sharing rooms. But sometimes I wish I just have a double bed & my own room. Just for one night.
Maybe I do miss Antwerp too, just a little bit. You know on a warm day in the spring or the summer when you can go out and have a drink with friends.
But then again, here in Australia you live outside most of the time anyways :)
Everywhere you see barbies (and i'm talking about the BBQ not the doll). It's great to be able to enjoy the oudside so much. I don't think I ever had a tan like this either.
Not from sunbathing on a beach. I've only been to the beach 6 times in 3 months! But just being outside a lot. Even my hair turned darkblond!

For this last month i'm gonna try to find a volunteer job in a wildlife centre. Maybe it's the maternal feeling inside of me but I really wanna take care of koala's, kangaroos, crocodiles, snakes, ...
So hopefully I'll find a place where I can help out. That would be a good closure to my journey. 

Big koala cuddles for you all,
Tania Dundee

So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen , adieu...

I had to say goodbye to my new friends...
Yesterday was the last day of my Contiki tour through the Northern Territory. I had a blast.
Started in Alice Springs, passed by Kings Canyon, Uluru, crossed the tropic of Capricorn, on to Tenant Creek, Katherine, Kakadu and arrived in Darwin.
Although there is not much between Alice and Darwin, the views around you are breathtaking.

From the red centre sand and dry heat to the flooded area's in the north with lots of green flora.
We stopped at a few gorgeous waterfalls and natural thermal springs to swim in.

Beside the fact that I have seen so much beauty I also met so many new friends from all over the world.
Travelling with Contiki was again a great way to see beauty, learn about the history of it, getting to know other people and having fun in on the bus or @ local bars.

I feel a bit empty today. Because I have no real plan for my last month in Australia.
The last 3 months has gone by so fast! (So did my money unfortunately)
This last month I'm gonna try to find a volunteer job in a wildlife centre.
Taking care of kangaroos, koala's, snakes, crocodiles... Must be so much fun and rewarding.
Hopefully I will find a place soon...

And for now I'll just keep on sweating in hot and humid Darwin, where I cannot swim in the ocean because it's full of crocodiles... Good thing my hostel has a pool! :)

Champagne sunset

Two days ago we got up at  5AM to go and see the sunrise at Uluru, the big red rock, one of the wonders in the world.
Unfortunately it was a little cloudy but still beautiful.

In the afternoon we went to Uluru to walk around. Before we got to do the 2 hours walk around the rock it started pooring rain.
Result: the rock was even more beautiful. All over you could see waterfalls coming down. Amazing. Not many people get to see this phenomena because it is the dessert and it doesn't rain here very often.

At night we than went back to see the sunset over Uluru and the changing of colours on the rock. But not just watching the sunset, we had a 'champagne-sunset' Our tourguide Coops and driver Dave set up a table with some snacks and champagne with a strawberry for everyone.
Evertime I drank a few sips they filled up my glass again.
Result: Sooo tipsy...
Back on the bus to the resort we all got up and danced. It was fun.
Than, instead of drinking some water i drank wine and vodka.

Bad idea since I was hugging the toilet  afterwards... Last time I got this drunk was on a NOTP tour in R'dam.
Anyway. I survived the night. Still felt a little weak in the morning  but after a greasy bacon and eggs breakfast I was starting to feel better.
Yesterday I got to ride a camel for 5 minutes. It's true what they say: camels smell....
Ironicly last night we had a blow out dinner in Alice Springs. Where I got to taste emu, crocodile, kangaroo and camel. TBH I didn't like the camel. Kangaroo is pretty good and so  was the crocodile.The emu tasted a bit like liver.

Today we will be driving for 10 hours. Long drive ahead. To the real outback with no connection what so ever.
I won't be able to get back online untill April 14.
It's not hard for me not to get online here because there is so much to see and do I love the red centre!

So long,
Outback Tania :)

Alice, who the f*** is Alice?

Hi guys,

It's gonna be a lot of blogs for you to read since I don't have any internet connection in the Outback. I hardly have any cell phone connection either but I don't care. Because it's soooooo beautiful here.
I love the outback. The red sand, the weird creatures that live here and survive here, the rocks...  But before talking about that let's start with my firt day in the Northern Territory.
NT, the last state I needed to visit in Australia and probably one of the most beautiful.

Alice Springs, a town in the middle of Australia, in the middle of the outback. Lots of Aboriginal people, red sand and dry heat.
I landed at 5pm and expected to be able to get a bus or shuttle to the city. But in the Northern Territory things don't work like that.
The next shuttle was gonna come in 2 hours... And a taxi was 34$.
I looked at the friendly man and he must have read it in my eyes '34$? or 2 hours waiting?'
So he said: wait here, i'll try to find a solution.
At the same time a taxi driver overheard my conversation and asked if I needed to go to the city.
I told him: Yes, but I only have 20$ on me.
The taxi driver, in need of work, said: I'll take you there for 20$.
And so he did. I arrived at my hostel with swimming pool and outside cinema with beachchairs and felt happy.
The woman at reception told me to go up the Anzac Memorial hill to see the sunset. It was amazing.
The next morning I had to wake up early because my 11day Contiki tour was about to begin!

I got to the All Season Oasis Hotel to meet my tourleader and fellow travellers.
We started our trip on Easter in Alice Springs and visited the base of The Royal Flying Doctors. Pretty cool what they can do.
We also went to ... where we got a headset to wander around the park and learn about the 'death centre'
Why the sand is red (it's an iron in the stones), which animals there live (f.e. the Thorny Devil) and saw some birds and kangaroos with a little joey!

The next morning we had a bush tucker experience.  They took us to an aboriginal camp and explained how they live.
Aboriginal people always lived a nomadic life. They learned to survive in the outback to watch the birds. If birds would eat certain fruits, they knew it would be allright.
They are a very sharing community. If they would konw someone ate a fish he caught by himself without sharing it with the others, they would spear his leg. If you were a woman doing that they would break your arm.
Aboriginal people do have a smell. They stink. But that's because they learned to survive in the outback. Where there is a lack of water. So they don't understand why white people waste water on there body while it's so precious to drink it.
At the end of the presentation we got to taste some bush bread and tea.And also so bush raisens, bush banana's, dried bush tomato's and a kangaroo tail. Which tasted a little like pork. The guide also suggested to taste the wichetty grup, a big caterpillar that lives in a certain try.
One brave guy in our group wanted to try and eat the grup alive.
He said the insides tasted like raw egg and all that was left was the chewy skin. Yum!

After the 'tasting' we were introduced to some aboriginals and there art.
Painting they made. Each tells a story. You could buy them for 50, 100 or 200$ which is really cheap for a real aboriginal painting. Unfortunenately I only had 10$ in cash on me.
I still kick myself for it that I couldn't buy a painting.
Oh well, maybe I have an excuse now to go back ;)

In the afternoon we went to Kings Canyon to do a 6km hike.
Everywhere you can hike there are sings warning you to drink enough water. Dehydration is the number one cause people need to be taken to a hospital. And if they call the flying doctors because you didn't drink enough it can cost you a lot of money if your insurance does not cover that.
The other things you need are a hat, sunglasses, a good sunscreen and last but not least: a fly net.
Flies here can be irritating as hell. Zooming in your ear, trying to get op your nose or in your eyes or mounth.
It is a funny sight to see everyone with a flynet but we do prefer to be comfortable istead of fashionable in the outback :)
The hike was beautiful. Between the red rocks all the way up where you had amazing views. I was speechless.

After the hike we were brought to a campingground where we would sleep under the stars! Although I hate bugs, I was really looking forward 'swag-night' We'd get a sleeping bag and a swag which is matras with zipped up canvas around it.

When the sun had set, and the flies had disappeared we built a campfire.
But you know me, a star-geek, instead of looking at the fire I was looking up most of the time. You could clearly see the Milky Way. Amazing...
Around 11h30pm I crawled into my comfortable swag and after seeing 4 shooting stars (and 4 wishes) I fell asleep... Untill 5h30am when it started raining.
The swag does have a cover for the head to so I just graped my backpack and nike's next to me and shoved it down my swag. But the head part down and turned around to sleep some more.
But most people (sisi's) didn't wanna stay in the rain and woke up the busdriver who openend the bus for them.
I asked him: do I have to get in the bus?
He: no, your swag is waterproof, if you're comfortable, just stay there.
So I did, crawled a little deeper in my sleeping bag and fell asleep again. I woke up around 6h30 because the sun was out but decided I was way to comfortable and turned around untill 7h15.
I got up, showered with bugs and had a bacon and egg breakfast.
Back on the bus on our way to Uluru.
Along the way the driver had to slow down because there were wild horses crossing. Stunning!

We stopped at Kata Tjuta, a simular rock as Uluru but smaller and more curvy. A little walk to the heart of the rock, again, breathtaking.
Right now I'm typing this at our logde in the Outback. Don't know when I will be able to post it, but I need to write all of this down before I forget!

Anyway, it's 8u16pm right now so I'm gonna take a shower and won't go to bed too late since I have to get up at 5am to go and see the sunrise at Uluru...

WA and the city

West Australia is a great mixture of white beaches, green forests and a dryer outback land.
A friend and I rented a Toyota to drive from Perth all the way down to Albany and than back up via the wave rock.
Lot's of times we drove trhough town that were just 3 streets. No internet connections, no cell phone coverage. A typical hilly billy ozzie town.

We've seen the point were the Indian & South Ocean come together.

Amazing white beaches at the coasts.
We've also been to the karri forest and did a tree walk. Walking between trees about 40 meters of the ground.
And wave rock, a granite rock in the shape of a wave.
To end our trip again in Perth. And while on the road we've seen wildlife such as kangaroos, emu's, parrots, and many other birds.
All very cool. But travelling with my friend was not always easy. Two stubborn people in a rental car. Glad we didn't kill each other. :)

Although there were many hurtfull moments, I will remember the good times and laughs.
And again I learned a lesson, life never happens the way you think it will.
But in the end it’s the reviews you give to yourself that matter.

As I'm writing this blog I'm in the plane on my way to Alice springs and just flew over Uluru.
There my real outback experience will begin...