Let's put another shrimp on the barbie, mate!

Let's put another camel on the barbie, Sheik :)

2010-05-22T17:43:00.002+10:00

My dearest blogreader,

Unfortunately my 4 month journey is coming to an end. As I'm writing this blog, I'm looking at my suitcase which I will repack for the last time.
It has been good, those 4 months. I feel reborn. Does that makes any sense?

After Surfers Paradise I took the train to the Brisbane airport and flew Qantas for the last time to Sydney.
When I arrived in Sydney, where my little journey begun, it was pouring rain. Like the sky resembled the way I felt. That night I met up with a great guy I met on my last Contiki tour. Good thing he had an umbrella :)
The next day, my very last day Down Under, the rain stopped and this beautiful Autumn sun came out. As if Australia was telling me: It's okay...
That night I met up with Mattie, a guy I met on my first Contiki tour. We had a few drinks and a few laughs :)
The next morning after packing I had a quick drink with Jason, overlooking the Harbour bridge.
After that my airport shuttle was there.
As the immigration officer gave me my "Departed Australia" stamp he asked me: So, will you be back?
I replied: I hope so... He said: you should, a pretty girl like you is welcome in Australia anytime. :) That's a sign right? Haha....

My flight to the United Arabic Emirates would take 14 hours and 35 mintues.
You might think it's a lot, but it went by so fast. I watched 5 movies and some series. Read my book and had some meals and before I knew it we were descending into Abu Dhabi.
Yey, another stamp in my passport :)
My brother was there to pick me up and we drove to Dubai.
Yesterday I enjoyed some hot sun and in the evening we met up with a friend of my brother and his wife to have a drink and some sheesha.
And that brings me to today. My last day of this amazing trip.

When I look back I smile and think to myself: What a wonderful world :-D

Off to paradise...

2010-05-13T18:18:00.002+10:00

Today was my last day in Brisbane... I could easily move from A (Antwerp) to B (Brisbane).
But, at least for now, I can't. In one week I'll be on the plane to go and see my Brother for the weekend.
I'll go from 25°C in Brisbane to 20° in Sydney to 45° in Dubai to... 9° in Belgium???
Painfull thought.
Right now I'm sitting next to the lit up pool overlooking the lights of the Brisbane CBD and I can feel nothing but gratitude for this very moment.
I don't need much to be happy, something that became even more clearly on this trip
Give me a smile and a little bit of sunshine. That's all it takes for me to be satisfied. Everything extra is a bonus.

Brisbane... another city where I lost my heart. A lot of people think Brisbane's boring because it's not like Sydney or Melbourne, other people think it's too far away from the beach. But I, I love it.
I know I should never compare places, but I think Brisbane might be the new Antwerp. Not the biggest city in Belgium, but a great vibe. Not near a beach but with a nice river.

A little outside the city is the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary. The place I was hoping to do some volunteer work with wildlife. But unfortunately the volunteer jobs are full untill the end of the year.
So on Monday I went there, by myself, to finally see the koala's. After travelling through Australia & New Zealand the last 4 months I saw many animals in the wild, but no koala's.
Why? Because they are endangered. Only 20% of the koala population is left and it's still decreasing. Which is sad because they are sooo cute!

I got to hold a fluffy female koala who just loved her gumtree (eucalyptus) leaves like I love my chocolate :)
I also got to hold a 2,5 meter Olive Python :)
What else was there? A platypus (looks like a flat duck), wombats, crocodiles, kangaroos, wallabies, prey birds, sheep dogs and sheep, dingo, ...
I loved it. I also loved the slogan they had: "The earth is not for humans alone"

Tomorrow I'll be taking the train to paradise, Surfers Paradise to be precise :) The white sandy beaches of the Gold Coast with the bronzed bodies of Surfers... Me like :)
Being a beachbum for the last time, maybe even taking a surflesson from a hot surfteacher (with or without the stripes) before flying out to Sydney...

Tania the beachbum

Excess baggage

2010-05-06T14:24:00.001+10:00

Excess baggage is a term that can either be used literally or figuratively.
I suffered from both. My luggage was already too heavy when I left Belgium and so were my emotions.
I didn't know what to pack for four months of travelling and I didn't know what emotions to leave in the past as well. So I dragged my excess baggage with me.
But along the road, I started to get rid of little unimportant things, one at a time, to make my baggage lighter.

Now, almost 4 months later, I can say that I have left a lot of that excess baggage behind. Every new place I went to, every new stranger I would meet took a little piece of my excess baggage, and made life lighter for me.

The newly created space (either in my suitcase or my mind) has made room for souvenirs and priceless memories. Much more fullfilling but much lighter than my previous excess baggage.
It's like I reorganised not only my suitcase but also my mind. I can see things more clearly now. What I want and what I don't want in life.
My biggest fear now is, can I keep this up when I get back home? Will I tumble back in the old bad habbits and routines? Because, face it, our country is so small and even for only 10 million people, the governement can't compromise.
That's not a good example. Maybe policitians ought to travel a little bit more too. Not to the luxurious spa's but 'down to earth' travels, and speak to locals to get ideas on how things are done all over the world. Than come back to Belgium and see what is best for our country.

Enough politics now. Today in exactly two weeks, I'll be leaving Australia and my excess baggage behind and reclaim my life. :)

P.S.: The picture is me bathing Buddha on his birthday with fragrant water that smells like roses. You bathe the little Buddha by pooring the water over his left schoulder 3 times. This gives you inner peace and brings peace into the world.

Mayday 2010

2010-05-01T15:38:00.008+10:00

The first of May, in Belgium known as 'labour day'
In Australia it's just a normal Saturday because here, they celebrate labour day on May 3rd. This Monday.

All weekend there are celebrations for Buddha's birthday. Little asian markets with oriental food and goodies, music, and a corner dedicated to Buddha with a pond where you can make a wish. Which of course I will do!
The markets go on untill 10pm with lit up twinkle lights. On Sunday Buddha's birthday weekend will be closed with marvelous fireworks.
And on Monday, the aussies get to sleep in :)

On that same Monday I will meet up again with Marianka, my Canadian friend who I met down in Sydney. She is amazing and funny and she reminds me a lot of Kristin, my American friend who I met in Australia last year.
Both girls are vibrant, cheerful, funny and truly amazing. I love them.

Of course, I do not only 'survive' and stay sane in this crazy world if it wasn't for my friends back home. Some I have known for years from the time I was still a teenager, some even from when i was still a kid and some I only got to know in the last couple of years or even months.
But they all have one thing in common: they are there for me when I do need a friend. Even when i'm 12,000km away they will still comfort me when I'm sad, or listen to my crazy stories, or keep me updated about what's going on in Belgium & their lives. Either with stories or with pictures.
So thank you, my friend, for always being there when I needed you, for accepting me the way I am, for loving me the way I am.
And please forgive me for the times I might not have been there for you. I know that sometimes I get caught up in my busy life and forget what's really important: you!

So let me dedicate this blog to you, my friend & my family. Whether it's by blood or by spirit. You truly are the most important thing in my life. Because if it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have found the courage to come here in the first place. I wouldn't have learned so much about Australia and most of all about myself.
If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't be me.

Love always,
Tania

ANZAC day and more

2010-04-28T19:10:00.003+10:00

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

2010-04-22T20:58:00.001+10:00

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

2010-04-18T17:42:00.001+10:00

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...

2010-04-15T17:24:00.000+10:00

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

2010-04-09T10:59:00.001+10:00

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?

2010-04-06T20:18:00.002+10:00

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

2010-04-03T15:32:00.001+10:00

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...

Go West

2010-03-30T22:25:00.001+10:00

Adelaide was B-E-A-utiful! The Aussies in Adelaide are so laid back and friendly. You take it on easily.
What have I been doing there? Well, I visited the Haigh's chocolate factory. Delicious but not as good as the real Belgian Chocolate. But definately worth seeing how they make their chocolate. Ans since it's almost Easter, there were a lot of easter eggs and Easter Bristles :)
On wednesday I took a bustour to the Barossa Valley. The wine-region of South Australia where most wines of Australia are produced.

Tastings took place in 4 wineries, the first and biggest one was Jacob's Creek.
Now... tasting wines starting from 10 a.m. in the morning is a definate 'begin drunk before noon' moment :)
The wines were amazing. After three wineries in the Barossa Valley we had a nice BBQ to get some food in my stomach.
The last wineries had some ports as well. All very nice and a good thing I wasn't driving!
On Thursdaymorning (5am) I took the bus to the airport to catch my plane to Perth, West Australia.
On my plane were a lot of SES volunteers to help out with the damage done by the flood on tuesday.

Perth, another nice Ozzie town with lots of things to do in and around. West Australia has got beautiful white beaches and an amazing crystal clear blue ocean.
Fremantle, a town close to Perth is a bit like Knokke in Belgium. I could hear just as much French as English on the street.
Right now a friend and I are in Dunborough. A little town between Perth and Albany. A typical small Aussie town with just a few streets as the 'city centre', a beach and beautiful bushes.
Before arriving I saw some wild kangaroos jumping around.
The sunset was amazing. A perfect pink sky.
Tonight, for the first time in a long time, no hostel! I'm sleeping in an old railway carriage. It's so cool.
You feel like you are in the middle of nowhere with just the moon, the stars, the kangaroos and the little rabbits.

Tomorrow I'll try some wines of West Australia in the Margaret River region.

I'm beginning to feel more and more at home in Australia.
Okay, I do miss my friends and family at times.
And more than ever I realise how much I love my friends and how good they know me and appreciate me for who I really am.
It’s comforting to know that the ones you love are always in your heart… and if you’re very lucky, a plane ride away.

So who knows, I might stick around here for a while, Australia is not the end of the world, it's just the land down under :)

A - B - C

2010-03-22T19:56:00.002+10:00

I arrived in...

Adelaide where you can drink amazing wine from
Barossa valley or a refreshing
Cooper beer.

I could use the whole alphabet naming great stuff about Adelaide but let me keep it simple :)

After saying goodbye to my friend Marianka in Melbourne I took a short flight back in time to Adelaide.
By 'back in time' I mean we had to turn the clock 30 minutes back.
It's no longer 10 hours difference but 'only' 9,5 compared to Belgium.

Adelaide, in South Australia, is a beautiful city that has a 'town-feel' to it. The streets are very wide so you don't have that busy feeling like you can have in Sydney or Melbourne.
People are even more laid back here and very friendly. Everywhere I go people start talking to me, asking me questions and are happy to get to know you.
South Australians are genuine. Of course, every city has its weirdo's & drunks, but they're harmless I think.

So far I've been to the flee market on Fisherman's Wharf, to Glenelg beach and the city centre.
Next on the list is a visit to the Haigh's chocolate factory :) (As a Belgian who is addicted to dark chocolat it's a must do.)
Also the museum, the botanical gardens and last but not least: Barossa Valley. Where most of the Australian wines come from.
I'll visit 4 wineries and luckily have a BBQ lunch so I won't get too druk from wine tastings.

After Adelaide I was supposed to take a vacation from my vacation as a backpacker.
Unfortunately things didn't work out as planned but that's life.
And as we drive along this road called life, occasionally a gal will find herself a little lost. And when that happens, I guess she has to let go of the coulda, shoulda, woulda, buckle up and just keep going.

Eventually all the pieces fall into place... Until then, laugh at the confusion, live for the moment, and know that everything happens for a reason.

D Day

2010-03-19T08:48:00.002+10:00

Daddy's day...
Today it's fathers day in Antwerp, my hometown. So I would like to dedicate today's blog to my dad who I miss very very much.
Happy fathers day, dad, I hope you are proud of me.

Melbourne, what a lovely week it was. Hot and sunny.
Although, Autumn officially started on March 1. You can see the leaves changing colours. You can smell the change of seasons.
I will miss out on spring this year. Little weird going from winter to summer to fall and to summer again... My body is a little confused.
I see chocolat eastereggs in the stores so my mind tells me it's spring, while the shops promote the Autumn/Winter collection 2010.

Anyway, because of the heatwave this week, no autumn feeling yet :)

This week the L'Oreal fashion week started, lots of fun stuff to do here.
Yesterday I went windowshopping untill I bumped into sexy shoes for only 3,06 AUD!!!
That's cheaper than taking the bus :) And since I'm still a girl, I had to get those shoes.
You never know when a red carpet situation might happen right? ;)

Tomorrow i'll be flying to Adelaide, antoher city, another state in Australia.
After Adelaide (South Australia) comes Perth (Western Australia) with the beautiful beaches and then I'll go from beachbum to outback Tanie :)
Travelling from Alice Springs all the way up north to Darwin (Northern Territory). I'll see Uluru, one of the 7 wonders in the world and sleep under the stars of the southern hemisphere.
Really looking forward to that!

Got to go now, my last day in Melbourne and also the last travelling with Marianka. I'll miss her.

Love,
Tania

Melting in Melban

2010-03-14T22:14:00.002+10:00

Melbourne (or how the Aussies pronounce it: Melban) is a cool city. It has the cityvibe but also the quiet streets and parks.
Melbourne has the four seasons and sometimes they even happen in one day. Last week it was sunny one minute and flooding and hailing the next.
Right now it's warm 28° and sunny. Thank God for sunscreen!

Luckily I wasn't here withe the floods. I was still in New Zealand. I spend two days in Auckland, and that was enough. Auckland is pretty boring. The kiwi's (New Zealand people) warned me about Auckland. It's a big city, there live more people in Auckland than the whole South Island!

Anyway, after saying goodbye to Aeteroa (Maori's for New Zealand) I flew Qantas (the best airline!) to Melbourne where I would see my new friend Marianka again!
We have been having so much fun. We went to Queens Market to buy fresh fruit and veggies (because it's cheaper and we are backpakcers on a budget).
We explored St. Kilda beach on Friday. Beautiful beach!
On Saturday we rented a car to drive to Mornington Peninsula. An hour south from Melbourne and so beautiful. It was like driving through a postcard!
Driving on the other side of the road was less scary as I thought it would be. When we arrived we took a two hours horseride on the beach and it was amazing!!!

As I am a sagittarius, I felt good on a horse. They are such amazing animals.
Maybe I am half animal/half human like my sign after all :)

And yes, I love animals. They always show you their true feelings.
If they're not happy, you'll know it, or if they like you, like my horse Molly, you'll know it too!

Triple kiwi!

2010-03-05T18:56:00.002+10:00

Douglas Adams ones said: "Man had always assumed that he was more intelligent than dolphins because he had achieved so much - the wheel, New York, wars and so on - whilst all the dolphins had ever done was muck about in the water
having a good time. But conversely, the dolphins had always believed that they were far more intelligent than man - for precisely the same reasons."

Dolphins are truly amazing!
The best thing about 'the dolphin encounter' is the fact that they respect wildlife.
The dolphins are not fed or lurged in any way to the boat. They are wild, not trained and it's up to them if they want to come over or not.
In fact, dolphins are curious creatures and we needed to draw their attention. It's like a street artist. If he is not interesting, people will just walk by, but if they are they will hang out and watch.
Same with the dolphins. In this case we were the 'street' artists.
Before we went on the boat to go and see the dolphins we got into our wetsuits and started to look like a dolphin ourselves :)
Then they took us into the ocean and as soon as we saw them flipping and jumping in the water we got in to. At first it was hard to draw their attention, guess we were too boring but after swimming in cirkles and humming/singing (which is not easy with a snorkel) they came to check us out.
It was so amazing, a few times a dolphin actually followed me and looked me in my goggles. *SIGH* I fell in love with them :)

After the dolphin swimming I got back to my hostel (The Dusky Lodge) and jumped into the pool since it was still hot.
After a nice shower I had some red new zealand wine and good conversations. A perfect end to a perfect day.

The next morning I had to say goodbye to the South Island and jump back on the ferry to get back up to Auckland.

I had a stopover in Wellington last night and this morning I hopped on another magic bus to Napier, an Art Deco city next to the beach.
But before we got there we got to know our new driver. Man... I shouldn't say 'asshole' but he was. It was 7:45 in the morning when only 11 of us got on. And he said we were too quite so he found us boring and didn't want to talk to us.
WTF?? It's not our job to entertain the driver.
Anyway, I hope he is in a better mood tomorrow because unfortunately I'm stuck with him for antoher 2 days.
Luckily the others on the bus are nice.

Oh, and today I saw a real kiwi bird. They are cute. Look like kiwi fruit.
Speaking about the kiwi fruit, after seeing the kiwi bird I finally found some New Zealand kiwi fruit, unfortunately it was rotting... But, I found something even better: the kiwi-berry :)
A small kiwi that looke a bit like a grape. It tastes like a kiwi :)

Tomorrow the bus will take me to Mt Manganui, another beachtown. And the weather is really nice so tomorrow I'm gonna enjoy some time at the beach. I hope.
And on Sunday I'll arrive in Auckland where I'll be spending 3 nights. It will be good to have a 'bed' for 3 nights in a row since I'm getting a little exhausted to sleep somewhere else every night and getting up really early.
Some nights I sleep fine but the last couple of nights I'm awake like every 2 or 3 hours. I can feel i'm not 20 anymore :)

Sunny greetings from Flipper the sequel

Another suitcase in another hall

2010-03-02T12:12:00.000+10:00

By being on the road, alone, travelling from place to place, I learn so much about myself.
I learn how to deal with people invading my personal space. I learn to live with others and be respectfull. I learn that you can be happy with the little things in life.
When I'm in Belgium, working, my everyday life, I sometimes forget. I get into this routine. But life is so beautiful.
I woke up this morning and looked outside at lake Tekapo, the beautiful sunrise and the mountains.
I don't need much to be happy. My life right now excist out of my suitcase, my passport, my credit card, sunscreen, and the nature around me. And I love it.
I learned to enjoy more and think less. Everything happens for a reason.

But what I'm learning most here on my little trip is to deal with ghosts from the past. Painful memories from my past who are still so present it doesn't allow me to step into my future without fear.
Fear of being hurt again, fear of commitment, fear of missing out on life, fear of taking responsibiliteis. Fear.
It's funny how sometimes you need complete strangers to tell you it's okay to feel hurt about things in my past, it's okay to have doubts, it's okay to take things step by step, as long as I need to get where I need to be.
Sometimes you meet people along the way and you tell them very personal stuff. And they listen and tell you their thoughts.
Maybe I could compare it to free councelling :)

I don't know how many session I have to go through to be 'cured' but in the meantime I sit back and enjoy the view.

After beautiful Queenstown we drove to Dunedin. A little college town which you can compare with Leuven in Belgium, a student town.
And yesterday I was in Tekapo where the lake is so gorgeous blue! I wanted to go stargazing because Tekapo is known to have the clearest sky in New Zealand. and it was a full moon.
Unfortunately ths weather wasn't good. Too cloudy... The stargazing geek in my shall have to wait for an other opportunity.
And today i'm in Christchurch. A cosy town with a San Fransisco tram.

And tomorrow... I can check off one more 'to do' of my bucket list. I will go swimming with dolphins.
It's been a dream to swim with these smart mamals for as long as I can remember. So looking forward to it.
Hey, it's part of my councelling ey ;)

Love,
Tania

Sweet as bro

2010-02-27T00:09:00.001+10:00

After a week of living my life on the road with hardly any reach of internet and mobile I made it to Queenstown. Queenstown, in the south of the South Island of New Zealand is known for the spot celebrity's like Brad Pitt go to in july or august to ski.
It's a nice town at the lake Wakatipu between stunning mountains. But before I tell you more about Queenstown, let me tell you what I've done before arriving here.
After Rotorua (bubbling mud) we stopped at a town called: Waitomo. Waitomo is known for it's Glow worm Caves.

The caves itself weren't reallyt spectacular, I would even say the Caves of Hannes in Belgium or more beautiful. But the actual part where you see the Glow worms is pretty cool. It looks like stars at the ceiling.
After our 'cave-stop' we drove to Taupo to spend the night.
Taupo has a lake that is bigger than Singapore! It was stunning to see the sun set.
After Taupo we drove to Wellington which is in the south of the North Island. I stayed at a friends place and it was nice to catch up.
Wellington is an artsy town with a harbour and very windy.
In the morning I took the ferry to Picton where a new Magicbus driver was gonna pick us up to drive to Nelson.
Before arriving in Nelson we stopped at Marlborough Sounds. No, not the sigarette brand but a winery where I get to taste some white wines they produce.
In Nelson you can go to the famous national park: Abel Tasman. Unfortunately I had no time to stay in Nelson so the next day I got on the bus again to see the Punakaiki Pancake Rocks and end up in Greymouth.
But before arriving in Greymoutn our bus broke down. That day there were at least 60% Dutch people on board.
Now, I don't have anything against Dutchies but if there is more than 2 and a bus broke down, you can imangine they all start to sing Holland songs about busses and stuff. Ugh... Glad I got to Greymouth :)
After a short night in Greymouth we drove on to Franz Josef. An alpine village with glaciers and snowy mountain tops.
I signed up for a heli-hike, a helicopter flight to the top of the mountain to walk one of the glaciers.

Unfortunately it started raining pretty bad and the heli flight was cancelled. Instead I joined the rest of the group to do a half day hike on the glaciers.
It was cool to walk the ice in boots with cramptons but it never stopped raining so at the end of the day I was soaking wet. Even my underwear and my camera were wet.
Luckily I could revive my camera thank to a blowdryer. n
Nevertheless, walking on ice was fun!
After a bad sleep (all wet clothes in the room = wet moisty air) we got up early to end the day in Queenstown where I arrived last night.
Before arriving here we stopped at Lake Matheson, better known as 'Mirror lake'and a short stop in beautiful Wanaka, with a lake that looks like a blue ocean.
And yesterday: I arrived in Queenstown. A 'city' in New Zealand terms. Queenstown looks a bit like a little ski village in Austria but feels a bit like Spain. Nice restaurants, shops and bars. Lots of bars, makes me think of Lloret de mar a little with all the English people here getting drunk as fast as they can.
Tomorrow I'll go to Milford Sound. Described as the 8th wonder in the world...

As you can see I'm having a great time and I'm seeing so many beautiful things. To much to put down in words. So I'm gonna post some pictures on my facebook soon. A picture can tell more than a thousand words right ;)

PS: 'Sweet as' is a term all New Zealand people use. You could translate is as: 'No problem' or 'No worries'

Kia Ora

2010-02-19T20:25:00.001+10:00

Kia Ora means hello in Maori.

I know, It's been a week since I updated my blog. But then again, I have more stories to tell you now :)

Let's see, last week, my friend Marianka and I went to China Town in Sydney on February 14 to get our minds of Valentine and to get into the Chinese New Year.
There was a lot of noise going on. People slamming on drums, dragons fighting in the streets, streetmarkets coloured in red and gold.
There was even a stage where they did some Chinese performances like lampion-dancing.
After our 'Chinese' day we had dinner in Kirribilli at Bangkok Sidewalk. A good thai place. We went back to the hostel to fix ourselfs a drink and watched the fireworks from the terrace.

The next day I had to leave beautiful Sydney, which had become my second home, to fly to Auckland, New Zealand.

On the third day of my trip I met a lady on a bus in Sydney, she lived in Hamilton New Zealand and had given me her address to come and stay with here if I would visit the north island.
So I did. I booked a ticket to Auckland and called the lady, whose name is Gail to let her know I'd be coming over.
On Monday I flew into Auckland. After the securtity checks (have you ever been arrested? what is the purpose of your trip? Do you carry any food like meat or fruit on you?) I got another stamp in my passport :)
Gail and her husband Michael were there to pick me up and after driving 1h20 we arrived at their gorgeous home in Hamilton.
The closest neighbours they have are 150 meters away. They grow grapes, tomatoes, potatoes, herbs, ... A real country house, or as it's called here: a farm.
I spend 3 dayes in Hamilton and got to experience the hospitality of New Zealand people.
I also got to experience sleeping in my own room in a double bed again :)

Today, Friday, I hopped on the Magicbus that will take me all the way down to Queensland and all the way up again to Auckland to fly to Melbourne on March 10.
We stopped in a town called Mattamatta, better known as Hobbiton. Where they filmed Lord of the Rings.

And now I'm in Rotorua. A town where you can smell the sulphur from the natural Thermal spa's. See the water and even the mud bubbling from the heat.
Tomorrow I'll check out Taupo and get to Wellington, the southern part of the Northern island. Where I need to take the ferry to the South island (logic no? :)
As I'm writing this on the terrace of my hostel in New Zealand watching the sunset. It's hard to imagine I'm almost 20.000 km from home.

Home... Yet another thing that's hard to define. I mean, if home is where the beer Stella is, I might as well move in anywhere in the world :)
When you travel like I do, you learn to live on your own square meter. You don't really miss the material things back home.(as long as they take my credit card that is:)
Still, there is a difference between a tourist and a traveller.
I consider myself a traveller. Someone who is eager to feel, breath and taste the places I go to. I wanna blend in and truly experience a city or a town as it is.
While a tourist is someone who will take his/her two weeks of vacation, travel to a place, go and see as many 'touristy' things as possible, takes pictures and then fly back home to tell people how beautiful the Opera House is or big Uluru is.
And that's just fine, but I wanna know more... I wanna get lost in a city and find myself in a part of town I wouldn't discover if I had stayed on the 'tourist-track'

But, whatever kind of traveller you are, go and see places even if it is in your own country. You'd be amazed with what you see, discover and learn...

The name is Bond, Bondi Beach.

2010-02-13T17:22:00.001+10:00

Bondi beach, only 40 minutes by bus from Sydney.
From the hot city to a refreshing breeze on the white beach in Bondi.
On Thursday, it was 32°C, so definately weather to go to the beach.
Marianka and I grabbed our bikini, thongs, sunscreen and a bottle of water and off we went.

Bondi is a very nice beach with strong current for surfers.

On Friday it was even warmer, 33°C and very humid. We wandered around the city and went to China town were the New Years celebration already begun.
It's the year of the tiger.
When we were back in the hostel to cook dinner (yes cook :) there were some humid showers outside. Very welcoming.
After dinner and a bottle of champagne we were tipsy and getting ready to check out the Sydney 'after work' nightlife.
First stop: the Establishment. A nice bar with a lot of men in suits. A typical after work place to blow off steam from work.
Second place we went to was the Argyle. It has two floors and the music is a mix between some old and some new popsongs.
The toilets were a little weird. The doors are in glass, not see through of course and men and women used the same area.
Anyway, it was a cool place too. Nice thing here is there is no smoking anywhere inside. So you don't smell like a sigarette after a night out.

Today I'm changing hostels again for two more nights because on Monday I'm flying to New Zealand for 3 weeks!

Anyway, got to go, celebrating Chinese New Year, the olympics, summer, Saturday night (any excuse is good to celebrate)...

Sun and the city

2010-02-10T22:12:00.002+10:00

I know I haven't been blogging the last couple of days, but I have been living the Aussie life. Which is: beach, BBQ, sun, yoga,...
After a couple days of pouring rain, and changing hostels again, the sun finally came out. And it is HOT!

I went to Manly beach yesterday with Marianka, a Canadian girl I met at the hostel last week.
She is so fun. We discovered we both love sex and the city and yoga, so I found the younger (22) version of me :)

I love Sydney, I'm getting really comfortable here. Maybe too comfortable, so I decided I need to continue my travel before I settle in here.
I booked a plane ticket to Auckland on Feb 15. Will travel New Zealand for 3 weeks, than fly into Melbourne for a couple of days followed by Adelaide (a city that is known for churches and serial killers)

As you know I turned 30 last December. And like anyone turning 30, you think about your life and you do something crazy.

I love yoga and ever since I started doing it I have been thinking of putting the 'Ohm' sign of yoga on my body.
Now was the perfect opportunity. The 'OHM' sign looks a bit like 30 and resembles what I want from life.
So, I went and got the tatoo I've been thinking about for a couple of months now. Yes It was pretty painful, but it was worth it.
I won't tell you where it is, but I will post a picture of it:

Tonight I cooked for myself for the first time. I figure you have two choices, you can keep ignoring your fear, or you could face it and might end up with a lot of dirty dishes :)
I conquered my fear of cooking in front of other people. I'm so proud of myself. I know it may sound stupid to you , but for those who know me pretty well, I hate cooking, especially in front of other people.
So yes, I cooked! Wasn't the best food, but it was eatable :)

Tomorrow I'm gonna check out Bondi-beach, need to work on my tan. Will put up some beachpictures soon!

Namasté,
Tania

I'm singing in the rain...

2010-02-06T20:57:00.000+10:00

All night and day it has been raining in Sydney. It's funny because Australia is supposed to be the driest continent on the planet. Even in the bathroom there are posters asking you to think about saving water.
With the water that I have seen today, I think I could shower all week :)
It's still warm outside, but due to the constant rain you cannot go and do the things you wanna do. Like go the Bondi Beach, or go to the Hunter wine valley, or go see the Three Sisters in the Blue Mountains.
Nope, when it rains, you are stuck. So what better thing to do than: shopping :)
Don't worry i can sustain myself pretty good. I just bought some new thongs (Australian word for flip flops) for 5$ and a waterproof mascara.

While walking down Pitt Street I discovered this very cute little bookstore with secondhand books. I instantly wanted to buy a dozen, untill I realized I cannot travel with all this extra weight.
So here 's what i'm gonna do. I'm gonna try to figure out what the cheapest way is to send some stuff to Belgium. That way I can shop a little more ;)

In the afernoon I got hungry so I went to a foodcourt to get a quick bite.
Some of the names are so funny. There was this Asian place called 'Pho Sure', a fish and chips place called 'Sea and the city' and a kebab place called 'A La Turko'
There was even an Italian place called Tonia's Kitchen :)
I went for the Indian place and got a vegetarian 'mild' curry dish.

Speaking about food, the things you can find in supermarkets here are just amazing. A lot of stuff from Asia and very cheap too. I would even dare to say I feel like cooking when I see all this. Yes, me, cooking :) I know, I even surprise myself!
All this talk about food makes me go hungry. I guess I'm gonna go and eat something.

Bye!!

No yesterdays on the road.

2010-02-05T17:55:00.001+10:00

If you travel by yourself you learn a lot. Not just about who you are, but also what you're capable of.
I'm a person who is quite shy around strangers. I'm not like my mom who just starts to talk to anyone about anything. Instead I'm a little introvert. To make contact with other people I don't know I have to make an effort, every single time. Although it gets easier along the way, I still need to get over that awkward feeling.
I hear you thinking: than why travel by yourself
Well, lots of reasons. For one: most of my friends are married with children so they cannot join me on my crazy travel ideas. Two: it's expensive to fly here and travel. Three: not many people can take 6 months off.
But the most important reason for me is to learn from life, which to me is the best college you can find. Other cultures, a lot of nature and just you.
You, like you are today. Because when you're traveling, you are what you are right there and then. People don't have your past to hold against you. No yesterdays on the road.

That said I'm in my new hostel, meeting new strangers :) I'm in a six bed dorm and met two girls in my room who had just arrived from Canada. Guess all the Canadians are escaping the winter.

Yesterday and today it has been raining a lot. It's still pretty hot outside (27°C) but with heavy rain. Since it's not beach weather I started to plan my next journey. I'm planning to stay in Sydney untill Feb 15 and then fly to Auckland (New Zealand) Gotta go and see where the kiwi's come from right? :)
I am making this trip partly because of a commercial my brother sent me. It's recorded in New Zealand.

After seeing so much nature it will make you feel grounded again, I think.
I'll probably travel NZ for 2 or 3 weeks. Then fly to Adelaide, south Australia.
And than off to Perth :) :) :)

But for now I'm trying to stay dry in Sydney, and if that won't work, i'll just be dancing in the rain ;)

Celebrating a Canadian's 21st

2010-02-04T16:33:00.001+10:00

Today is my last day at the YHA harbour. Too bad I can't stay here, since it's a really nice hostel in a great area.
This morning I did some laundry (I've been here for a week now) Hopefully my clothes will be dry in the morning when I pack to go to YHA Central.

I bought an internet key modem today for my laptop. Much easier to get online wherever I am (at least in the city's not in the outback) than to wander to Mc Donalds (with very slow internet) or pay way too much in the hostels (wifi = 15$/day!)
The modem cost me 79$ and it comes with a prepaid card. I pay 29$ a month for 2 Gb.
Apparentely it comes with a free mailbox: tania.hendrickx@three.com.au :) Like I haven't got enough mailboxes already. Haha.

Yesterday, it was the birthday of one of the two Canadian girls in my room, Sarah. She turned 21. Still so young :)
She and her friend Jess have been travelling Australia for 3 months now. They told me it was the best time ever and they are sad to go.
Tomorrow they will leave for Asia, visiting Singapore, Thailand, Cambodia... And after those two months they come to Europe for another 3 months.
They asked me if I wanted to come along to celebrate her birthday.

Of course! Along with us came a German girl, another Canadian girl I've met here and an English guy.
Before we left we played this drinking game called 'kings' You take a deck of cards & every card has a meaning and whatever it is, you are supposed to drink. :)
We all got a little tipsy and had heaps of fun. Good thing about this was we didn't had to buy many drinks afterwards in the bar we went to.
Alcohol is sooo expensive in Australia. It's because of the taxes here. A beer easily costs 5$ or more.
Anyway, we had a fun night and I told Sarah and Jess that if they would be in Belgium when I'm back in Belgium they are welcome to stay in Maarksem :)

The cool thing is, everyone here has a story. A different reason why they are travelling, what they left behind, what their plans are.
Speaking about plans, I'm looking into flights to New Zealand. Everyone who has been there says it is breathtaking. They say: Australia is beautiful but New Zealand is even more beautiful and laid back.
So I'm gonna book another week in Sydney and then, hopefully, i'm off to the land of the kiwi's :)

Tomorrow there is a BBQ on Bronte beach that i'm supposed to go to. But since there has been rain now and then I don't know if it's gonna happen.
And next week on my schedule: Bondi beach, Blue mountains (2 hours away from Sydney but beautiful), Manly beach, maybe a visit to Taronga zoo... Still lots to do!

And to you back home: keep warm!

x
Tania

Who's bat? :)

2010-02-03T11:29:00.003+10:00

Yesterday evening I tried kangaroo meat for the first time. And to be honest, it was pretty good.
Not that i'm a big fan of red meat, but to choose between cow Bella or kangaroo Skippy, i'd go for Skippy :)
I know, I'm a memeber of Gaia, don't worry, I'm not gonna eat every kangaroo in Australia.
Last night it rained all night. Tropical rain. Today it's very humid and hot. But hey, you don't hear me complaining since some people far away from here are still wearing warm sweaters and wintercoats.:)

This morning I got up at 6 a.m. That's right! Six in the morning to go to a free yoga class from 7:15 tot 8:15
It was an easy class but to start the day, just fine.

Yesterday I wandered around the city and ended up in the Botanic Gardens.
OMG, they are sooo beautiful. A lot of different plants and birds. Even bats!
I think they are called flying foxes.
At first it looks like some weird tree fruits, but then you realize it's hondreds of bats, sleeping / relaxing in the trees.
They are so cute. they have a face like a chiuaua and the wings like dracula.
I love them :)

I was supposed to go on a camping trip to Stockton beach this weekend but I cancelled it. Since I got sunburned I think it's wise not to go to the dunes where there is little shade.
Instead I'll meet up with a girl form the contiki group last year to go to a bbq on Saturday.
I'll be changeing hostels again on Friday, since this one is fully booked. I feel like a real Nomad :)
The hostel I'll be going to is YHA Central and has a swimmingpool on the roof. Nice...
I booked untill Monday.
Right now i'm looking into my options... Stay in Sydney? Go to New Zealand? I'm so indecisive, it's terrible & frustrating...
The man I'll share my life with is warned and should keep this in the back of his mind. Haha.

Anyway, got to go. I'm meeting Tracy for lunch. She moved here from London and is looking for a job.

Catch ya' later!

Back to school

2010-02-01T12:01:00.001+10:00

The summer holiday for the students is over. Today is the first day of the new schoolyear in Australia.
Schoolyears here are from February 1st till the end of November with a small break in July-August (like we have around Christmas)
But, no school for me, nor work :)

Yesterday I moved into my new hostel. The YHA Harbour Hostel. So much better. It's clean and modern.
http://www.yha.com.au
I had one roommate, a girl named Joseline from the Phillipines. But she moved out this morning to go back to New Zealand. Just before I left two new girls from Canada moved in. All very nice people.

I forgot the sun here is soooo strong. My legs got burned really bad from only 15 minutes... I look like one of those white & red candy sticks :)
But I love the sun, the summer, the outside life. The only thing is, my hair... It gets so frizzy that I had to buy a hair straightener so I don't scare peoply with my 'Jacksons 5' hairdo. One other thing I miss is my moose...

I have lost some weight. I try to eat a lot with breakfast, and a snack (usually sushi) in the late afternoon. No dinners so far. But tonight I will have my first dinner since I'm in Australia. At the hostel they are making Pad Thai on the rooftop. A girl from the Thailand staff is cooking it and we get to learn how to make it too.
(Quite a challenge for me) Meanwhile, I can get to know some new peoples as well.

So, my friends, next time I see you, I might try and cook you some Pad Thai :)

When the Lord closes a door, somewhere he opens a window

2010-01-30T21:44:00.003+10:00

The door to my cockroach hostel was definately closed.
Thanks to the internet, I found out a friend of mine happened to be in Sydney too for 2 days and he asked me to meet up. I told him I couldn't since I was looking for another place to sleep.
He suggested to stay at his room in the 4 seasons. The 4 seasons! Talking about an upgrade.
It's a hotel where men open doors for you, carry your luggage, can provide room service, spa treatments, ...
The bathroom has got a shower & bath tub. A boxspring bed and flatscreen.
And the view.... The view... You can see the Opera House and harbour.

Secondly he gave me tickets to see Tiësto. Not that I travelled the world to see a Dutch DJ-dude play, but hey if it's free, why not? :)
The concert was pretty good and the Aussies loved him.

Tonight another night at the 4 seasons and tomorrow I'll be moving to a YHA hostel. A little more expensive but cleaner! It has a sunroof that overlooks the Harbour bridge and Opera house too!

Oh, for those not on Facebook.
I have an Australian phone number now: +61 (0) 416 797 423
If you need me, you can text or call me. If I'm not able to pick up the phone (f.e. when it's the middle of the night here > 10 hours ahead of Belgium) you will get my so unbelievably cool voice mail :)
Vodaphone is a great provider. I charged my pre-paid card with 29$ (18,5€) and I get a credit of 150$!!! Thats 120$ for free :) Belgian companies should do the same :)
And you can choose a funny voicemail. I picked the 'Sex and the City' voicemail. So good!!! :)

Talking about Sex and the City, the 4 seasons is very SATC. I just can't believe how many rich people there are in this world who can affort staying here.
But then again, I'm a low budget traveller with no job, but loads of fun!

Take care and keep warm :P
Tania (who got a little sunburned)

Let's put another cockroach on the barbie!

2010-01-29T15:09:00.001+10:00

To Travel: To go from one place to another, as on a trip; journey.

This morning I checked out of the Glenferrie Lodge in Kirribilli. A nice quiet place. A place I could see myself living.
I was on my way again. I took the ferry to 'the mainland' and needed to get a bus to get to Surry Hills. Where my next backpack hostel would be.
I must say, all busdrivers I have met while being in Australia are so friendly and helpfull. The driver would tell me where to get off to go to South Dowling street.
I sat on the bus next to an older woman also with a suitcase.
She asked me where I was from.
I told her: Belgium.
'Oh my, you are many miles away from home' she said.
I said: 'Yep... I just arrived two days ago and will stay here for 4 months'
She told me she was from New Zealand and I told her how much i wanted to go there too, but had no clue where to begin.
After talking to her on our short busride, she wrote down her address. She told me to call her if I was planning on going to New Zealand and she would pick me up from the airport. I could stay at her place and she would show me the North of New Zealand.
I just cannot believe how friendly people are down under. It still amazes me... A lesson we could all learn.

With a smile on my face, i got off the bus to get to my hostel. As I walked down the street, I noticed the neighbourhood was not the nicest. Well, the houses look allright but the people are a bit weird.
Anyway, I got to the hostel.
A friendly guy welcomed me. As soon i was checked in he showed me around. The bathrooms are old but relatively clean. The kitchen area was messy (I know you are probably thinking I'm messy too, but this was different) It was all hostellike, kinda like I could expect.
But then.... I got to my room.... The rooms are soooo dirty. I don't think they have been cleaned for months. Seriously. And, as I looked up, what was supposed to be the ceiling above my bed, I saw this huge cockroach! I'm not even exaggerating. This thing was huge, and staring at me... I could start to scream. I mean, I love animals, but I hate, HATE, bugs. Especially the cockroaches.
( I know my mom would not sleep for weeks when she would see this place)
I immediatly left the place and came to Mc Donalds (because every Mc Do in the world has free wifi) to look for another place to stay.
I know I probably won't get any refund from the Kangaroo bakpak. But choosing on sleeping with the cockroach in my room or loosing money over this... I made up my mind quickly. I'm not staying there, not even a night!
I mean, I slept in dodgy places, with bugs and stuff, but at least the sheets and stuff were clean.
So yes, I guess I have reached my limit about how 'cheap' I wanna go. And I am too good to sleep with a cockroach! :)

For those curious about my roommate, here a nice picture. Enjoy!

From winter to summer in only 30 hours :)

2010-01-28T09:39:00.001+10:00

G'day my friends & family,

A hello from Sydney.
After travelling for 30 hours I arrived in the land of wonder, the land down under.
Everything is upside down here. It's summer, people drive on the lefthand side. I'm on the other side of the planet. And although fllying for 23,5 hours sounds long, it went by so fast. Thanks to the inflight entertainment (as you can see on the picture) Before I knew it we were decending into Sydney airport.

I got through customs fast. Stamp in my passport and I was on my way. (I must have that innocent look;)
I went up to the information on the trains and buses how to get to Kirribilli (the town my first hotel is situated)
I took the train up to Circular Quay and the ferry to Kirribilli, which went right by the Opera House.
Since all single rooms were full they gave me an upgrade to a double room.
Yey, a big bed to catch up with my lack of sleep.

After a very welcoming shower I decided to lay down for just an hour, which turned into 4 hours. Guess I needed the sleep. Around 5pm I went into the little city center of Kirribilli to find a supermarket to buy some water and to get something to eat.
I found this sushi place. Yummy!!! I bought some sushi and sat outside while eating it. Overlooking the Opera House. Life is good!
I just had breakfast in the garden outside. Winter seems so, so far away right now :)
The weather here is warm/hot and humid (a disaster for my frizzy hair) Today temperatures will go upto 28°C with a slight chance of some rain later today.
Tonight I'm supposed to meet up with some couchsurfers @ Manly beach. Yes, people I have never met before. A guy named Art, a couchsurfing host, suggested to join them on a campingtrip next weekend. Sounds like fun. But we'll check it out tonight first.
Today I'm gonna try to figure out where to get a simcard and get some paperstuff in order.
And tomorrow I'll be moving to Surry Hills, where my hostel 'Kangaroo Bakpak' is.

Oh, and watching the news earlier, there was a report about a house that's been exploded in Liege, Belgium. See, even when I'm on the other side of the world, Belgium keeps following me :)

Take care,
Tania

All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go...

2010-01-25T14:35:00.001+10:00

Allrighty!!
Packing is almost done, only a few more hours and I'll start my big adventure down under.
Now... Let's see. I 'm about to fly 23,5 hours. (Stopover in Abu Dhabi is another 3 hours)
So basically I'll be travelling for 30 hours straight, if there is no delay.

Am I crazy? Oh, yes... But a good friend of mine told me the other day:
"C'est mieux vivre avec des remords qu'avec des regrets ..."
So that is what I'm doing right now!

Anyway, got to go, 'cause I'm leaving on a jetplane :)

Love,
Tania

Insomnia

2010-01-18T11:49:00.004+10:00

In exactly one week I'm packing to get on a plane & fly to the other side of the planet.
One week... Seven days... 168 hours...
Last night I suffered from insomnia. My mind is going crazy, thinking too much.
Not easy to fall asleep, and when I did the nightmares begun. You know, you dream you forget stuff, laptop, camera,... Or you dream the plane is gonna crash. You dream you'll be all alone & broke.
And than you wake up, sweaty. You feel your heart beating in the back of your throat and for a split second you wonder if you made the right choice.
Is it a wise thing to do to give up your job in times of recession? To just leave all your securities behind and take a leap in the unknown?

I couldn't help but wonder... Are we programmed to live the life that's expected from us? Are we taught to be scared if we cannot see the future? Have we failed if we did not accomplish the 'husband - kids and house with a picket fence' by the age of 35?
Am I the crazy one if I don't follow the 'plan' -OR- is this the sanest decision I have ever made?
Maybe it's true, that sometimes we have to get lost to find ourselves.

And that the satisfaction I need depends on my going away, so that when I've gone and come back, I'll find it at home.

Tania

Counting down...

2010-01-08T09:51:00.004+10:00

Hi!

With one month of delay I can finally start counting down to my trip down under.

After seeing lots of beautiful white snow, i'm ready to trade in my warm coat and go see some white beaches wearing sunscreen :)

I will leave cold Belgium on January 25 to arrive in warm Sydney the day after Australia Day.
My plan so far (I'm not the best planner) is to travel Oz clockwise. Which means Sydney - Melbourne - Adelaide - Perth - Alice Springs - Darwin - Cairns - Brisbane - Sydney - Abu Dhabi (to visit my brother in Dubai) - Brussels (May 23)
When I'm in Sydney or Melboure I will try to take a trip to New Zealand too.

So... that will keep me busy for 4 months huh? :)
As from now I will update my blog as much as I can.

Take care & keep warm,
Tania

Verloren maandag...

2009-01-12T21:35:00.002+10:00

Jeps, mijn laatste blog is in het Nederlands. We zijn dan ook terug in België.

Verloren maandag vandaag, ja zo voelt het wel een beetje. Vakantie gedaan, zomer gedaan, terug gaan werken, wassen, rekeningen betalen...

Maar ik ben wel blij jullie één dezer terug te zien hoor!

Momenteel is de wasmachine op volle toeren aan het draaien en moet ik mij sebiet gaan induffelen om naar de winkel te gaan en mijn kasten terug wat te bevoorraden.
Ik begin wel te voelen dat ik moe aan het worden ben... Het is dan ook al avond volgens mijn biologische klok. Het zal vechten worden... Vechten tegen de slaap en de koude... :)

Vrienden en vriendinnetjes: tot gauw
Collega's: tot morgen
Mama: tot één dezer...

Knuffel,
Tania

Summer lovin', had me a blast...

2009-01-12T00:23:00.002+10:00

Okay, here we are, @ the Singapore airport: Changi.
Waiting for my flight to Frankfurt and after that to Brussels.

My flight to Frankfurt is delayed for 30 mins. Isn't that a sign telling me not to fly back? :) Hehe...
Oh well, I got 3 hours in Frankfurt anyway. The more time here the better (free wireless internet, something they should do in Europe as well!)

Today I went to the shopping street in Singapore.
Man, it was crazy, it's like these people had nothing else to do than either shop or eat :)
Shops like: Fendi, Prada, Louis V, Christian D. and many others were begging to come in using the magic words: SALES
But good girl as I am, I didn't go in. In fact I didn't stay long. Window shopping is really not that fun.
And my creditcard has turned red instead of the KBC blue so I just left without looking back...
(yes I'm proud of me) :)

Anyways, friends & family, co-workers & pets, thank you for following my journey.
It was a pleasure writing for you, hope you had a good time reading my bull shit.
I will post a last update when I'm back home in my Penthouse in Merksem freezing my ass off.

So long, farewell, auf wiedersehen, adieu....
Tania

Not ready yet to trade in my flip flops for winterboots....

2009-01-11T02:28:00.006+10:00

Today was my last full day in Singapore.
Tomorrow night, 11pm, I will catch my flight back home.

But before we start talking or even thinking about home, Belgium, where it's -11°C, I wanna think about Singapore.
Warm Singapore, a country with a mix between Asia, India and a little West.

Today, after sleeping in, Juana and I met up with some other couchsurfers and we went to Sentosa Island. An artifical island with a beach made of imported sand.
It was nice to be on the 'beach' and have this little breeze.
Even though it was cloudy all day, temperatures were still around 28°C :-D

After the beach we went to Clarke Quay, which is a developed area around the Singapore River with lots of bars and restaurants.
We had some thai food and some drinks outside afterwards.
This part of town is really the richer part. You can tell by the prices of the drinks. It twice as expensive, which still makes it 'normal' prices compared to home.

Tomorrow I'll visit Arab street and a mosque and hopefully do some quick shopping, although my suitcase is full and my bankaccount empty, I still want to see a Singapore mall, even if it's just window shopping.
There is a mall here which is open 24/7
I mean, can you imagine??? Being able to shop 24 hours a day.
Like, if you aren't tired @ 3 a.m. you can go to the mall and buy some shoes :) Crazy... but lovin' it :)

Oh yeah, and the club last night was cool, ZOUK, never saw that many dutch people gathered in a room so far away from holland :)
All to see Armin Van Buuren.
He was pretty good. House music is not my thing really but he was quite alright.
The club was really cool, with 3 different area's to dance and a lounge bar.
Funny thing here is, inside it's always cool and outside it's nice and warm. I'm so gonna hate being back in Belgium.. Ugh....

Ni hao ma :)

2009-01-09T20:22:00.007+10:00

Today again a lesson in life.

Everyone knows what a minority group is, everyone knows that skin colours may vary, everyone knows that every race is different.

But knowing, or actually experiencing it is totally different.

Today I explored a bit of Singapore, two parts: Chinatown and Little India.

To get there I had to take the train (3 trains to be precise)

On the first train, I got to experience what it must feel like to be different.

I was the only 'caucation' person there. Everywhere I looked I saw asian men and women and also indian men and women.

And even though not everyone looks @ you, you feel stared at. You feel like they look at you, judging you. What you wear, how your hair is.

It's an awkward feeling.

You see, I always try to blend in in the city's I visit. But here I just couldn't and that only because I look different.

Don't get me wrong, nobody harrased me, everyone was helpful when i asked something. It's just the feeling of people looking at you. And they may even just be looking and not judging, but you can feel it, or at least you think they are looking.

I'm not a racist at all, those who know me, know how angry I can get when people are not given a chance & are judged only by their skin colour.

Today made me realise it even more, that we all are just people, living on the same planet trying to follow our own values and believes in life.

So far my life lesson today.

Now a little lighter stuff:

My first visit to the public toilet. I'm not gonna describe it, just look at the picture:

Haha, it wasn't that bad really. TBH I kinda like toilets like these, you never have to sit on a peed-on toiletseat :)

And apparently it's only the last two toilets in the public places that are like this :)

Chinatown was fun, bit tacky with all the red and gold :)

and little India was... interesting. People sitting on the street with tv's and other stuff to sell. It's different...

Anyway, gonna get ready cause we (Juana and me) are going out to have dinner with some other couchsurfers in Little India and after that we go clubbing cause apparently Armin Van Buuren is performing...

Later,

Tania

Arrived in the search of an ultimate break, Departed having found paradise.

2009-01-09T03:06:00.004+10:00

It's true what they say: to find yourself sometimes you need to lose yourself. And that's what I did. A country with such incredible beaches, relaxing lifestyle and one of the best climates in the world. I found a piece of paradise.

The 3 weeks australia went by so fast. But the memories will last a lifetime. (That is if my brain will keep working:)Like I said @ the end of the Contiki tour, the things I've seen & done are too awesome to put down in words. Here I am, on Qantas flight QF5 to Singapore for my last 3 holidays before flying back to the cold and dark working days in Belgium.
Don't get me wrong, I like Belgium, I always seem to appreciate my country more when I left it for a while. Guess you can compare it to a relationship. If you give each other a chance to be apart and do your own thing you will see the good things again, if you just look at it from a distance now and then. So yes, I love my country and I'm proud to be a Belgian.
I'm also grateful to have a job in my country. Even though I can whine about it from time to time, I am glad to do my part in the community :)

Now, you'll probably ask yourself: If you do like Belgium and you are happy to have a job there, than why do you run from it? I guess part is the fact that I got the travelbug (reismicrobe) It's in my sign (sagittarus) and it will always run through my vains.The other part, I think, I discovered on my trip, is the four letter word: LOVE.

Don't get my wrong, I'm not gonna marry outback Jack or Luke tomorrow. I might not even be talking about a man. Love is a general thing. I love cities, nature, the ocean, the sun, the english language, surfers, friendly & fascinating people, ....
What hit me yesterday is not that I travel to travel, but to find 'love' in some sort and to enrich myself. I do believe that people who travel and embrace other cultures from time to time have a richer life. It's not because we live in the 'west' that that is the right way to live.

So, sweety's, if I may wish you anything this year, besides a good health, I wish you save and amazing travels. Even if it's just in your own country. You can be amazed by the things you discover...

Anyway, enough philosophy for today, the food is coming and qantas airplane food is kinda yummy. You get a lot of good stuff here, never hungry, never thirsty.
It's awesome mate :)

Take care,
Tania live from the sky :)

Catch ya' later mate Oz...

2009-01-07T12:44:00.008+10:00

My last full day in awesome Oz.... It's like the country knows I will be leaving. Today is a cloudy chilly day in Melbourne. I enjoyed my relaxing time here, living the ozzie Melbourne life for 5 days.

Yesterday evening Cristian took me to the Melbourne beach. Man it's so cool these great cities @ the beach, I love it!

Oh, let me teach you something: the word MATE comes from the australian soldiers in the war, they said: catch ya later, mate. Which means: Meet At The End. For those who survived.
Cool to know huh, mate?

Unfortunately all good things come to an end. But, one thing is certain, I will be back. There's still so much left to see here. If only I would win the lottery :)

Check some previous blogs cause I will be posting some pictures in a few minutes.

Tomorrow morning I'll be flying to Sydney, hopefully spend a couple of hours there before my connection flight to Singapore.
Man, I'm gonna be soooo jetlagged when I come back..
Anyway, deal with that later.

Bye for now....
Tazmanian Tania
x

Lose yourself in the movie, find yourself in the country...

2009-01-06T12:06:00.007+10:00

That's the quote of the new movie 'Australia' with Nicole Kidmann.

Haven't seen the movie, but I find myself in the country... Losing myself in the country too....

Still in Melbourne, decided not to go to Canberra, everyone tells me there's nothing worth seeing, so I changed my itinerary a little and did the great ocean road yesterday, where I saw the twelve apostels (rocks in the ocean)

It was really cool. Everything here is amazing.

Yesterday my mum text me saying it's snowing and freezing in Belgium. Funny, I'm sitting here in a skirt and top with thongs (flip flops) in the sun (29°C) and in my homecountry it's really winter. Well you guys, make a snow man for me, while I'll build a sandcastle :P

Today I'll go wandering around Melbourne a little. Try NOT to do some shopping since my credit card has been used too much.

Tomorrow will be my last full day in Australia ;'(

The next morning I'll fly from Melbourne to Sydney and in the late afternoon I'll catch my flight to Singapore.

Singapore will be cool too. i will couchsurf with juana there. And people told me it's the cheapest place to by new electronical stuff (poor credit card.. )

But I know one fact for sure, I will be back here....

xxx

tania

What is an Australian kiss?

2009-01-04T16:02:00.004+10:00

... An australian kiss is a french kiss down unda' :)
Now ya'll be wondering if I experienced that but this is a censured blog so no kiss and tell.

At this moment I'm sitting outside with nettie in the citycentre of Melbourne.
It's about 25°C and sunny.

It's weird when I think about the weather in Belgium... Freezing... Haha, funny. I'm sweating here. But hey, I don't mind.

So, I'm in Melbourne now. Staying at Cristian's place, a guy from the Contiki group who lives here.
Tomorrow I will do the Great Ocean road. Have to get up early again.
I will need a vacation from my vacation when I get back. This lack off sleep is killing me..

Today I'm just walking around Melbourne. Funny, you can do the Neighbours tour here and visit Ramsay street.
Not on my list of priorities though.

When I look around, hearing the bells of the Cathedral, the traffic of cars and trams, the tourists and the locals walking around, the nice sunny weather... I feel so thankful. I mean.. How many people, Belgians, can say they've seen what i've seen? So many amazing things.
Travelling is and always will be one of the most important things in my life.
I think travelling changes you to become a better person, realising what you have, experiencing new things and people.
Sigh...
Ok, so far the emotional thoughts of life :) Hey it's a new year right? People can get a bit more philosofic than....

I'll try to post some new pictures soon too....

Tania who wonders why time flies by so much faster down unda....

New Year down unda'

2009-01-04T15:58:00.005+10:00

31/12/2008
The last day of the year and also the last day with the whole contiki group.
If there is one thing in life I hate it's saying goodbye.
I met some incredible people, had fantastic times, I laughed, I cried, I felt excited, tired, tipsy,.... I had the best time of me life.
I did so many things. I think it will take a time to let it all sink in.
From surfing to a farmstay, from walking the whitest beach and swim in the blue/green sea to exploring the rainforest, from city's to beaches, from skydiving to scubadiving, from holding a koala & feeding kangaroo's to horseriding....
I think mojosurfcamp and scubadiving must be at the top of the trip.
But actually everything was so amazing, the things we did, the trip we took, the hotels, .. Everything....
My post today may sound a little bit down. But it's because I just said goodbye to my new friends. I'm on my way to the rainforest now with 9 others of our group.
We will be celebrating New Years eve on the beach with a bombfirte. There's also a pub with a circustheme tonight, will be interesting....
Anyway, as soon as I can get to the internet, I'll post this message, wishing you all a happy New Year, may I wish you all a trip to Australia someday.... And of course, the most important thing: a good health.
Kiss kiss kiss,
happy 2009 (9 hours ahead)
Tania

1 jan 2009
Happy New Year everyone!!!
Unfortunately I have not connection to the outside world here in the rainforest. No cell phone, no internet. So I write down my stories and post them tomorrow when the tour ends in Cairns....
Yesterday it rained all day (off course, we are in the rainforest and it's the rainy season)
Shane, our rainforestdriver took us on a path through a part of the rainforest and the mangroves. It was amazingly beautiful. Nature is so smart in it's way to survive and it's ecosystem.
After this walk I was soaking wet. But I didn't really care because rain here feels like a warm shower. And after the humid high temperature of 37°C , this rain was more than welcome!
Arrived at the Ferntree Rainforest Lodge we took a hot shower and got ready for New Years eve. Hoping the rain would stop cause we planned a bombfire on the beach.
But unfortunately it didn't stop raining so we needed to change our plans. We got together on a porch of one of the guys and got our booze out with some music.
We talked about the highlights of the tour and the amazing times we had. Who hooked up with who. We told our New Year's resolutions, and what we wanted in life.
Man I'm so gonna miss this. Tomorrow the tour officialy ends....
Today it's the first day of the new year. Weird, because I had no Christmas feeling or New Year feeling here.
So... you wanna know my resolution? Well, spending more time with the people I love, friends and family. Sometimes I'm living my life so fast that I forget to spend time with what is the most important thing in life... YOU!
Anyway, got to get ready now for our walk in the forest.
OXOX
Tania

2 jan
Yesterday we walked through the rainforest and swam in a creek and relaxed on the beach, where we were supposed to do our New Years eve bombfire.
It was relaxing and fun.
After the beach we got back to the hotel and decided to jump into the pool because it was so hot.
Then, around 6 I went to take a shower to get ready for our last supper as a contiki group....
We had a bbq which was good and coversations were fun. Nick suggested to take it to the pool so we did. The guys invented these games like building walls with beercans, or dropping them at the bottom and first one to catch it got to drink it.
Shane, our rainforest guide showed us some interesting bugs.
It was a short but fun last night....

under the sea....

2008-12-30T19:25:00.002+10:00

The day before New Years eve and also our last day as a group.
Most of the contiki's will leave us tomorrow afternoon while 9 or 10 go upto the rainforest and celebrate new years eve there.
I'm in the last bunch.
We're all sad that it's almost over. All of us do think this was one of the best trips ever. I made some great new friends, created new memories, and got to do a lot of my todo list (aka the bucket list)

One of those things was to go scuba diving. And where better to go than the Great Barrier Reef, one of the wonders of this planet....

After skydiving yesterday I went scubadiving today. It's all about going down, down unda' :)
We got onto a boat that took us to a spot in the middle of the reef. You could see all the different shades of blue in the ocean.
After signing a paper that states you understand the risk of scubadiving we got to put on our wetsuit and gear. The instructors explained what was going to happen. We would go under water, hold on to a bar a breath slowly. Then we got to a rope which took us deeper and deeper under the sea. I felt the pressure on my ears and gave the signal to my instructor who made it clear I had to sqeeuze my nose and blow slowly to let the pressure out a little. It worked but still it felt weird.

I always thought I would struggle more with the breathing than the pressure but breathing was rather easy.
In the beginning you do have to think about breathing, but once you get to the reefs and see how beautiful they are, you start to breathe automaticly.

I have to say, seeing all the reefs and fishes was one of the most beautiful things i've ever seen. It really is a whole new world out there. The fishes just swim around you, they mind their own business and don't really care about us crazy bubble blowing divers. It was so amazing. Kinda felt like I was sitting in a big tropical fishtank :)

I held a seacucumber (photo) that looked like a carrot but felt mushy.
We saw this big oyster like shell, our instructor took our hand and put it in. It felt soft and mushy and closed when we touched it.
Most of our group saw a seaturtle as well, I didn't.. Too bad. But it was wonderfull anyway.

This really was one of the most amazing things I ever experienced....

Anyway, I got to go, we're going to the woolshed, a spectacular bar where they dance on tables...

x,

mermaid tania

I'm alive!!! I'm alive!!! :)

2008-12-29T19:23:00.007+10:00

Dear people,

This morning, this crazy chick jumped out of an airplane!!!

I woke up at 7 and I couldn't sleep anymore. I kept thinking: Why did I sign up for it? What if I faint? What if I get sick? What if I shit my pants? What if I die?

But, it was all paid for, and as Hendrickx's are, when it's paid for, you don't let it slip.

So around 8 I got up, got ready and met the others @ reception. We got on a small bus that took us downtown where we got our gear and had to sign a paper that states you won't sue the company if you're injured or dead due to the skydive.

For a moment there I saw my life flashing by...

Rob went first since it was per 3 and there was 7 of us. As he got back he was really really pale and had to throw up.

Nervous as I was we watched the short video on how the position of our body is supposed to be with the skydive. After putting on our gear we got into the small bus again that would take us to the airport.

We got on a really, really small plane with no door. My instructor was really cool. Explaining me all what would happen and immediatly I felt calm.

Strangely enough, as I got on the plane, all my nerves disappeared. The instructor was joking a little bit about the parachute won't opening and stuff, it was funny actually.

So there I was on the plane, going higher and higher and I thought ones we got to 10.000 ft we would jump. But my instructor said: nah, we'll go up to 14.000 feet with the others....

For a second there I thought 'what???' but then I was cool with it. No nerves at all.As we got to 14.000 ft, the instructor said I had to sit on the edge of the open door with my legs out and cross my arms.

On three we would go.

So there I was, hanging out of a plane @ 14.000 feet and not nervous at all. So one...two... go.... And off we went, falling from the sky!

It was as if I was flying, really cool. Only thing was, if you're falling @ a speed of 180 km/h it's hard to breath. Sometimes I had to put my hands in front of my mounth to breathe a little.

I liked it so much. than he opened the parachute which was cool too. I got to steer it but it made me a bit dizzy. The landing was good, really soft on gras & it was 37°C out there, so hot.

As we got back we got our skydiving certificat which states:"Congratulations, you jumped out of a perfectly good aeroplane... are you crazy?"It also says: "Perhaps not, but it does prove you aren't afraid of life's little challenges, or if you are, you still have the courage to achieve whatever it is you wish, no matter what difficulty. We all know that first step into nothing is one of the biggest you will ever have to take, so congratulations!"
Never guessed it would be so cool.

Of course... I 'd like to say a special thanks to Touristil, the motion sickness pill. :)

In the afternoon I went horseback riding in the rainforest. It was nice but most of them were beginners so they kept it slow. Especially after you went skydiving it felt slow :)

That's it for today, we got a free night and tomorrow I go scubadiving for the very first time.....

blub blub blub

Tania

Living the life in thongs...

2008-12-28T18:18:00.005+10:00

Hi folks,

HAHA, thongs in Australia means flip flops...

So I'm in my short and thongs in the Cairns Colonial Club Resort.

This morning we said goodbye to 5 people of the group including my new friends: Kirsten (USA), Mariana (Brazil) & Jimmy (Canada). It was the first time it rained (tropical rain) as if the sky cried of the goodbye's and the near ending of our trip ;(

We got on the ferry from long island to the harbour and got on the bus for a looooong busride to Cairns. Because of the goodbye party the night before, I only slept for 2 hours so I was so tired I couldn't keep my eyes open. The party was fun, some of the locals (ozzie bartenders) had a day off and partied as well. No pictures of the party though, this is a censured blog :P

After a long drive and a few stops to have lunch or use a toilet we arrived in tropical cairns. It's a bit cloudy outside but so hot. I think it must be around 32° and it's very humid.

So, what will I be doing the next couple of days?

Tonight: Pubcrawl (in dutch: kroegentocht) First we'll have dinner and than a putcrawl in 4 or 5 different bars. Can't drink though cause tomorrow is a full day with activities, I'll need a clear head. :)

Tomorrow morning 9am (Mom, now is the time to skip to the afternoon) I will go... skydiving. I know... I'm crazy. Well I always said: "people who pay to jump out of an airplane are crazy" so I guess I got crazy down unda'
I got convinced by some of the other contiki crazy people and we are gonna skydive with a beautiful view over the reef & rainforest.
Don't worry, a professional will jump with me to open the parachute. Now in case the parachute dooesn't open, I will be dead anyways so don't worry about me, I had the best times here! :)
Nah, it'll be fine. I'll jump from 10.000 feet while all the others will jump from 14.000 feet. So, I'll go first... 9am here is 12pm in Belgium, so think about me for a second, jumping out of an airplane with a prachute.

Tomorrow afternoon: I'll go horsebackriding on a farm close to the rainforest. It will be so beautiful.

Tuesday: scubadiving!!! Since the reef here is the most popular place to see little nemo's and stuff I can't go home without trying this too.
I'll have a introductory dive. I'm so looking forward to this! I'm gonna try to buy an underwater disposable camera, don't know if it'll work, but we'll see :)

So, lads & gents, that's all for now.I'll try to let you know tomorrow how it was...

Don't forget to check out my previous blogs since I'm putting pictures on them!!!

xxx
Tania

Daydreaming next to daydream island....

2008-12-27T20:05:00.004+10:00

Hi guys & gals,

Today was a relaxing day off. I slept in until 8h30. Got some breakfast and went to lay on the beach, the looks from my hammock was like postcards... Blue sea, sunny, nice beach.... Don't need much to be happy :)

Too bad that some people of the group are leaving us tomorrow... They only booked the trip until the Whitsundays.

Too bad cause my friend Kirsten from Pensylvania will be going. But we already agreed on coming back soon.... very soon :)

Ho Ho Hot out here on long island :) Merry Christmas!

2008-12-26T20:47:00.006+10:00

Hi guys,

It's gonna be a long blog since I haven't been able to get online....
Enjoy it en enjoy your christmas!!!

21/12/2008
After a great surfing lesson this morning from a hot surfing teacher we got ready to go have dinner at Dracula's. A restaurant where they perform a show.
We arrived at Dracula's and they took us in a room where they talked a little bit about vampires. After that we went on a short ride through a haunted house and got out at the cocktail bar where you could order cocktails by the name of ' bleeding heart' which I ordered :)
It was 40 AU$ (25 €) expensive but worth it, it was a really big bowl.
The food was okay, the show was funny.
After Dracula's we went out to a club named Melbas. We got free entrance and a free drink.
I was kinda hoping the cute surf teacher was gonna be there since he mentioned that he might hang out there tonight.
Unfortunately he wasn't....
We had a great time and didn't go home untill 4h30....
Too bad we had such a short time in Surfers Paradise.....
I willl definately come back here!!

22/12/2008
After 1,5 hours of sleep and a 5 min breakfast we got on the bus by 7h30 and left for Brisbane.
Surfers Paradise was great, too short to really see it all.
Brisbane was nice town, I got my secret santa gift here, a beachtowel with the Australian road signs. (I wish I got one for me, but beachtowels take in too much space :( )
After Brisbane we drove up to the harbour to catch the ferry to fraser Island.
We had a late dinner and most of us were so tired about the lack of sleep that we went to bed around 10h30pm.

23/12/2008 Ding, ding, dingoooooo
Ah.... the first day I can sleep in a little since the tour started. Since I'd gone to bed @ 10.30 and got waken up by my buddie Kirstin around 8.45, I catched up a little with my sleep.
(Believe it or not, sleeping untill 8.45 was sleeping in!)
I got up, showered and we went to check out the beach which was amazing. The water was warm and again chrystal clear. We walked in it up to our knees and stood there for a while. Taking it all in.
Suddenly we see a 'stingerale' swim in front of our feet! It's so amazing.
After a stroll on the beach we got back to get on our half day tour around the island.
A 4X4 bus picked us up and we got going into the rainforest of the island.
We stopped at a creek, the water in the creek was so clear you could hardly see there was any water there.
The guide was telling about it took 7200 years for the water to get there, so we all tasted it. It tasted like tapwater.
After a short walk in the forest the guide stopped at a tree where we could see this little hole about 2,5 cm (1 inch). Apparently it's the 'home' of one of the most deadliest spiders called the funnelspider. One bite and you are likely to be dead after 15 minutes...
Good thing they are nocturnal!!
We got back on the 4X4 and drove up to lake Mckenzie.
Lake Mckenzie is one of the springwater lakes of the island. The water is not salty at all. The only animals that live in these waters are a certain kind of waterturtles.
The white sand is very pure, which means it feels soft and you can clean your silver jewellery with it.
The guide says it's a great idea to use it to exfoiliate. You get into the water, come out roll into the sand and get back in to rinse off.

So we got there and it was breathtakingly beautiful! I have never seen such a picture postcard lake. We got in for a swim and it was heaven on earth.
After an hour we got back to the bus where we got some muffins and chocolate chip cookies.
Back on the bus the driver starts telling this story about how the aboriginals used to live and cook. They would spit in the dough to make it rise.... And we were eating the muffins.. Uhuh.. :)

Back to the ecolodges we got changed to meet down bij the pitt (pier) to watch the sunset together.
Once it became darker we saw a dog strolling over the beach. I was just about to call 'hi cute doggie' when Nick (our tourguide) said: wow, look a dingo!
To me he looked like a regular dog Maybe a little thinner but other than that, the dingo looked like a unsocialised dog.
Only difference is that a dingo doesn't bark, it only howles like wolves.
After that we ate some pizza and went back to the pier to lay on our backs an gaze at the millions of stars. So beautiful!
We were about going to our lodges when we passed reception. The hot tub looked so good we got in in our underwear to gaze at some more stars :)
What a though life do I have here :P

24/12/2008 Santa baby...
Today wake up call was 6 am. Breakfast was @ 6h30.
We got back on the ferry to get going to the farm where we will spend our Christmas dinner.
We stopped at this little place called Childers where we got some fun stuff for our theme party on the bus on Christmas day: Cowboy and Cowgirl!
The best dresses will receive a price.
And yes, Santa even comes to Oz :)
We all had to buy a unisex gift around 10 AU$ and and wrapped it in newspaper. Tomorrow Santa Nick will give a gift to everyone, Yey :)
Christmas down under is really awkward. It feels more like a summer holiday like august 15 in belgium or the 4th of july in the usa.
You see headlines « Santa got a great wave » Where you see a picture of a surfer dressed as santa on a surfboard. Other than that you see gastanks to bbq and artificial christmas trees in the streets where everyone is dressed in shorts and flip flops.
I don't feel like it's christmas at all. The cold, grey rainy days and early nights in Belgium seem so so far away...
And although i'm not really in the christmas spirit, I do think about my mom, brother and my dad; whom I still miss very very much.

24/12/2008: update
We had a lovely Christmas dinner at the farm. Roasted chicken with gravy, veggies, potatoes... And dessert was a very nice cake and some candies on the table.
Since we had to dress up as cowboys and cowgirls I put on my Christmas cowboy hat, put on my red t-shirt that says : "Dear Santa, define good... ", a jeans skirt and christmas stockings which I wore over my high heels.
My hair was in two ponytales and I put 2 red stars next to my left eye.
As I was getting dinner, the lady of the farm takes the microphone and says: 'The price for the best dressed cowgirl goes to.... Tania'
There I was, standing in the middle of the room with my plate full of food :)
I won :) I got a book about wildlife animals and a dvd too :)
After dinner our tourmanager dressed up as santa and handed out our present. I got a wine opener with a kangaroo on it:)
After santa hand out all his presents, the farmer showed us how to use a whip to kill a snake or other small dangerous animals. It was quite spectacular.
We also went to see the stars and Nick pointed out a few things, like the Milky way & some kind of cross. And how you know what south is, since you cannot see the northstar here.

25/12/2008
Christmas day! As we got up at 5 am (yeah that's right, 5 am!) We put on shorts en tshirts since it was already pretty warm outside and had breakfast at the farm.
At 6 o'clock we were off to Arlie Beach to catch the ferry to long island (in the whitsundays)
We arrived around noon and had an hour free time @ Arlie beach. But with christmas days all the shops were closed.
It's so weird when people say Merry Christmas to you while they shop for the Christmas bbq while it's 36 degrees outside!
When we got to the island it looked as if we arrived in heaven, the water is so beautiful turkuoise blue. I don't think I've ever seen that many colors of blue in any ocean or sea.
The hotel is on the beach with a cocktail bar, pool, hot tub, hammocks...
As we chose from the buffet I noticed everyone of the staff's wearing christmas hats. Again, I don't really feel like christmas. It so weird.
After dinner I spend a couple of hours at the bar and than went to bed to get up early again...

26/12/2008
Boxing day... was a dream day.
We got up at 6H15 am and went to breakfast. After that walked up to the jetty to get picked up by the shuttle to ... Dreamday island. Yes, I swear there is an island with that name. Google it if you don't believe me!
@ Daydream island we were picked up by a purple catamaran to take us on the cruise between the islands. We went snorkling and I saw some fish swimming around the reef.
We had a bbq on the boat and cruised to Whitehaven beach. The beach with the purest white sand in the world. This sand is so pure and soft you have to be carefull so it doesn't gets in your camera cause it can ruin it.
You're also not allowed to take any sand because it's protected by law.
I swear I could not believe I was actually sitting on this beautifull white island with the most beautiful blue sea.... It was like a dream....
The cruise was really great. Wish I could spend every boxing day like this for the rest of my life :)

Catch ya ' later
Sheila
:P

Merry Christmas from me and all the surfing santa's out here....

2008-12-23T22:24:00.004+10:00

Hi all, this will be a very short message, wishing you all overseas a wonderful x-mas.

At the moment I'm on frazer island just gazed at a million stars.
Today I swam in a beautiful lake McKenzie which has a white beach and christal blue water.

Tomorrow we will drive up to a farm where we'll have Christmas eve and on Christmas day we go to the Whitsunday islands. For those of you who don't know what they look like:
http://www.tourismwhitsundays.com.au/

Buy for now
XXX

Surfers Paradise...

2008-12-21T14:18:00.005+10:00

G'day,

This morning I went surfing again. This time @ the Goldcoast in Surfers Paradise.
Again, the teacher was sooo hot! He was like a blond-bleached version of Rob Estes from Melrose Place.
I don't know what they put in the food down unda' or if it's a genetic thing. Either way, me like... a lot :)
Surfing was hard today since it's pretty windy outside and the waves were so strong.

Tonight we'll have dinner @ this place called dracula. A creepy dinner show thing. Looks fun. After that we're gonna go out into town. Although I'm so, so tired, I'm so looking forward to it too.
We do have to get up early every morning and we go to bed way too late...
(to give you an idea tomorrow we have to get up @ 6 o'clock...)

Catch ya' lata'

To surf, to feed a kangaroo or to cuddle a koala? What the heck, I did it all :)

2008-12-20T18:01:00.003+10:00

Yesterday we were at Coffs Harbour @ a surfcamp. To put it in Ozzie words!: It was AWESOME.
Coffs harbour is this little beachtown between Sydney and Brisbane where not many foreigners go to, but it's a place where the ozzies go to.
A little outside of Coffs harbour was a surfcamp. And when I say camp, I mean actual bunkers, like these 'containers' that they have on boats to ship banana's. That's where we slept.
We got there in the afternoon, dropped of our luggage in our 'condo's', got into our wet suits and grapped a surf board.
Our teacher was a real surf ozzie boy, and he was GORGEOUS. I'm not even exagerating when I say he looked like Matthew McConaughy. He could have been his younger brother.
The girls got the surflesson from this hottie and the guys got this tanned blondie.
The lesson took about 25 min. It was fun. After being explained how to peddle and get up on our surfboard we were about to get into the ocean with our instructors.
I think it took me only 3 times before I could actually stand up!
So yes, I did surf you guys!! And for those who don't believe me, I have proof, there was a guy form the 'mojosurf' camp taking pictures which you could get if you bought a t-shirt. I needed my proof right? :)
After spending 1,5 hours in the water we got to shower off the salt and had a great dinner. Fresh fish with fries and veggies. Delicious...
After dinner we put up a bonfire and one of the guys got out his guitar and sang some songs by the fire.
It felt like I was on another planet. A great planet where I could stay forever.
And many people actually do stay here for a while. A lot of backpackers go there for a day or two and then decide they wanna stay. There were some people from holland, america, ireland... Al staying there and working to get their stay for free. They cook or do dishes and in there free time they surf of course!

Today we made a stop at byron bay beach where we chilled for two hours and then drove up to a wildlife sanctuary where I handfed kangaroo's and cuddled a koala.
Again: AWESOME!

While I'm rereading all of this I realise how lucky I actually am to experience all this.
I really love it down unda' and I know now I will be back after this holiday (that is after I paid off my creditcard....)
Oh yeah, the people on tour are great so far. And, I'm not the oldest :)

Well, mates, catch ya' later!!!

Surfgirl & koala-lover Tania

My first day @ contiki

2008-12-19T06:40:00.002+10:00

The day started early, 7:15 in the lobby.
Good thing I stayed at the travelodge hotel where we were meeting up.
A whole bunch of people were there from all over the world. America, Korea, Brazil, Scotland, Ireland, England, Austria, Japan... Our tourguide's name is Nick. He seems all right, a bit ADD'ish but other than that okay.
The drivers name is Shawn, also a real ozzie.

So, we got on the bus, Nick explained some basic rules & off we went to Port Stephens.
Port Stephens is this little town with a nice pretty white beach and a blue ocean. The water is so clear and the colours are so beautiful. Every colour of blue you can imagine.
You see fish swimming around, very nice.
After a stroll on the beach and a walk up a mountain we went to our hotel, shoal bay. I share the room with a Korean and a Canadian girl.
The hotel is pretty nice, right across the street from the beach. Tried the pool, was refreshing after a hot day :)
We got a dinner coupon which we could trade for a peace of meat or fish and BBQ it ourselves. Was pretty fun.

Tomorrow it's 'INTRODUCTION' day. Means everyone has to intruduce themselves... Don't know if I'm looking forward to that...
Then on Christmas Eve, we'll be staying @ a farm and the theme will be cowboys and cowgirls. Lucky I brought my cowboy hat with me :)

Tomorrow we're driving up to Surfers Paradise where I'll be taking my first surf lesson...

Good girls go to heaven, bad girls go down unda'

2008-12-17T20:03:00.003+10:00

Hahahaha, bet you are expecting a saucy story. Aint gonna hapen!
The title is what I read on a t-shirt today.
Y'all know I've got a soft spot for T-shirts with great quotes on them.
Unfortunatelly they did not had that one in my size. But hey, I keep searching...

My second day in Sydney. Again sun, lots of sun. Walked around the city, took the monorail, walked up to the harbour. I feel great here.
Sydney reminds me a lot of New York City.
So you know I feel home walking these streets.
Only difference is the buildings are a lot newer, they drive on the left side of the streets and the accent, mate.
Guess you could say Sydey is a mix of disneyland and Manhattan :)

Tomorrow my tour starts, I'm a bit nervous about who will be on the tour, what's it gonna be like and will I fit in? I did met one guy, a (cute) scottisch guy, working in Dubai. He came on the same shuttle from the airport.

I don't know if I'll be able to give you an update everyday now, but I'll try.
Oh, and did you know that a 'pincet' can fix a Eee pc keyboard? Last night I got a little bit frustrated with nettie so I try to fix her myself and guess what, she is up and running again so far.

Got to go now, time's up and I need to pack for the tour.
Bye mates!

First day down unda' and lovin' it!

2008-12-16T19:29:00.002+10:00

Hi guys!
My first holi'day' is offically over, sun just set as I was writing postcards in front of the Opera House overlooking the bridge.

My holiday had a rough start, as you know, my netbook broke even before my flight took off. After spending most of the day trying to find a computer repair shop I have to get over it and just enjoy my holiday.

Those who know me well will know that losing my computer is hell to an addict like me. I was so desperate to find a shop that I took a bus down to this little place called 'Gladesville'
Like the name sounds, it looks like this movie town with nice houses & friendly people.
As I walked up and down a hill I reached the PC repair store, which was supposed to be open untill 5.30pm (most shops close in Sydney around 5pm).
As you can guess, it was closed.
I saw this lady inside who was closing up. I started to make signs @ the window to draw her attention (yes, that's how desperate I was)
The lady came out, telling me she cannot help me and that I had to come back tomorrow.
I was on the urge of a nervous breake down asking her if she could tell me how long it would take. "With the holidays coming up, it will take about 4 days, if it could be fixed"
4 DAYS???
With tears in my eyes I walked back down the hill and up to catch a bus back to Sydney citycentre.
There I was, in front of a church with people inside singing.
It was almost like God was saying: "Don't be sad my child, don't hold on to these material things in this material world"
As I was thinking that I spend most of the day walking around Sydney for my computer I must say God had a point there.
The bus stopped I got on it asked to take me to city centre.
This nice guy said it would be 3$
I pulled out a 20$ note.
The driver said: I just started my tour so I don't have any change yet. So just ride for free!
I was happy so sat down in front of the bus.
As the driver, named Chaz, started talking to me about my holiday in australia it was obvious to see how friendly and open everyone is down here.
He gave me some tips about Sydney & Australia and dropped me off at the harbour bridge.
Where I enjoyed some sun and thought about all the great things I will see...

This is what I live for & especially work for... To travel, meet amazing people, discover other cultures & enjoy the beauty of nature...

This was Tania live from Sydney :)

Sun sun sun

2008-12-16T12:27:00.002+10:00

Yep,
I made it!
I'm in Sydney, dressed in short skirt and t-shirt ready to go outside!
It's sunny and warm! I love it :)

First I'm gonna try to find a computer store, hopefully they can fix my laptop. But I doubt it though. So I won't be able to put pics on on this blog...
Anyway time is up, got to go out in the sun!

I look outside and it feels a bit like home...

2008-12-15T10:56:00.004+10:00

Hi all,

At the moment I'm in transit in Singapore. (After a 12,5 hours flight)

Bad news: in Brussels Airport, my bag fell...
Result: Nettie is broken... :'(

It's raining outside, a bit like home....

Good news: they played Sex and the City the movie on the plane, and the captain was funny!

Anyway, got to go for now

More when I get to Oz!

Packing summer clothes while it's freezing outside :)

2008-12-14T04:59:00.000+10:00

Yes!

In less than 12 hours I'll be up in the sky...

My journey from home to Sydney will be 34 hours of which 21,5 hours in the air.

Still need to pack, download my music to my mp3 and make sure Nettie has got all the info I will need.

Oh, I would like you to meet my co-traveller: Nettie! My ASUS Eee pc 1000H

Yes that's my hand. Like I said, Nettie is small and cute :-)

Anyway, got to go and pack....

Done working for this year...

2008-12-12T08:50:00.000+10:00

Hi there!

Today was my last day @ work... Well for this year at least.
Now I can fully focus on my trip to the other side of the planet :)

Some of you may know that Nettie (my little new netbook) is coming with me to Australia. Thanks to Nettie, and the internet, you will be able to follow the adventures I'll make.
(At least the censured ones ;) )

I still have to prepare a lot, so I'm gonna make it short.
More to read later!!