The Siam of Sarah

Sa-wa-dee-ka! (Hello) Ahhh, Thailand! The wonderful food and fresh fruit on a stick. The $6 massages on the beach, the never ending markets and bargains. The sunshine, clear-blue water, white sandy beaches, happy people, and carefree way of life. The ancient palaces, breathtaking temples, and the monks. With all these wonderful things does come the language barrier and miscommunication, grime and stinky smells, mosquitoes, cold showers, humidity and sweating all day, con artists who try to convince you major tourist attractions are closed only to try to get you to pay them for a tour, the traffic and the tuk tuk drivers that won’t leave you alone after you’ve told them 5 times you don’t need a ride. Such a unique place and now I see why it’s visited by millions of people every year.


Siam? The original name until it was changed to Thailand (“Land of the Free”) in 1939. Population - 64 million. It’s about the same size as France and if you take a look at a map, it’s in the shape of an elephant head (ironic given elephants are one of its major symbols). The two main influences are spirituality and the Royal Family. Their King has reigned since 1946 and it’s evident they like him because this guy’s portrait is EVERYWHERE. I mean EVERYWHERE. And most of the pictures look like they were taken 60 years ago too. And it’s evident they are loyal because at 6pm every day everyone literally stands still as their national anthem is played over loud speakers, which was quite interesting for Amber and I as we were bargaining at a market and realized everyone around us was standing still facing in the same direction and paying tribute to their country…Oopsy! Ok, enough with the history, it’s just I realized after being here two weeks that I didn’t know much about Thailand before arriving and realized it was all such a mystery, so I actually read the front of my travel book to learn about this amazing country and it slowly started coming together for me. So much different from Australia and New Zealand, which I ignorantly didn’t care to learn much about because they are both so Western, just like the states.

The fact I’m even here and Amber and I made it in/out alive is incredible. Kidding! But I am sort of embarrassed to say that we almost went to Bali instead… Long story short, 2 days before flying here, news broke there were protests in Bangkok. The Red Shirts (large group unhappy with the current Prime Minister) were flooding the streets, supposedly bombing government housing (gotta love sensationalism) and throwing buckets of blood at the gates (ok, that part is true). Needless to say it was a bit overdramatized, but of course our parents were paying attention to the news on Thailand all of a sudden and we all kind of panicked. I reached out to my friend, Stu, who I knew would have insight and he told me it was nothing to worry about, these protests happen all the time but are pretty peaceful and that we should just be cautious. Thanks to Stu, we changed our mind and after 2 days Amber was yelling “Woohoo!” out the taxi window when the Red Shirt parade drove by and our taxi driver started waving his little red flag. Yes, there were barricades on some of the streets and police and guards everywhere, but for the most part, it’s pretty peaceful and not much to worry about.

Bangkok. Gosh, where do I even begin? It’s the city that never sleeps. Stimulating, yet exhausting. Amber and I spent our first 2 days here and got quickly acquainted with this crazy place. Bangkok has thousands of Wats (temples), but after a while, a Wat is a Wat is a Wat. We decided to just visit the main ones, which was plenty, because there was so much more to see and do here. The Wats are absolutely stunning with their mosaic tiles and gold paint. There are Buddha figures everywhere and monks wondering about reflecting. My favorite part was when we sat in a temple and “gave gifts” to Buddha (flowers, burning incense, and flecks of gold) and in return we received a fortune. Mine said I will have an enjoyable life and my long journeys will be undertaken safe and sound and my desires will be fulfilled. Not too bad! I believe it. :)

The Buddhism religion fascinates me (while here I re-read a book I had read a few years ago on Buddhism to better understand and appreciate the culture). To sum it up, Buddha was an Indian Prince who was sheltered in his kingdom his whole life and wasn’t until he was older and realized there was pain, suffering, and death in the world. He didn’t like this, so he left to find a way to free himself of the sorrow he felt now knowing of this suffering. One day he experienced enlightenment. From then on he was known as Buddha, which means “the awakened one”. Buddhism is about being awake, self aware, in the here and now. Plain and simple as that. Forget the past; it’s impossible to plan the future, just live for today. Pretty much how I try to live these days anyway. And it all makes sense why the people here are so kind and peaceful. I have never seen so many people smile or say thank you. Hands in prayer position, close to the chin, a slight bow of the head, with a smile and the generous blink of the eyes repeating “Khap-koon-ka” (meaning “Thank you”).

Amber and I also took to the exhausting markets. They were hot and sweaty, mazes and mazes of food, clothes, jewelry, and trinkets. Bargain after bargain. “Special for you! How much you pay?” To be honest, I don’t enjoy the haggling. I actually sort of feel like I’m stealing from these people. To try to get them down a dollar or two when everything only costs a few dollars is hard for me. An extra dollar for me is nothing (I say that now until I’m broke come July...), but to them, it means the world. Many would disagree, but just my opinion… Most disturbing of all was the Patpong night market which is right off a row of go-go bars including strip clubs, prostitutes, and the infamous ping pong shows. Curious? For sure. Would I ever in a million years support such a thing? No way. Basically human trafficking at its best. Not my favorite part of Bangkok, to say the least.

We wouldn’t really see Bangkok unless we visited Khao San Road. One word – Insane! Street vendors selling everything from fruit to noodles to salads to meat on a stick. Bar after bar with music blaring, people sitting outside with buckets of beer, dancing. Super overwhelming, but oh so entertaining.

So happy we decided to come here (laughing at ourselves for doubting it for one second). Our lives were more in danger riding in the tuk tuks, as there are barely any stoplights, there are absolutely no rules of the road, and there are people everywhere. I found myself chuckling at how crazy it is, how no one gets mad when cut off, and how the motorbikes just squeeze right through with a half an inch between them and the next car. Nuts, I tell you!

To come full circle, it’s Wednesday night and I’m actually sitting in my hotel room, back in Bangkok for a night before I head to Cambodia tomorrow. Amber ended up having to leave a couple of days early on Monday because she couldn’t get a buddy pass to fly out as originally planned. I was so sad to see her leave, but I still have tons of stories to tell of our journey. The next stops for Amber and I were Chiang Mai in the North and the beaches in the South. Thought I could get caught up and squeeze them in here, but I have way too much to say. So I’m still about a week and a half behind my blogging. Hopefully with some Sarah time in the next few days, I can get caught up before Erika meets me in Laos on Monday!!

The Scenery of Sarah

The scenery in New Zealand is like nothing else. I have traveled to a lot of beautiful places, but here it’s different. It’s so much more surreal, almost fake. I’m not sure my words could ever describe it or my pictures will ever do it justice. From the rolling hills and mountains (they almost look 3D at times), to the waterfalls and lakes, and the sounds to the glaciers. NZ scenery is breathtaking and never ending.


Amber and I didn’t have one thing planned for this portion of the trip. All we knew was we were going to rent a car from the airport and drive; make plans and find accommodations as we traveled. We knew there would be a lot of driving involved, but until we rented a car and got some advice from an extremely friendly NZ couple on the plane and the car rental agent, we quickly realized 10 days was not going to be enough. There was so much to cover and we ended up being on the go and moving everyday, which took away from our hopes of a relaxing, chill trip.


First Stop (1 night) - Lake Tekapo (Tee-Ka-Poe)
We had hoped to arrive and enjoy a little bit of time in Lake Tekapo for our first night, but it took a little longer than expected. How we managed to get turned around when there is literally only one two lane road that pretty much runs to each major destination in the South Island, is beyond me; but we did. Amber’s first time driving on the left side of the road (she took it right out of the gate at the car rental agency, eager to give it a shot) and my re-adjusting, made up for part of the time and the rest of the time, I can honestly say was due to missed signs or poorly marked road direction changes. Signs in New Zealand are scarce. There is one in each town giving the highway number and the kilometers to the next town (Australia and NZ use kilometers vs. miles). That’s it. It’s rare there is even a sign on the road that details what road you are on. But I always like to see the brightside of things and our hiccups in the road (literally) ended up leaving us driving into the most beautiful sunset as we arrived into Lake Tekapo. It was definitely our first sign of many more beautiful things to come.


Lake Tekapo ended up being a quaint little town. We got to the backpackers (Note - Hostels are referred to as backpackers in Australia and NZ, which isn’t necessarily grammatically correct, but with the bad rap “hostel” gets, I prefer using “backpackers” over “hostel” these days as well) pretty late and there wasn’t much happening in this little town. We decided to finalize our plans for the week and get a good night’s rest for our busy day on Monday. We woke up the following morning and went on a nice run along the lake. We found a cute little park with a teeter tauter and thought “why the heck not”? We were giggling like little school girls – so fun! After our run, we went to Alpine Swim & Spa for a relaxing dip in the hot pools. The weather couldn’t have been more perfect and the pools overlooked the beautiful lake. After the pools, we got on the road to Queenstown, with a quick stop in Twizel for lunch.

Second Stop (2 nights) – Queenstown
Queenstown was originally named because it was fit for a Queen (Queen Victoria), which is a little bit of a contrast to now, as it’s considered the action capital of the world. From bungy jumping to jet boating, 4WD adventures, hiking, and skydiving; they have just about everything. Amber and I preferred to lay low in Queenstown. In addition to it being an outdoor playground, it is the coziest little town and probably my second favorite after Bondi Beach in Australia. Queenstown’s city centre sits right on the lake. It’s cobble stone streets are filled with shops, cafes, and bars. We stayed in a nice little apartment that sat on the lake just up the road from the city center. The first night we had a ton of fun on a mini bar crawl throughout town. Amber decided to go missing for a little while and as I went to go find her, she popped up behind me. She had a smile from ear to ear. She had found Ferg Burger – which are world renowned in New Zealand. Once again we found ourselves laughing and eating and stumbling our way back home – well actually we took a cab, which we were not allowed to get into until we put the Ferg Burger away. Was the cleanest cab I’ve ever seen in my life. Lol!


The following morning we went for a nice long run along the lake and through the beautiful botanic gardens. We had a nice brunch at Joe’s Garage and did a little bit of shopping. We got ready and headed out to the wineries near Queenstown with a quick stop to watch some of the bungy jumpers at the first spot it was started. OMG! Those people are nuts. Amber and I were ready to skydive, but both of us agreed we could not bungy jump. The jumpers were terrified. As they plunged off the bridge, they were dunked into the river below them. Watching was terrifying enough for us. Next stop, Gibston Valley winery/cheesery, which was AMAZING! One of my favorite things in the world is to sit and relax with a glass of wine and nibble (or gorge in this instance) on different types of cheeses, nuts, breads, fruit and spreads. The sun was shining and the atmosphere couldn’t have been more perfect. Unfortunately due to export taxes, it’s extremely expensive to send wine home to the states, so we figured we would by a couple bottles and find a BYOB. That night we headed to town to an Indian restaurant where we enjoyed our bottle of Pinot Gris.


Third Stop (1 night) – Milford Sound
Once again, we got up early to drive several hours to get to the Milford Sound (A sound is a fjord – a long inlet with steep sides in a valley, created by glacial activity). There is one road in and one road out to get there, so we had to do the drive twice, but at least the drive wasn’t boring. Winding roads, waterfall after waterfall, and snow capped mountains. As we got closer to the sound, it got cooler and rainier. Many say the sound is actually much better to see when it’s raining because you see more waterfalls (hundreds). The cruise was nice, but a but underwhelming. This is supposed to be one of the top things to do in NZ, so we can’t quite figure out why were weren’t impressed. Maybe b/c it was raining and foggy and it was difficult to get a good picture of what the sound should look like? The people on our boat weren’t the most exciting either. We did a little kayaking (my first time), drank wine and played some scramble. We definitely agreed that a day trip to the sound would have sufficed.


Fourth Stop (1 night) – Wanaka (Won-a-ka)
The only plans we had for Wanaka were to skydive, but unfortunately, the weather was cloudy with a chance of rain, so they wouldn’t take us up. We were bummed. There really wasn’t much for us to do in Wanaka, so we decided to get on the road to the glaciers a little bit early in hopes to find a place to skydive when we got there.


Franz Joseph Glacier/Fox Glacier (1 night)
Franz Joseph was a town with 1 street of options for leisure. Amber and I found a cozy bar with outdoor heat lamps and finally some good food. Healthy food was quite hard to come by in NZ. All we craved were vegetables and salads, which we finally found here. We had a nice dinner and decided to turn in early for our big day. The following day we woke up early and went on a hike to the Frank Joseph Glacier. At 12km long, it is one of the fastest moving glaciers in the world. We got to put on spikes and climb pretty far to the top. It was an amazing experience. Our guide used his ice pick to pick away a trail for us as we climbed. There were some little coves that were cut out that we could walk through and get pictures taken. The ice in these spots were the most beautiful blue color. It was definitely a very unique experience.


After the hike, we headed to Fox Glacier to skydive. The weirdest thing was that we weren’t the least bit nervous, just excited that we were finally going to do it, as we both had this as our top priority for NZ. We pulled up and the skydive site was hilarious. Just a few little shack houses and trailers. Looked a bit sketchy to us… But the people were really great. Amber and I had to dive tandem (instructor strapped on our backs) b/c it was our first time, but we were able to fly up together. The pilot literally fit Amber and her tanduem, me and my tandem (all sitting on the floor of the plane) and our pilot. Tight squeeze! The views from the plane were amazing. You could see the glaciers, snow capped mountains. We were only at 3,000 feet and it felt so incredibly high, yet we had another 9,000 to go. We paid for 12,000 feet, but the pilot actually took us to 13,000. When they opened the door, is about the only time I got nervous for a slight second. Hanging out the plane looking out, all I could think was “Am I crazy?”. But it was absolutely the most unreal experience. The freefall was probably 50 seconds to 1 minute. The view over the water and glaciers and mountains were beautiful. Once we pulled the parachute, my tandum let me take out my camera. He got up real close to Amber and her tandem (parachutes almost touching) so we could say hi and take pics of one another. It was probably one of the coolest things I have ever done and can’t wait to do it again (although not sure anything can be as spectacular as skydiving over glaciers in NZ)….


Greymouth (1 night)
That night we drove to Greymouth just to stop and sleep for the night so we didn’t have to drive the full 7 hours to Nelson the next day. Pretty uneventful in Greymouth.


Nelson (1 night)
Nelson was a nice little town. Our main objective was to go to some of the wineries. We hit a few (none that were as exciting as in Queenstown) and headed back to our backpackers. We stayed in a tepee that night which as so fun. There were too mattresses on the floor. We told some ghost stories, made some shadow puppets on the wall and fell asleep to the forest ambiance music on my iphone.

Kaikoura
On our drive from Nelson to Christchurch, we stopped n Kaikoura which is known for whale watching and swimmnig with the dolphins.  Amber and I chose to swim with the dolphins.  As many of you know, groing up I was sort of a freak about the ocean, dolpins, and fish.  Being a swimmer myself, I just loved the water.  But still 31 years later, I had never swam with a dolphins (just fed and pet them at Sea World).  This was my chance.  We took a tour with about 20 people to a few different spots.  The dolphins came out of nowhere.  Hundreds and hundreds of them swimmnig along the boat, jumping out of the water, doing flips in the air.  It was like nothing I've ever seen before.  They dumped us off right in the middle of the ocean and we swam around, making the most ridiculous singing noises to get their attention.  If I could make eye contact with them underwater and swim around in circles, they would swim around and around me until they wore me out.  They were everywhere, just eager to play and tease us.  Definitely a highlight of my trip.


Christchurch (2 nights)
The last 2 nights we spend in Christchuch. We were ready to just chill out since we had been on the go every day. Just excited to be in one spot for more than 1 night. I was under the weather with a bad cold, which was not fun. I found a Dr. in Christchurch (as I wanted to be sure I didn’t have anything crazy before heading to Asia). The Dr. in Christchurch was amusing. I won’t go into details. But basically I was in and out of there in about 10 mins. I just decided to relax. We had a nice dinner at Winnibegoes Pizza one night which was tasty and I got to Skype with my family finally!!


Next Stop. Thailand!!

The Summary of Sarah

Highlights of Australia:

• Meeting and learning a ton from Ruth in Melbourne and having dinner at her family vineyard.
• Scuba Diving in Cairns and meeting my friend, Sayaka.
• Sailing the Whitsunday Islands and Whitehaven Beach, and making new friends from England and   S. Korea.
• Getting to hold a Koala at the Australian Zoo.
• Finally meeting up with Amber in Sydney.
• Bondi Beach, which is also at the top of my list so far on where to move. Cute beach town, tons to do in surrounding areas, 40 minute bus to Sydney, and the best mall ever! Enough said. ;)

Observations I made in Australia:

• Things move much sloooower in Australia which can sometimes be a good thing and sometimes not so much.
• There are few stop signs and people stop for nothing.
• No one really honks their horns, and it’s actually quite nice and peaceful.
• They don’t really use napkins anywhere and I have yet to figure out where people are wiping their hands.
• With regards to the above, I’m assuming it is b/c everyone in Australia is much more environmentally friendly. They have half flushes (you do the math) and recycling everywhere. It’s really nice to see.
• Shoes and Shirts are optional pretty much everywhere in Australia, including in restaurants, convenience stores, and even kids running across busy intersections.
• Dogs (or children for that matter) are not required to be on a leash, or at least most people could care less that their children are running around like wild animals and stepping on toes or their dogs might bite someone or get hit by a car. I think it may be due to the laid back, peaceful attitude everyone has here.
• The jury is still out whether I think Australians are some of the nicest people in the world – especially in Sydney. We got a lot of blank stares and smart ass replies when we weren’t using “proper” terms. (Nonfat is skim, Garbage is Rubbish, Restroom is Toilet). I have yet to get comfortable saying the word Toilet and only use it when I absolutely have to (basically after I’ve attempted 2 or 3 times to say restroom or bathroom).

Things I’ve learned or am learning along the way:

• I could definitely get used to living a simpler life. Don’t get me wrong, I still need a lot of “stuff”, but it’s so funny how I have no desire to get dressed up, put on heals, etc.
• I’m slowly learning a system for all the stuff I’m schlepping. I’m getting to be a better packer and not having to dig through every pocket of every bag every time I need something.
• Hostels are way easier to stay in than I thought. Shared rooms, mixed rooms, rooms w/o my own private bathroom. Nothing fazes me now.
• I'm still learning to walk on the left side of the sidewalk.  Hard habit to break!
• I’ve learned that we Americans are not envied as much as we think we are. There is a lot of disrespect for our government and especially George W. Bush and they think we are all hillbillies or at least sound like hillbillies.
• What I heard was confirmed. When I asked what comes to mind when you think of “American Girls”, I pretty much received the same answer every time. Spring Break and Cancun. Lovely to know that having fun for one week when we are seniors in college pretty much defines us. Oh, and I’m sure those Girls Gone Wild videos don’t help us either. We have got to get it together, ladies!!
• I’m a lot messier than I thought. When I have the opportunity to spread my things out, I do.
• I sort of wish I didn’t have so much on my agenda or that I was staying put in one place for a longer period of time. I’m sort of tired of picking up and moving every day or two. I’m looking forward to S. Africa, where I will be for a solid month.

Terms used*:
• "How you going?" = How are you doing?

• "No worries" = You're welcome.
• "Cheers" = Thanks!
• "What are you after?" = What are you looking for?
• "Pub" = Bar ; "Pint" = Beer ; "Rubbish" = Garbage ; "Toilet" = Bathroom ; "Mate" = Friend
*I could go on and on for days...

Sarah's items that are now Australian property:
• Camera – Slipped off the boat on my sailing trip and is now somewhere at the bottom of the ocean in the Whitsunday Islands
• One sock – Must have lost it when I did laundry at Ruth’s
• A pair of pajamas – I’m thinking I left these at my hostel in Brisbane when I got up extremely early to catch my flight
• Makeup bag – After multiple intercontinental flights and barely getting checked at security, it completely slipped my mind to take out my liquids on my flight from Sydney to NZ. I was frantically doing it in the security line and am pretty sure I left it in one of those darn gray bins.

I cannot believe a month in Australia went by so quickly. I was so sad to leave, but Amber and I have a day and a half in Melbourne after NZ, before we head to Thailand, so it will be great to have one last hurrah in Oz. Plus, there is so still so much to see and do in Australia, I just know I will be back. For a country with only 20mm people, it still is the size of the US. I thought a month would be plenty, but I met so many travelers who were there for months and still hadn’t seen it all. So much to see, so little time…

The Sydney of Sarah

Finally, the day came when Amber arrived - a partner in crime! What would we get ourselves into over the next 4.5 weeks?? The weather in Sydney was supposed to be the nicest of all. Reminder – it was wet season in Queensland, but somehow I ended up with the most beautiful weather while I was there. Sydney was supposed to be warm, sunny, dry rather than humid; but when Amber and I arrived, it was chilly and gloomy – not exactly a great way to start our trip, as we quickly realized that both of us get a bit crabby when the sun isn’t shining. Thankfully we were staying in a swank little hotel the first couple of nights, so that in itself was something that put me in a good mood. After a few weeks in hostels and sailboats, I could finally get a great shower and a sleep in a nice comfy bed. I also loved the fact I could finally spread my stuff out, not have to dig through a suitcase, or lock up my valuables. Regardless of the weather, Amber and I quickly went out to explore. We visited Darling Harbour, tried to come up with a plan for the next week in Sydney, and had a few drinks. After that, we were both pretty beat.

Day 2 was still a bit gloomy. We woke up bright and early and took a nice run to/around the iconic Sydney Opera House. As we approached the Opera House, there was a camera crew filming a butt naked man sitting on the steps. What did we miss? Come to find out, Spencer Tunick (American photographer), had 5,200 volunteers pose in front of the Opera House for his nude art installation. We were 20 minutes late. Go figure. The story made news around the world. How much fun would it have been to get some of our first photos in Sydney of this exciting moment? Amber and I made our way inside the opera house to see if we could get tickets to a show later that week, and as we entered, all those naked people (who had gone inside to take more photos) came running down the stairs to gather their belongings and put their clothes back on. No tickets required for that one... Later that day we went to the MCA (Museum of Contemporary Art) and strolled around, followed by dinner at a cute little place in The Rocks area. We then made our way to a few pubs before heading out to Scubar (a backpacker bar which has Monday night crab racing). Unfortunately, my little guy didn’t win, but it only cost me $1 and it was so much fun! We finally made our way out of Scubar at the wee hours of the morning and found ourselves roaming the street for late night food – a habit we formed on night one. Not good!

Days 3-5 we moved to Bondi Beach in hopes of nicer weather. Our luck started to turn around and we finally got a few beautiful sunny days. We were all smiles. Amber experienced her first few nights in a hostel – which she described as like living in the dorms in college, but happy to say she quickly adjusted. I told her if I could do it, anyone could. :-D We had a great time relaxing at the beach (which was absolutely breathtaking – clear blue water, white sand, surfers catching waves), being silly taking pictures of our yoga poses, shopped a little (a great mall within walking distance), got a ton of exercise running along the ocean, and getting burnt to a crisp (oops). Bondi quickly became a place I told Amber I could definitely see myself living… On night 4 we saw a Cabaret show at the Opera House. Her name was Meow Meow and she was fabulous, sassy, crude, and hysterical. We couldn’t have been happier with the show we picked. On night 5 we were easily suckered into buying booze cruise tickets by a girl on the beach. We reluctantly went, and man was it a scene from Spring Break. We were definitely the oldest ones there by far. We ended up meeting a nice boy from France who kindly walked us to the bus after and offered to make us dinner at his hostel the next day. We were going to have to think about taking him up on his offer…

Day 6 we moved to The Rocks area, which is the oldest part of Sydney, filled with cobble street roads, old buildings and alleyways. Our hostel was brand new and even better than some hotels we’ve stayed at. It had a great rooftop with amazing views of the Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge. There was even a live webcam that Amber was able to stand in front of and wave hi to her boyfriend back in Chicago where he could see the bridge and opera house right behind her. I did the Sydney Harbour Bridge climb and climbed to the summit where I could see views of the city and suburbs for miles. Spectacular! That night we went back and forth on where to eat and ended up at The Pony. We had a swank little candlelight table on the outside porch. We shared a few yummy dishes (again, something we quickly discovered we both love –sharing) and ordered a bottle of Rose, my favorite.

Day 7 was our last day in Sydney. We didn’t want to leave! The beginning of our stay started out a little gloomy, but by week’s end we realized 7 days just wasn’t enough. There were so many things to see and do in Sydney and we barely skimmed the surface. On our last day we took the ferry boat through the beautiful Sydney Harbour to Manly Beach. It was another gorgeous day in a cute little beach town. We found a great little Mexican restaurant along the beach – we couldn’t pass up fajitas & margaritas. That night we got all dolled up for our last night out on the town. After a couple of glasses of wine, we realized we were tired and would much rather be hanging out somewhere in flip flops. The laid back life of a traveler will do that to you…

The Sunshine Coast of Sarah

The Sunshine Coast


After my exciting 3 days in the Whitsunday Islands, I left Airlie Beach on Thursday morning to head to Brisbane (or Bris-Vegas, as some call it). I was scheduled to go out to the burbs where Sayaka, who I met in Cairns, was staying with her host family (when she was in college in Tokyo, she came to Brisbane to study English). After missing the bus to the ferry to the plane in Airlie Beach on Wednesday, transportation in Brisbane didn’t get much better – missed train stop, couldn’t find the bus stop. Ugh! I eventually made it about an hour and a half late. I guess I have to expect having days like those once in awhile… Sayaka made the most wonderful Japanese meal, including miso soup, and sushi rolls. I learned “Kanpai” (pronounced Con-Pie) means “Cheers!” in Japanese. Her host family (originally from Malaysia) were so open to my visit. Once again, here I was being taken in and fed a wonderful meal in a complete stranger’s house on the other side of the world. It was so nice to have another family gathering and home cooked meal after a week of nonstop traveling.

The next morning I got up early and took the train to The Australia Zoo (Steve Irwin’s Zoo). It ended up being a beautiful day. The zoo was really well kept. There were birds, lizards, and even kangaroos wondering about freely throughout the zoo. I couldn’t believe it. I ended up missing the 10am koala photo session (which was pretty much the main reason I went to the zoo –the state of Queensland, Australia is the only place which allows holding a koala). It required me to stay a few extra hours than expected, which was not really what I had planned, as a few hours at the zoo alone is more than enough time; but I ended up seeing every square inch of that zoo.  From tigers to cheetahs, wombats to tasmanian devils (their names are quite perfect – the little bugger would hardly let me get a picture of him). I fed elephants and kangaroos (they hopped right up and ate out of my hand). I watched the sleepy koalas (they sleep 18-20 hours a day b/c their diet only includes eucalyptus, which doesn’t provide a ton of energy) and was even able to pet them while they were hanging out in the trees. I made sure I was an hour early to the 2pm koala photo session. There was no way I was missing this one. The koala was so soft and cuddly – just as I imagined it would be. I could tell he had done this a few times – just like a professional, he wrapped his arms around me and posed for the camera. He was so cute and definitely worth waiting for. That night I met Sayaka in Southbank for the night markets. Southbank was such a cute part of Brisbane – lots of shops, cafes. I wished I had longer in Brisbane, as I would have loved to see it during the day.

The following morning Sayaka and I rented a car and headed to Noosa in the sunshine coast (north of Brisbane). Because she requires an international drivers license, it was up to me to drive us there and back. OMG! First time driving on the right side of the car on the left side of the road was not easy. Everything is backwards – the seatbelt, the blinkers, the windshield wipers. Not to mention it was pouring rain for the majority of the trip. Thankfully Sayaka is used to driving on the left side of the road, so she kindly helped direct me. I scared her a bit by hugging the left side and running off the road a few times (oops), but we made it to Noosa in one piece. Noosa was a cute, trendy, posh surfing town. Unfortunately, it was raining, so we only got a chance to go out to the beach for about 30 mins. The rest of the day, we toured the shops and had a nice lunch. We didn’t get to hike the Noosa National Park either, which was a bummer. We decided to get back on the road back to Brisbane, where we stopped in Montville and hiked to some waterfalls. Sayaka and I were a muddy mess by the time we made it back to the car, so we got a kick out of washing up in the little sink outside the bathroom. Two girly girls, there was no way we were getting in that car wet and muddy to sit for a few hours’ drive. :) Thankfully I got us back to Brisbane safely. I dropped Sayaka off at her host family’s house. Minnie (Sayaka’s host mother) re-heat the evening’s meal (skewers with peanut sauce and rice) and my belly was happily fed once again.

I was sad I didn’t get to see more of the Sunshine Coast and the day spent in Noosa wasn’t all that sunny; but it was a wonderful few days of memories, especially those made with my new friend, Sayaka. She wrote down a few Japanese words for me (in English and in Japanese).  The characters are so beautiful and I knew I could never re-write them as she did, so I taped that little piece of paper right in my journal, where it will always be safe.  I was so sad to leave her, as I don’t know when I will get to see her again. She kindly offered her apartment in Tokyo if I ever want to visit. Japan might just be another stop on this journey. At this rate, I may never make it back to Chicago…

The Sailing of Sarah

Warning! This is a long one, as it’s probably one of the highlights of my trip thus far.

I took an 11 hour overnight bus from Cairns to Airlie Beach, which I booked 2 days before (I’m totally learning to go with the flow). Airlie Beach is a cute little hippy town and one of the gateways to the Whitsunday Islands. I checked into the Airlie Beach YHA hostel (which was awful and not nearly as nice as the previous YHA hostel in Cairns). All I knew is that I needed to get out of there – one night would be all I could take. I had plans to do a sailing trip, but thought I could only handle a 2 day/1 night trip (thinking about being on a small sailboat out in the middle of the ocean with 14 people for 1 night was enough for me). Unfortunately, because I had decided to “go with the flow” and book the trip the day before I wanted to leave, there was almost nothing available. The last boat I tried was the Silent Night. It was a 2 day/2 night trip. Could I handle it? I didn’t really have a choice and it was what I came to Airlie to do. I booked it.

The following day I ran some errands in the morning and mailed out a package to home with some souvenirs and some clothes I was sick of schlepping around. I later came to find out after talking to fellow travelers that this is actually pretty normal. I’m not nuts after all…Nearly everyone I have talked to has shipped a package home with things they really didn’t need. As I was on the bus back into town, I noticed a guy that looked quite familiar. My friend, Lindsay, has some friends in Australia. She loves it here and has shared so many great stories. She told me to look up her two friends on Facebook and ended up putting me in touch with one of them. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out that he would be in the same areas at the time I was traveling...bummer. The guy on the bus, looked like Lindsay’s other friend, who I was not in touch with but who I had seen pictures of on Lindsay’s Facebook. Could it be possible? No way. Halfway around the world, on a random bus?? I did a double take, a triple take, and then figured – what do I have to lose? I walked up to him as I was getting off the bus and asked him if his name was Grant. He looked at me like a crazy person, as he obviously didn’t know who I was, and he said “yes”. What are the chances? He had been working on one of the Whitsunday Islands and came into town to do a little shopping. It truly is a small world!

Back to the boat…

The crew included the solo American (yours truly), 2 girls and 3 guys from S. Korea, a lovely couple from England, 3 guys from England, the skipper, and the deck hand. The first few hours were a bit awkward, but after a lovely evening sail, a snorkel, some drinks in the confined space of a tent (we had to take cover, as it rained the first night) and sleeping in an open corridor, by morning we were BFFs. 

We shared stories of our travels (everyone was on a similar trip and path as me), we experienced the absolutely beautiful breathtaking views of the Whitsunday Islands (74 islands of breathtaking scenery and the most crystal clear blue water I have ever seen), we relaxed at the most beautiful beach in the world (Whitehaven beach – Uninhabited 7km of pure white silica sand and crystal blue water, where we saw sting rays and baby tiger sharks), at night we were mesmerized by the lightning fish that Claire called the “Stars of the Sea”, we were lucky enough to catch some dolphins swimming alongside the boat, we made up silly sayings, we learned what life was like growing up in S. Korea, the English and I made fun of each other for the different words we used for things (they call suspenders “braces” and garter belts “suspenders”), Claire trying to teach me to how to perfect my English accent “The rain from Spain falls mainly on the plain”, they all got a kick out of pulling my leg and telling me that they called dancing “boogieing” and that dancing in England meant the strip tease type dancing. It wasn’t until the next day that Claire had to come clean because she couldn’t see me suffer any longer. Hilarious!

Sitting on the beach, looking out into the ocean, all I could think about was how lucky we were. Who were we? 11 strangers from completely different backgrounds, yet we were fortunate enough to be sitting there, enjoying life, experiencing this together. Our passion for travel, and living life to the fullest allowed us to bond and create so many great memories together. 2 days/2 nights together and it was like a new little family.

As we headed back to the harbor, I knew I was booked to catch a bus to a ferry to a flight to Brisbane (this is where too much planning in advance can hurt you). I didn’t want to go. I went back and forth trying to decide if I should just stay, change all my arrangements, have another fun night with my new friends. It wouldn’t be the first time I stayed an extra day somewhere at the last minute… What was a couple hundred dollars when it meant an experience of a lifetime and memories that would last forever? I decided I shouldn’t do it. I didn’t feel like dealing with running around like crazy when I got back to shore trying to change everything (we were scheduled to get to port at 11am and I had an 11:45 bus to catch) and plus, I had just lost my little camera the night before (Yes, I lost another camera…It slipped of the boat the night, but thankfully only had a days worth of pictures on it). The decision was made. I was going to Brisbane. But we ended up getting back to port late. Claire and Gary were kind enough to drive me to my hostel to pic up my luggage. I had 10 mins to spare. Pressure was on. I went to get the key to luggage storage and it was missing. Someone had gotten their luggage and didn’t return the key. I was sweating bullets. I ended up missing my bus. How ironic, right? Yes, I probably could have just paid $30 to take a taxi to the ferry, but all I could think was, “this is what I wanted” – to stay. Thankfully the ferry company let me switch my pickup to the next day at no charge and I called the hostel in Brisbane to tell them I wouldn’t be arriving that night and come to find out I never booked my stay in the first place. Ha! The only thing it cost me was a $58 flight change for the next day. Perfect. I booked a room at the hostel down the road and met up with my friends. James, Sam, and Dave were staying until Friday anyway and Gary and Claire and decided to stay an extra night in Airlie as well. We had so much fun. Sharing pictures, drinking, taking pictures, dancing, playing Keno (my first time – only lost $10).

I have so many memories from those 3 days. I have more new friends around the world. And I knew there was a reason I didn’t book the Europe part of my trip. I may just be swinging by London in May. I’ve heard it’s changed a lot since I was there 10 years ago… ;)

Sail away, sail away, sail away…

 
 

The Sanctuary of Sarah

My second day in Cairns was rainforest day. I had two options – Cape Tribulation or Kuranda. I chose Kuranda because it had a Butterfly Sanctuary. I have a very special place in my heart for butterflies. Not because I made the stupid mistake of getting a butterfly tattoo when I was 21 (which at the time, had no meaning whatsoever, besides the fact I thought it was “cute”), but b/c my best friend, Bianca, loved them. Bianca was a very spiritual person. When we were in high school, one of our favorite things to do when she “got the car” was go to a store called Sanctuary Crystals. It had all sorts of jewelry, candles, incense, books on tarot card reading, etc. We just loved to go and see what we could find next and spend our money on.


Years later, after we had lost a few loved ones, we were sitting by her pool and we saw a butterfly and she told me that when you see a butterfly, it signifies that your lost loved ones are nearby, watching over you. Bianca and I would share stories about seeing butterflies. Ever since that day, every time I see a butterfly, I smile. I think of that day she told me the meaning and I think about the stories we shared and how happy it made us.

Bianca passed away on August 2, 2009. To this day, I’m still numb about it. To lose a best friend...a piece of my heart is now missing. The one thing I know is that Bianca was a huge supporter of me taking this trip. Every time I saw her she would ask new questions about my plans and encourage me to go through with it. Like me, she wasn’t fearful, or nervous. She knew it would be the experience of a lifetime and that it was something I needed to do. Going to the butterfly sanctuary was a tribute to Bea. The moment I walked in, it took my breath away. The butterflies were everywhere, flying over my head and skimming past my nose. There were all kinds - big, small, red, yellow, blue, purple, polka dotted. It was amazing. They made me smile and gave me comfort of knowing that Bianca is with me every step of the way…