The End?

Hi guys! Looks like this will be my last post for this blog! Instead of leaving on a sad note and reminiscing about all the fun I had and how much I wish I was still in the Land Down Under, I'll leave you with my top ten favourite things that I did on my exchange. Because that was the point of this blog anyway, to share our travel experiences and let the whole world know how amazing our trip was. So here you go, the top ten favourite parts of my trip (in some sort of order)!

10. Canberra Views
Known for its intricate planning, Canberra is a city best viewed from above. Standing at the lookout on top of Mount Ainslie, or at the National Arboretum, showed me a side of Canberra I’d only seen on postcards.

Canberra from Mt. Ainslie

Top of the Arboretum

Great find at the Market

9. Exploring Sydney

Of course seeing the Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge was cool, but Sydney had so many other things to offer, whether it be a trip to the bustling Paddy’s Market, or a relaxing day at Manly Beach, there was always something to do or see in this city.

8. Learning to Surf

Surf Lessons Put to Use

Who doesn’t want to learn how to surf?? It’s one of those things that you always dream of doing and to actually have been able to spend a weekend with professionals learning tricks of the trade was a dream come true. Even just renting a board for the day at the beach was always a blast.

7. Driving the Great Ocean Road

Great friends, gorgeous scenery, sunny day…these all made the Great Ocean Road one of my favourite trips.

So much Driving!

Pit Stop at Gibson Steps

Whatta view

6. Trekking Through Rainforests in the Gold Coast

A spur of the moment decision turned out to be an awesome adventure in the Gold Coast when we explored a series of rain forests for a day.

5. The Outback

Amelia, Lisa, me and Uluru

My first trip to the outback to see Ayers Rock was unforgettable, thanks to a couple of great girls, Amelia and Lisa :)

4. Wandering Around Melbourne

Graffiti, Ferris wheels, coffee shops, and modern art made Melbourne my favourite Australian city. I could explore the streets and people watch all day long…or enjoy the sea breeze at St. Kilda.

Not Sure What it was, but I Liked it

St. Kilda Pier

3. Snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef

Definitely a MUST DO for anyone who visits Australia. Spending the entire day on the water, swimming with the fishies and the turtles was probably the coolest way to explore the underwater world.

Just Enjoying the Sunshine

Trip to the Reef

2. Fiji Island Stay

The islands in Fiji were just so picturesque I had a hard time actually believing I was even there, but I’ve got the pictures to prove it!

View From our Rooms

Paradise

1. Watching the Sunrise in Bali

Never did I imagine myself going to Bali, but when the opportunity came up, I couldn’t say no. Every moment was so special there, especially when you just sat on the beach and enjoyed the sunrise, wondering what was in store for the day.

Well that's all folks, I hope to those of you who followed this blog that you enjoyed reading it or at least looking at the pictures! Maybe we'll add to it on our next trip...in a few years at least haha.

Love,

Laura

Bali Post.

Bali (June 8-22)

I admit, I watched Eat, Pray, Love. But it was only when I heard that it involved Bali and I wanted to see what to expect. After watching it, I could not WAIT to be there myself and see the beaches, temples, and rice terraces that identify Bali. I was definitely not let down.

Fourteen Days in Bali was definitely the right way to finish up my overseas adventure. It was too easy to lose track of time and I found myself constantly forgetting what day of the week it was, but documenting daily events helped keep my head somewhat straight. Here are the highlights of those two weeks:

Ubud Terrace - My first accommodation

Day 1: Arrive in Bali at 10pm and meet Dave in the crowds of taxi drivers and tourists. We head off to Ubud, where he was staying ($10 a night for a nice place) and I find some snacks in the convenience store….beer, unknown crunchy sweet things, and water for about $2! I felt myself getting stingier already!

The story of Luwak coffee

Day 2: Venture to the monkey forest with Alex & Marina then went on a coffee tasting tour and sipped delicious coffee (including Luwak which you can read all about in this photo), and tasted exotic snakeskin fruit, mangosteen, and durian fruit (not recommended).

Shopping at the market

Day 3: My first bartering experience at the bustling Ubud Market and then we headed out to Padangbai for a night before we hopped on the ferry to the Gili Islands.

Day 4: Took the fast boat (for an entire nauseating hour) from Padangbai to the Gili Islands where we ran into some fellow Canadians (Tara and Jay) from Brantford!

Dave in Gili T. 

Day 5-6: Spend three days on Gili Trawangan Island (aka Gili T), where horse and buggy was the main method of transportation and cats roamed the streets. Dave and Alex spent some time diving while Marina and I snorkeled in this island paradise.

Alex and Marina capturing the island sunset

Tulamben dive site

Day 7-8: Time to say goodbye to Gili T and continue on our Balian adventure! Today we took the boat back to Padangbai and ventured off to Tulamben, where we spent the night in the small dive town, famous for its sunken US Navy ship right off shore. Dave dove and the rest of us snorkeled, amazed at the massive schools of fearless fish that swam right next to us and the shipwreck resting peacefully on the ocean floor.

The Statue

Day 9-11: Next stop, Lovina, where the dolphins are so famous they have their own statue! Again, a smaller beach town that offered us a relaxing stay and an evening of dinner with Balinese dancing, before we caught our 2am ride to Mount Batur.

Sunrise

Day 12: Alex, Marina and I began our day with a 2 hour hike up Mount Batur in the light of the moon and reached the summit by 5:45am so we could witness the breathtaking sunrise. After stumbling down the mountain, we were on our way to Balian Beach! This gorgeous beach was so unique with sparkling black sand and friendly K9’s that roamed free. The perfect spot for tanning and watching the Aussie surfers tackle the monster waves.

Balian Beach Bums

Day 13: We had to go to Jimbaran, where our Lonely Planet claimed the best seafood was served. And we were not disappointed, with dozens of restaurants literally on the beach and endless supply of fresh seafood.

Dave at Ulu Watu Beach

Padang Padang Beach

Day 14: Our final days were spent at Padang Padang beach/Ulu Watu, where we basked in the sun and explored the temple, Pura Uluwatu, where I realized my fear for monkeys…

Monkey Sunset

Unfortunately, our trip came to an end and Dave and I headed back to Sydney for my final week in Australia. :(

Bradley is (was) Here!

Hello friends,

Yes, it has been forever.. and by forever I mean a REALLY long time since my last post, but life has been very hectic since we last spoke. I've been saving these posts in a teeny tiny little notebook so I wouldn't forget any details to share with you all!

So, the date is March 16th (March 15th in Canada) and I am on my way in a Murrays bus to Sydney where I will FINALLY see Bradley for the first time ever in AUSTRALIA :D. Since his flight was scheduled to fly in at 930am and I couldn't get a bus to bring me from Canberra to Sydney that early in the morning, I chose to arrive the night before and sleep in the airport. Little did I know that you are NOT allowed to do that..so here I am at 10:00pm scrambling to figure out where I can sleep for the cheapest amount of money. The answer? I had to find my way by bus, then train, then monorail (IN THE DARK) from the Sydney International Airport to the City Centre and eventually to Maze Backpackers Hostel where I definitely did NOT get any sleep! While that night seemed to last forever, I eagerly awaited for 6am where I hopped on a shuttle bus back to the airport. Although it was far too early to be there, I was so over the loud hostel with a large spider potential!!!!!!! If most of you already don't know, I am terrified of spiders.. so I always associated places with the potential for scary/deadly spiders. To save you time reading, and me typing ill skip my story ahead... Bradley is here and I am HAPPY!!! woo.

We spent our first two days in Sydney where we stayed at the Ibis Hotel in Darling Harbor

Us in Darling Harbor, Day 1 in AUSTRALIA for Bradley :D

.. which is also where Laura and I stayed while visiting Sydney before. It is so beautiful with its lively and energetic atmosphere, flashing lights and uniquely arranged waterfront landscape.

Feeling like a tourguide, I showed Brad around the city where we explored the downtown streets of Sydney, Chinatown, Paddys Markets, Manly, the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Opera House, etc etc etc. The most amusing thing for Brad were the birds, which we all know I clearly loved while we were there. Every time we saw the Ibis' walking around we would coax them toward us with chips, sandwiches and whatever else we had to eat that day. My Favourite part of taking Sydney by storm with Bradley was parasailing!!


Parasailing in the Sydney Harbour

 Not only was it amazingly fun, but it gave me a new perspective on the Sydney landscape and opened my eyes to how huge the city really was.

Sydney was absolutely amazing, mostly because I hadn't seen Brad for a month and a half, and it was where we first conquered Australia. However our travels did not end there! After our Sydney weekend, we hopped on a Murrays bus back to Canberra where we spent the next few days touring around Canberra where I showed him where we shopped, ate, went to class, hunted for roos etc. It was fun seeing Canberra from a different perspective since being there for so long already made me take the landscapes for granted.



dave, me, brad, laura, marina!



After catching up with all the fellow LA's, we decided to take a road trip to the world's whitest sand beach.. Hyams Beach in Jervis Bay. It was me, Brad, Marina, Dave and Laura.. Alex was m i a because he was stuck working for the day. The drive was long, extremely muddy and filled with potholes in dirt roads, but we finally got there and it was an amazing day! The sand was white, the waves were scary big and the weather was sunny and beautiful!

Surf camp was next on the list for our travel excurisions, but we already blogged about that one.



The Powerhouse Corolla!



The last few weeks of Bradley's visit were spent on road trips with just the two of us and it was amazing! The rest of the Canadian crew was in Fiji so we decided to journey to Melbourne... a 7-8 hour drive in which I really tried to stay away but failed. Our handy dandy rental car was amazing, and got us around with amazing fuel milage and lots of power :) Our road trip started in Canberra, then to Melbourne, then to Phillip Island, back to Melbourne and up the Great Ocean Road to the Twelve Apostles! Our original plan was to take the Great Ocean Road straight to Adelaide where we would meet up with Emily and Alison, but those plans were cut short due to the extreme power of the Corolla, and a 239$ speeding ticket we got.. by accident!

grassy blocks in Melbourne!

12 Apostles!

In case you weren't aware.. they ensure you know!

Views On Philip Island

Philip Island Koala Reserve!

The last few days spent with Brad in Aussie were in Canberra before we left for Sydney again two days before his flight was scheduled to leave. The trip was amazing overall. Having the experience to travel in Australia together was something I will never forget, and I can't wait to go back and see all the things we didn't get to the first time. Watch out Australia, round 2 of Mandy & Bradley take Australia is coming soon!

The Outback

Alice Springs (June 3-6)

There’s not much in Alice Springs. When we first flew in, the view from the plane was unlike anything I've seen before. I could literally point out one road and all the rest was outback desert. This small town in the middle of the country attracts tourists for the sole purpose of seeing the famous Uluru (Ayers Rock…the one that was on Oprah). And that is exactly why Amelia, Lisa and I were also there. Although, Uluru isn’t exactly in Alice Springs…it’s about a four hour drive away and our plan was to rent a car and drive out the next day to spend the night near the landmark. Unfortunately, when we got there and found Budget, we discovered that the price would be wayyyy over our budget for the trip (price didn’t include unlimited kilometers, driver under 25, let alone gas) so we had to reconsider our options. Of course, we HAD to go out to see the rock. And we only had one full day to do it. So we ended up finding another car rental place and settled for a much more reasonable deal and were on our way to Uluru at 7:30am the next morning.

After that little hiccup, the rest of the trip went extremely well…except for mice snacking on our food at night and the insane amount of flies outside that swarm around your entire body! We trekked around the rock, attempted to climb it and saw another side of it at sunset. We also saw another rock formation in the same area called Kata Tjuta or ‘The Olgas’, which were actually more stunning than Ayers Rock. This hike had much better views and I was surprised I had never heard of it before.

When I first came to Australia, I hadn’t planned on doing to trip to the middle of the country, but it was hard to resist when Lisa and Amelia invited me to join. I knew I’d have a great time with them and wouldn’t regret seeing another famous Australian wonder.

Amelia, Lisa, me, Uluru

The Olgas

Aussie Adventures: Part 1

As autumn in Canberra quickly turned into winter (unexpectedly cold considering it’s Australia) and Uni came to an end, my mindset automatically switched to travel mode the day that school work ended and the day that Olivia arrived in Canberra. Here is a quick recap of all the amazing things that I’ve been up to for the past few weeks!

Gold Coast (May 16-19)

Only a short hour or so flight from Sydney, Mandy, Olivia and I decided to plan a quick trip to the Gold Coast before Mandy’s flight home on May 23^rd. With a name like Gold Coast, who wouldn’t want to bask in the sun on beaches in Surfers Paradise and escape the cold winter air in Canberra. It’s still winter along the Gold Coast, but much less extreme and temperatures were hitting the low 20’s, so that was definitely a nice change from below zero at night. Our main goal in the Gold Coast was to relax on the beach and I have to say we were pretty successful with that. We also rented a car and planned a day trip to Tamborine Mountain (about an hour drive), exploring some exciting waterfalls, hiking through rainforests, and enjoying the many scenic lookouts of the coast. This was also my first time staying in a hostel and I can say that I was pretty pleased with it. I have no horror stories yet, which is a good thing!! I hope to keep it that way!!

Ready for the sun!

Curtis Falls

Cairns (May 19-26)

The morning of the 19^th, Olivia and I said goodbye to Mandy and headed on a plane for Cairns. As you may know, Cairns probably one of Australia’s most famous cities, since it is home to the Great Barrier Reef. Again, we had a successful flight and landed in an even hotter, tropical climate…but thoroughly enjoyed the almost 30 degree weather. The hot sun welcomed us into our second hostel, Globetrotters (which I highly recommend to anyone traveling there – great staff, clean rooms, quiet at night). Dave arrived at the hostel later that night and we had two more friends from Canberra Uni meeting us in a couple days, so we were excited for the week to come!

Since we were staying for a week, the first few days of our stay were pretty relaxing and involved tanning by the Lagoon (a wonderful fake public beach/pool) and exploring the city of Cairns. The highlight of our trip was definitely the snorkel trip, which took us to two reefs where we saw beautiful coral, fish of all shapes, sizes, and colours, sting rays, and a sea turtle! We also went on a crocodile tour to see some of Australia’s giant crocs, along with some more cuddly creatures like koalas, kangaroos, and wallabies. Cairns definitely did not disappoint, we worked hard on our tans and saw some things that many people dream to see in their lifetime. 

Before snorkeling

Pit stop on our way to the crocs!

Sydney (May 26-30)

After almost two weeks of living out of a small backpack, it was time to visit our Australian home away from home. Nicki and Peter welcomed us with their smiling faces as always and we enjoyed a familiar bed, home cooked meals, and the best coffee in Australia. Of course during our stay in Sydney, I took Olivia to the Opera House, Botanic Gardens, and Paddy’s Market. We also decided to check out the Zoo, and Nicki took us to the Fish Market (second biggest in the world). From my experience so far in Sydney, the weather has never been that great…usually clouding over in the afternoon threatening to rain, but we always have great company and wonderful family who make me wish that my stay would never have to end.

Attempt at Harbour Bridge shot

Melbourne (May 30-June 2)

So that takes me to Melbourne. Where I am currently sitting in the airport, waiting for a flight to take off…….tomorrow morning. I have a long night ahead of me, but have friends coming to join me in a few hours, where we will fly off to the middle of the country early in the morning.

The city of Melbourne surprised me. I’ve heard many people raving about the unique character of the city, but I never expected to find so many things to do and so many places to explore…and actually WANT to explore them. Our stay here was based out of Greenhouse Backpackers, the largest hostel we’ve stayed in, located right in the centre of the city. Again, it was clean and safe, but people were a little less welcoming, but that’s probably just because of the amount of travelers that stay there each night. Marina, Alex, Olivia and I began our stay by walking around the lake-front, Federation Square, and anything else we happened to stumble upon throughout the city…which is an easy thing to do, since everywhere you look, there’s crazy architecture, sculptures, and graffiti. Of course, one day involved waking up at 6am to rent a car and drive the Great Ocean Road. Unfortunately, we had the challenge of fitting the drive in before it got dark at 5pm, but that was solved easily by working our way backwards through the inland section first, seeing the Twelve Apostles and the Gibson Steps before it got dark. It was a long day, but Alex and Marina were amazing drivers and only almost hit a koala once!

City from Federation Square

12 Apostles

Street Graffiti

This was also the part of my journey where I had to say goodbye to Olivia, which was sad but ok since we had such a great time together and will see each other again soon! I also feel sad that Melbourne has so much to offer and we didn’t have that much time to spend in it. I hope that some day I can come back here to the city that I would love to possibly live in sometime in the future.

Well, that’s all for now! Next up is Alice Springs, Uluru, and Bali! I’m really excited but also kind of scared for Bali, since it will be a completely different way of life for two weeks….but I think it will be fun and hopefully I’ll have some exciting stories to share when I get back.

Lots of love, Laura

Final Countdown!

A few weeks have gone by and we regret to inform you that the majority of them have been spent doing our rock garden design project. Unfortunately, even though our grading system is pass/fail, it’s hard for us to produce a design project that doesn’t meet our standards back home. As hard as we tried to forget about every minor detail, we somehow managed to wow our teachers and the rest of the class…although, we're pleased to note that no all-nighters were pulled during this time period! That was due last Thursday and now that design is finally over, we have one more 3000 word paper/conceptual design for our systems class to complete before we say goodbye to Canberra and hello to the rest of Australia.

Only THREE more days till we will be done school, FOUR days till Olivia gets here and EIGHT days till we head off to the Gold Coast/Surfers Paradise for some sun, sand and surf!! We can’t wait! :D

The next few weeks after that involve trips to Cairns, Melbourne, Alice Springs (to catch a glimpse of the famous Uluru – massive rock in Central Australia), Sydney, and Bali! That takes me to the 22^nd of June, with only a week before I head back home. I have so many things to look forward to here that I just want to get on a plane this second! But I also can’t wait for that day that I land in Toronto, see my family and catch the last couple months of summer, which are always the best. - Laura

Since our photo department has been lacking the past few weeks, here are a couple pictures of our models. Made with scrap cardboard...in a day. 

Enjoy!!

Mandy & Laura

Laura's

Mandy's!

Oh and Happy Mother's Day to all you wonderful mothers!! xox