Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary and Stradbrooke Island

I hope you all had a wonderful first week back at work of the New Year!
While you all have been busy working, I have been equally as busy exploring.

A few days ago, Amy and I went to the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, the world's largest sanctuary for koalas. They were everywhere! Their exhibits were arraigned according to age- so all of the little koalas were in their clubhouse together, the old retired ones were off to one side and the rest were in perches located around the park- we ate lunch in an enclosure surrounded by koalas! In the wild, koalas only live about 12 years, but in the koala sanctuary, they survived much longer- the oldest recorded koala had lived there, and lived to the age of 23!

Also really cool was the kangaroo enclosure- it was this huge field where you can enter and get right up close to the kangaroos. And they were everywhere! some were sleeping, some would come right up to you looking for food or a good scratching, and others just ignored people completely. It was awesome! I kept waiting with my camera ready for some to start boxing, but unfortunately these were very mellow kangas. The park also had native birds, such as the cockatoo and kookaburra, as well as wallabies and even dingoes.

After the park, we embarked on a mini road trip to world renowned Surfer's Paradise. We walked along the beach, careful not to step on the blubottles, tiny blue jellyfish that wash up with the tide. The water was really rough, not anything like the calm waves of Santa Barbara. We posed for a picture with the Surfer's Paradise sign, an Aussie must see, but other than that I wasn't too impressed. The place is really built up with massive high rises along the strip, and every form of chain restaurant you can imagine. I felt like we were in a theme park. It was fun to vist, but definetly not a place I need to go back to.

Yesterday, however, we did find that Aussie feel I was looking for. Amy and I drove here car out to the nearby port town of Cleaveland, where we caught a ferry over to North Stradbrooke Island, but just barely. None of the information we could find said how much it cost to take a car over. Turns out it was $150 buck, so we said no thanks, and then had to book it to catch the passenger only ferry, a much better deal at $17. They were nice enough to hold the boat for us, and the ticket collector gave us some tips about what sights to see on the island. Upon landing, we caught a bus to Cylinder Beach, a family friendly bay that had some sweet waves for surfers and boogie boarders, but also a calm bay for small children to play in. We caught some waves for a bit, and even stayed in the water during a sudden downpour, it was that warm. From there, we followed the coast north, along some scenic coastline, and up to the North Gorge walk- a planked walked that traversed the side of a huge gorge, where the ocean slipped inland about 100 feet. We found a way to get down into the calm waters of the gorge, where we hung out for a bit before heading onward. From the cliffs, we saw some small sharks and rays, close to where the fishermen were casting their lines.

Our next big adventure is going to take place on Tuesday, when we head over to nearby Moreton Island for an overnight tour, complete with shipwreck snorkeling, 4 Wheel Driving, and Sandboarding the world's largest sand mountain.

Made It!!

After about 25 hours of flight/travel I am in Australia!!!

My flight from LAX to Sydney was on V Australia---aka my new favorite airline. The walls at the check in counter were painted pink with blue LED lights illuminating the V Australia sign, and there was some rocking disco music playing. Everyone at the counter was smiling and polite, and made a great first impression for Australia, at least in my mind. Upon boarding the plane, the same awesome music was playing, the same blue LED lights lit the aisles, and the seats were big and comfy. The blankets were plush, the meals were delicious, and the first glass of alcohol with dinner was complimentary. Swank. I felt like a rock star. And I flew economy. Plus, the in flight safety videos were absolutely hilarious and totally casual, and full of Aussie laid back humor. Loved it!

Amy was able to meet me at the airport in Brisbane, after my connecting flight from Sydney. She drove me home, after I tried to get in the driver's side of the car- even after extensive time spent in England- its all backwards! She brought me to her house, where I got to meet her family, and then we set off for a walk. Although it looked really chilly out because it was so overcast, it was hot, balmy and humid- weather I love :) We walked barefoot up and down the river banks before catching a train into Brisbane. There, we checked out the man made beach and caught the City Cay, a river ferry, up the river. We got off and played around on one of the coolest playgrounds I have ever seen- with a 50 ft climbing rope structure that would be considered a MASSIVE liability risk in America (I'm pretty sure a 5 year old outclimbed me). From there, we trekked all the way back into the heart of the city, where Amy's dad met us after work and gave us a lift home.

Tomorrow we are off to the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, one of the top 10 zoos in the world, according to AOL. In case you were wondering, "Koala" is an aboriginal word meaning "no drink," as koalas rarely come down to the ground for water, getting instead from the eucalyptus leaves that they eat.

Parking Garage Soloist

My parent bought me a Flip Ultra HD for Christmas (Thanks Mom and Dad!!) so I can take videos on my trip. Its a really cool camera, and very user friendly. I also got the tripod and an underwater case. Stay tuned for beach vids, and maybe even some scuba footage--if I can manage my BCD and a camera simultaneously!

I went to the State Street Borders last night, and there was this guy playing guitar in the parking garage. He had his guitar hooked up to one amp, facing toward the street. The acoustics of the parking garage gave his music depth, and lifted his beautiful chords out into the night, for people to hear from blocks away. This video is a touching display of Christmas cheer, found in the most unexpected place.

My First Blog. Ever.

Ok, so it's official. My technically unsaavy self is starting a blog.

Why am I doing this? Because my equally as technically unsaavy family refuses to get facebook, and remains disconnected from my world travels because photo files take way too long to send via e-mails. Especially at the rate that I take them.

That, and the fact that I am leaving home again in 3 weeks, bound for Brisbane Australia, on a one way ticket and with a working holiday visa that allows me to stay for a year, should I decide that the picturesque beaches and achingly adorable aussie accents prove too hard to resist. Read: No return ticket means I don't have a clue when I'll see friends and family again, and if the only way to make sure that everyone I know doesn't start asking "Genevieve who?" in the near future is to keep a blog, then so be it.



Some of you that I have talked to have asked what I plan on doing once I'm there, when I'm coming back, and why Australia? If there's one thing that I've learned about myself and traveling, it's that planning is futile. I used to swear by the value of a highly thought out itinerary (you should see the detailed state of my college day planner!) However, over the past few years, I have come to find that sometimes the best adventures are the ones you couldn't put together even if you tried, and that flexibility and adaptability are crucial to life- whether you're trying to get through the daily grind, or are trekking across the globe. So, that being said, I have a loose plan involving: a 1-2 month road trip with some fellow ex-GO's (former Club Med employees) in which we will counter intuitively head south for cooler weather. I booked my trip so that it coincided with the dead of summer in Australia because I have an extreme aversion to being cold and I wanted to escape during winter. Not that I've really experienced too much inclement weather, seeing as I am born and bred Southern Californian, and the annual average temperature is 64 degrees in my hometown. Which is to say, I am not exactly accustomed to extreme heat either. And apparently summer in Australia is HOT. I may be in for more than I bargained for. Which is why we are heading south, towards Tasmania, in search of cooler climates. Big hits such as Sydney and Melbourne are, of course, on the list of places to see, with additional cities being decided on a whim. We have to make it back to Brisbane (Brissy, as the locals call it) by the beginning of March so my friend can start school at the Uni. From there, I'll most likely head north, hoping to hit up the Whitsunday Islands, and the Great Barrier Reef and put my PADI certification to some use! And at this point, who knows who I'll have met and hat contacts I'll have made. I want to see all of the country, but as for how and when its all going to happen, I'm going to be flying by the seat of my pants!



Which leads into the next most common question: when am I going to see you again? Traveling on a one way ticket is expensive, aka I spent $18 less on a one way than I could have on a round trip flight, but it leaves me the freedom to stay as long, or not as long, as I like. Some might argue that I could have just bought a round trip, or open ended ticket and then just changed the return date, but I think that takes a big element of the adventure out of it. It's pretty much a psychological thing- if I don't have a set return date, I can explore and or settle at my leisure, leaving me free to live in the moment and take full advantage of the year available to me. The way Australian working holiday visas work, you can only get one- its not like I can reapply and come back again in a few years to do it all again. So the way I see it, this is my one chance to live in and explore this country, and I want to take full advantage of it. That being said, plans change sometimes (see above), and I want to be free to come home if things don't work out.



Lastly, why Australia? Because that is where my all time favorite travel partner in crime lives. Amy and I worked together at Club Med Turkoise, an all inclusive resort in the Turks and Caicos Islands in the Caribbean, earlier this year. In addition to getting into our fair share of shenanigans there, we road tripped for 2 months around California, Arizona and Nevada, and then flew (also on a one way ticket) to Canada, where we ended up staying for one month, and even rented an apartment in Toronto until we realized that no one was going to hire us without a visa. Our adventures will have to be saved for another post, because they are long and numerous. And hilarious. Most have photos to accompany them, so I will try to do them justice and save them for later. But, suffice it to say that when Amy and I travel together, anything is possible, the laughter is nonstop, and the unexpected becomes expected.

Three and a half hours after signing up with blogger, I think I have my first blog. It's flawed, but its mine!

Stay tuned- like a fine wine, this page is sure to get better with time. Time, and a little help from my computer guru friends :)

Soon to follow: Post Turks Trips, The Prequel to Australia- How Gen and Amy conquered the west coast, and then moved on to the east. Introducing Erica (aka Palm Frond), who taught me how to live on the wild side, and without whom I would have much less amusing material to write about.

--> Amy and I fighting off a dragon at a Renniasance Faire we stumbled upon in Tahoe. Case in point: sometimes the most memorable moments occur when you screw the plan and just go for a drive with an open mind.