Australia

Brisbane

The first stop we made in Australia was to visit a couple of friends we met while walking the Camino de Santiago in Spain. What an incredible feeling, coming down the escalator and seeing these two, smiling beauties waiting to pick us up at the airport! My heart was so full! I knew this was going to be an amazing visit! That night we sat out on the deck (with their awesome roommate), enjoying the fresh, Australian air, listening to strange animal noises, having a cuppa (cup of tea) and catching up on what we had all been doing since we last saw each other four months ago in Spain. We spent the week learning new Australian words, being introduced to lots of new food, chatting about life, making plans for tomorrow (and our futures), sharing inspiration and words of wisdom.  

Our friends, Jess and Amanda, took us for an amazing camping adventure! We drove out to Byron Bay- the coolest place ever! On the way, they made sure to stop and introduce us to the most famous pies in town. I, being from the states, assumed sweet pies so I couldn't figure out what all the fuss was about. I mean, I like pie as much as the next person but I don't get *that* excited about it. But… they are savory pies! What?! Mind blown. So delicious! My new favorite is the chicken and veg pie, Dan was in love with the steak and curry pie. Holy cow! I'm definitely going to try and recreate these when we go home. 

Camping at Byron Bay was the absolute most fun we have ever had camping. These girls are next level- we took lots of notes and definitely have to up our game when we go home. We had wonderful food, walks on the beach, hiking, chats over tea, a cheese plate and wine under a soaked canopy (it was supposed to be a picnic but the weather didn't cooperate), and we even got to see dolphins and a wallaby up close while hiking! We went and visited a lighthouse and wandered around town checking out the shops. We also went to a wonderful little brewery for dinner and drinks. We were pleasantly surprised as they had live music that night as well!

We went surfing at the Pass, and by 'we' I of course mean Amanda, Jess, and Dan went surfing. I hung out on the absolutely beautiful beach and watched their mad skills and took pictures. Dan has been wanting to brush up on his surfing skills and this was an amazing beach to do it at. It was a little chilly so we bought Dan a rashy (rash guard) to keep him warm (and to keep the board wax off his chest hair, that was fun- bahaha).

We celebrated our anniversary in Brisbane. Dan took me out for dinner and a movie, but at this theater, it was all in one! It was a very small theater, only about 20 seats, each with a small table to put your food. I felt a little like I was back in college with those tiny desks that pull up from the chair and you try and take notes when your notebook barely fits on the desk. It was interesting trying to fit our drinks and plates in the small space but it was also a very neat experience. They brought the food into the theater about halfway through the movie. It is a very cool concept but I was definitely distracted from the movie while I tried to eat in the dark. I'm pretty sure a few vegetables somehow found their way onto my fork while I wasn't looking lol 

We went on many outings. We went to the Koala sanctuary where Dan and I got to pet and take pictures with an adorable koala. We watched a sheep dog show, where the puppy showed us his talent for herding sheep and follow commands. We got to feed the wallabies and kangaroos, that was a little nerve racking. We saw lots of animals, including a pig!! For those of you who don't know, piggies are my favorite :) We spent the day wandering around the sanctuary, looking at all the different animals, like wallabies, dingoes, and wombats. We also went to another beach and enjoyed fish and chips for lunch, actually the best fish and chips we have ever had, so delicious!! We walked up the beach, taking in the sea breeze and letting the sun shine on our faces. It was so nice just to be out and about seeing the sites with our friends.

The girls also had a list of Australian foods we needed to try while we were there and they made sure to check everything off that list before we left- kanga bangas (kangaroo sausage, very good by the way), lamingtons, vegemite, Tim Tams, anzac biscuits, chicken parmigana, fish and chips, barramundi, meat pies, avocados, and burgers- but they put beetroot and a fried egg on them… very strange to me. It was really cool trying the different foods and also hearing the stories behind some of the foods and how they came to be. 

A common phrase you'll hear in New Zealand is, Sweet As! Our friend Jess wanted us to be prepared for the next country we visit and not look silly if people said this, so she showed us the video on how this saying came about. She talked along with the video and imitated the characters. I wish I could have gotten a video of this experience. Thinking of that moment will forever make me laugh and bring a smile to my face, it was hilarious! 

It was a very fun adventure; we learned so many things, ate some really great food, and had some amazing conversations with these two wonderful ladies who will forever be part of our camino family!! We are so grateful for their hospitality and the amazing adventures they took us on! 

Cairns

We stayed at a lovely, nice, chill hostel in Cairns; right next to the water, a ferris wheel, and tons of shops and restaurants. The kitchen was on the top floor so we sat having breakfast every morning with the breeze blowing, the smell of fresh air, and watching people on their morning runs. We would spend time snuggled into these huge, yellow bean bag chairs and read or do research for the next chapter of our adventure. We spent lots of time walking around, up and down the boardwalk, checking out the shops, stopping for a coffee, sitting and watching the day pass by. We were entertained most nights by the street performers that could be seen from the rooftop, there was even a fire dancer! Wow! There was always a lot going on but at the same time, it was very relaxing. 

They have these huge bats in Cairns (flying foxes really), we would watch them fly in every evening, it was fascinating. One night, we were walking on the boardwalk and the bats started to fly in. We grabbed a bench and just sat and watched them for a while, it was very interesting watching them crawl around in the trees and then take off again. They say it's good luck when a bird poops on you, so we joked, wondering if it was also good luck if a bat poops on you? I'm sure you can guess where this is going…. Yes, of course, a bat flew by and dropped a bomb on me! It was a fly by so it got all over me- my legs, my arm, my shirt. I'm just glad I wasn't looking up so it missed my face! Well that ended our evening walk- we went back to the hostel so I could take a shower and wash my clothes. I think our roommates were torn on whether to laugh or plug their noses, apparently bat pooh is very smelly- just in case you wondered. 

On a more positive note, we spent my birthday in Cairns so we thought we should make it an extra fun day and do something special. So… we went snorkeling/ scuba diving at the great barrier reef! Wow! Just wow! What an amazing experience! The boat ride out was a little rough Dan and I were both a little queasy, however, once we arrived at our first snorkel spot everything was fine. Dan only snorkeled for a short while because he went scuba diving! He had a blast and is very much looking forward to more traveling that involves places he can scuba dive so he can get certified. We stopped at two different areas to snorkel/scuba dive. I saw the most beautiful fish I have ever seen, it was a teal blue and beautiful purple color!! I wish I had an underwater camera to capture the beautiful fish and the colorful reefs!! While Dan was scuba diving he saw several barracudas, a sea turtle, a white tipped reef shark, and a stingray! We had such an amazing time, saw a ton of awesome wildlife, ate great food and relaxed in the sun. The only downside was the amount of people with us on this outing. The water was pretty crowded and I got kicked in the head by a kid, but I guess that's just part of the experience. I'd say overall it was a pretty great birthday. My one piece of advice would be to make sure you put extra sunscreen on your tush. I didn't realize how much sun my bum was getting being the only part of my body out of the water while I snorkeled! A friend we met in Hawaii, Harriet, had warned me about this but I obviously didn't listen well enough.

One of the best parts of Cairns was meeting up with Graeme and Helen!!! We initially met them while hiking the Camino de Santiago in Spain. We met up for a few hours, had a salad and chatted and then went to another restaurant for coffee and cake. We have now started drinking flat whites as this seems to be the most common coffee drink in Australia, and it's really good! We had a long talk about life and the tougher parts of being on the road traveling for long periods of time. It was so wonderful to catch up and also just talk through some of the things we are struggling with. I know most people think it's just a wonderful, long vacation, but there are a lot of struggles that come with being on the road full-time (physically, emotionally, financially). There have definitely been a lot of amazing adventures but that doesn't mean it was always easy. 

Sydney

Our final stop in Australia was Sydney. We were a little nervous to see how this would go, it's a very large city and Dan and I are more into the small town feel. However, we were pleasantly surprised. We absolutely LOVED Sydney! Our first night at the hostel left more to be desired. We were still learning all the things to look for and things to avoid when it came to choosing a hostel. Note to self- try to find out how many people the hostel holds…. 600 is way too many. It was a pretty wild, dramatic night, so we moved on the next day to a place that was much better! We even splurged on a private room instead of sharing bunk beds with a dozen other folks. It was nice and quiet, had free laundry (woo hoo), a kitchen, and was in a great location- in the business district. There were lots of places within walking distance- grocery store, coffee shops, restaurants, etc. We really enjoyed our stay here.

The trains in Sydney were so convenient, easy to use, and reasonably priced. We were able to take a train 2 hours out of town to visit the Blue Mountains and the Three Sisters rock formation. We walked the trails and saw the Echo Point Lookout, climbed a ton of stairs to get a closer look at the Three Sisters, and hiked to get out to see Katoomba Falls. The weather was lovely and we had an incredible day outside with nature. Some of the other adventures we went on while in Sydney were walking to/around Darling Harbor, a walking tour around Sydney (learning a lot about its history), a bus tour of Sydney (even hung out at Bondi Beach), checking out the Rocks, Sydney Harbour Bridge, and we got up close to the famous Opera House; although we didn't get a chance to take in a show. We did however catch the light show that is projected onto the side of the Opera House, that was pretty neat.

People say Australia is expensive and maybe it's because we had just spent time in Hawaii where we paid $10 for a box of knock-off pasta and sauce, but to us, Australia didn't seem too bad. We only paid $2 for a box of pasta and yummy, organic sauce at the nearby grocery store. That's even cheaper than we could have gotten back at home. Overall, we really enjoyed Australia. It is beautiful, the weather was good, people were friendly, we could walk many places or hop on a quick train to get anywhere. There was so much history and beauty in the city, we really enjoyed our time here. 

On to New Zealand......