Not so smooth sailing...

My three day sailing adventure went nothing like planned but an adventure it was!

The Whitsundays are supposed to be one of the most remarkable sights of Australia... beautiful forest deep islands with white sand beach fronts. I booked myself on a 14 passenger wooden sailing yacht. It really was a charming boat with impressive sails, but any boat would really impress this city girl, what do I know about boats?

The previous day as read in the blog before was hot and sunny! First day of sailing... errr not so much. It began cloudy and progressively got worse. About a half hour into sailing (well the motor was on because there were no winds) it started to sprinkle. The crew hadn't even finished giving the tour of the cabin before the rain started to come down. They broke out rain coats for us so we could still sit on deck and admire the lovely DARK view. While I was waiting for my tour, as they only took four people below at a time, I asked for a cup. Captain Ron, more about him later, and the other guests laughed at me as I began to drink wine... I mean really what else was there to do?! We were on a boat in the rain. Thankfully a couple from London, Olly and Sophie joined me in afternoon cocktails as well.

I got my tour of the boat. It was explained to us that we could only flush a little toilet paper at a time and had to hold down the flush for at least 20 seconds. We were showed our sleeping arrangements. I had to share the main room, where we also have our meals (the table conveniently turns into a bed for two as the bench across the small room did as well) with 5 other people. My bed was a cot attached to the wall that was above the table. Rain and a hanging cot, does this sound like me?! Yeah, I had a big gulp of wine after this one! I have to say though I felt most badly for the guy sleeping in the cot across from me, he was well over 6 feet and I barely fit on the cot!

With the tarps up you couldn't see a darn thing off the boat- they were quite low and you couldn't even stand with out having to hunch over. All I could think of was Gilligans Island and I couldn't even share the joke with anyone because the other 13 passengers were all Brits and had no clue of the show. All I could do was laugh and I think everyone got a real kick out of me because I would break out in random giggle fits. The situation just had to be laughed at! Olly would join in too... the two of us would just look at each other and laugh about our misfortune and very long and bumpy next few days! We were in one of the most beautiful places in the world and all we could see was tarp and dampness! The rain got worse as the night progressed, we are talking major down pours!

We played some drinking games that night and had some good laughs. We called it a pretty early night with hopes of a beautiful next day.

The next day... well, no rain in the AM but still pretty cloudy! We set sail after a 7 am wake up. Oy... a full day at sea. At least the tarps were able to come down- that was a huge bonus. As the sky was grey and everything around us was pretty dull, it was evident that in sunshine our surroundings would have been spectacular. It looked like a pirate movie- so many uninhabited islands around us- or like Jurassic Park, like dinosaurs would pop out of the forests! I actually got some great photos of the grey sky- this defo taught me to appreciate and see the beauty in a grey, dark sky! The ride was super bumpy, I mean it was rough out there- 20-23 knots (I have no clue what that means, but htat is what Captain Ron said)! I had to take three sea sickness pill, which made us all super groggy. I passed out three times that day! We were able to get some snorkeling in though. We didn't see much, the visibility was awful and the fish must have been hiding.

That afternoon the sky wasn't so bad, still clouds everywhere, just not so dark. We went to Whitehaven beach. It is regarded as the most beautiful beach in Aussie, if not one of the most in the world- not to my eyes! It had brown crap all over it and it was all damp. The white glowing sand was quite dull and off-white in the lighting that we had! It was a let down to say the least. You can't even swim in the water because of the stingers, some people wore stinger suits but I passed.

As I was laying there soaking up the UV rays (I was desperate to keep my tan and we were left there for a couple of hours) when what do I see- my Irish lads! A giddy girl I was indeed. My day was some what salvaged. Please understand hundreds (okay maybe not quite that much but a lot) of boats leave for this three day trip all the time and the chances of both of ours bringing us to this spot at pretty much the same time is remarkable. Let's call it meant to be! They had a crazy night. Their boat was a catamaran and sounded loads more fun. They were not in the best of spirits about the experience, though they had the same attitude I had... all you could do was laugh. We shared horror stories of the rain and I have to say there's beat mine. They're cruise is actually camping too. They didn't sleep on the boat; they were brought to an island with tents and they had to camp there. Being Irish and to totally generalize, they were pissed (that means wasted) that night. They went to bed an awoke sometime during the night to a tent full of water, shivering in the torrential down pour! Not only was it great to see them for purely a nice view but it was great to hear a story worse than mine! At least I had a somewhat dry sleeping area (there was a leak by my feat) and it was very clammy hot in that cabin!

We set sail again. More rain, more bumpy water and a lot of sickness. I managed to keep everything down but a few had to lean over the boat! All I could think of was Vee and how much she would have hated this boat ride! We had a delicious dinner that evening I will give the crew that much! It was a steak dinner with lots of sides. They even made me special mash for my lactardedness! The other peeps on the boat were pretty cool. A little more tame than some of the people I have been hanging out with, but really nice! There were two guys from London, Ali and Josh. They were hysterical- they reminded me a bit of my brother. There were two girls from London, Liz and Laura and a cousin pair also from London but of Indian decent- Rishi and Heena. I think we were all delirious by all the pills and waves- it made for an interesting and delirious evening! We were all very excited because we got to use the cool glow in the dark star map the crew had becasue we could see 4 stars- unfortunately it wasn't enough to determine which they were. Damn clouds!

That night I awoke at what I thought was close to sun up. I was sweltering hot. I cannot sleep in clammy, stuffy, 35 degree (that's Celsius) heat on a cot in a cabin with 5 other people! I decided to go up to the deck where the crew was sleeping. There was a nice breeze up there, the tarps were up and I could see a few stars from the side of the boat. I decided I should sleep up there for the last few hours and maybe watch the sun rise! It actually put me in great spirits... how cool, right?! Well Captain Ron is a pro at sleeping on deck. He was completely wrapped in a tarp as well just in case it rained. He was in a cocoon basically. I grabbed my pillow, sheet and two towels- oh and my camera for the beautiful sunrise! I used the towels to sleep on and the sheet for a cover! I got it all set up, laid down, looked out into the sky and felt the rain drops... what?! Oh yeah... no more then 30 seconds of being out there it started to down pour again! hahaha. Oh my luck! I curled up in a ball and Captain Ron looked out of his cocoon, startled to see someone he asked who I was... "It's Gi"... in my most pathetic and helpless voice. He opened his cocoon and asked if I wanted to crawl in. Well- Captain Ron to the rescue! I crawled in, put my back to him and quickly realized Captain Ron was trying to get his catch of the day! This girl wasn't bitin'! Kept my back to him for the rest of the night- which PS it was NOT almost sunrise- and couldn't really get much sleep. I have to say though it was beautiful to hear the rain and watch the storm from up there. Though uncomfortable, it was one of the most enjoyable parts of the boat trip.

The next morning I was quite the talk of the boat. The deck hand was up in the night closing windows and such and discovered I wasn't there... and let everyone know in the AM... though I quickly bring people to my side and they knew the truth very quickly- that rumor came to an end, because there was no coming!

The last day was basically cancelled because of the rain. I was in the most beautiful places in the world during the worst rain they have seen in 3 years! All I could do and still do is laugh!

Oh dear blog readers...

I hope you realize that it is mighty hard to keep up with this blog...not for lack of desire or brilliant writing abilities... but just because I have been on the go, go, go! I did the east coast of Aussie in two short but busy weeks. People usually do it in a few months... but not this girl, I took it by storm and boy were there storms... but on to Airley beach first!

I took an overnight bus from Hervey bay to airley beach, oh a mere 14 hours or so. I am a pro at these bus rides now! Thank you Dr. Goodman- a good man indeed, just not to Jennie.

I met a really nice guy on the bus who sat next to me, Rob. He is an early thirties, perma-backpacker- work his way through his travels- going home every so often to earn some more cash- and back to discovering the world sort of guy. Basically can't stay put or grow up and uses travel as an excuse. But nice he was non the less. I slept the entire time and Rob was so very nice to lend me his sleeping bag as a blanket; they keep those buses so cold! We arrived in Airley, early that morning. He, an Irish girl named Kelly, and I hung out all day. We went to the lagoon they have there. The lagoon is basically a pool, made to look like a lil' lake thing, right by the beach. You can't swim at the beach there because of the deadly stingers. We bumped into some of Robs friends who gave us a box-o-red wine. Being the naughty sneaks that we were, the three of us wined and sunned at the lagoon. About two hours into our relaxing day, the lifeguard came over and reprimanded us for drinking- a big no, no at the lagoon.

A quick interruption about Australia. The rules / laws are very cut and dry here. If something is illegal, you just don't do it. There is no getting out of trouble. They are very literal and everything is black and white- no grey area. So we clearly were tempting fate. But I must say, this makes for the safest environment I have ever been in. I have never been to a safer place in the world, and the whole country is like this.

The lifeguard was not very nice and threatened to call the cops if we even touched the box again. She said she had been clocking us since 11:30 and it was now 2:30... a bit of a stretch if you ask me, but I wasn't about to argue. "Fare enough" I said, and that was the end of our afternoon at the lagoon. We found our way to the bar at Rob and Kelly's hostel for some beers al fresco. After a shower and some proper clothing the three of us met up again a few hours later for the nights festivities.

My hostel in Airley was by far the worst I have stayed in. Get this... BED BUGS. You read it kids, I stayed in a bed that had bugs... who knew they really existed?! I will never say that nursery rhyme again...just haunting now! I of course didn't find the bed bugs till my return to the hostel a few days later... but I thought it was worth mentioning now as I am clearly still disturbed by it; don't even get me started on the thread count they use for sheets- I mean would it really be so expensive to get some with at least 450?! The bathroom in the joint was even worse. There was no sink, I had to brush my teeth in the kitchen sink which was filled with dirty dishes. The shower leaked, so they had a moldy towel sopping up the water. This faulty bathroom had to be shared by about 12 people. I could go on... but you get the point... the Gi was not pleased, but I knew I wouldn't be there for very long.

We basically bar hopped between the three bars that are in Airley beach. There was a foam party going on at Magnums, the club. I refused to go as Kelly and Rob wanted to- they really are so gross. At one of the bars, Kelly and I got some food. I ordered a prawn and avocado salad- Rob almost gasped at the price I was willing to spend for a salad dinner- we are talking about $11 us dollars. I just don't get backpackers they will spend loads of money on booze but scrimp everywhere else and will voice there obnoxious opinion about how costly things are. I wanted some healthy grub! As I was eating my salad I was also waiting for my photos to be put on disk at a nearby store. They were done mid meal and I felt badly for Rob because he hadn't ordered anything... at this point I still had sympathy. We are all in different financial standings and I really didn't need the whole salad. So I nicely separated some in my bowl, even giving him some shrimp and said he could eat that bit while I ran to get my pictures. When I returned he left me with half of what I allotted to myself AND left me with two half eaten shrimp (not the full four I left myself!). Who eats a half a shrimp and leaves the rest?! I actually found it funny at this point because it was a damn good salad that even he couldn't resist- it just seemed to prove my point that sometimes it's worth getting what you really want! Don't get me wrong he was a REALLY NICE guy... but the more I thought about it the more it bothered me. Backpackers (this type of one, much like the annoying hippie mentality) seem to contradict themselves all the time- it's quite humorous.

We had a great time from bar to bar... and of course I am sure you have guessed we ended up at the foam party. To my surprise it was loads of fun. The foam came neck high... and we were slipping, sliding and dancing in it for hours on end. There were a lot of guys there and they had all sorts of fun tricks to do. I held hands with to guys, laid on our backs in the foam and kicked off the back wall to go flying down the floor... it really was great fun. Another guy then grabbed my ankles and dragged me around... I felt like a little kid, it was a blast!

Another interruption. In the bathrooms at all of these bars were stickers on all of the stalls that read "It's not always smooth sailing at the Whitsundays". This came true two fold. (PS Whitsunday is right off of Airley... Islands. You only go to Airley to access your boat to them). The sticker also has abuse hot lines and sexual assault hot lines. I thought the stickers were hilarious and laughed every time I went to pee, which was often.

Well this foam party turned into a grope fest. Towards the end of the night, throwing foam on each other turned into a 'cop a feel while you're at it' deal. I had enough and prompted Kelly and Rob to leave. On our way out some guys tackled me in good fun, all laughs till one put his hand up my skirt. Aha! I get the stickers now. Despite all of the soap suds, this party wasn't clean anymore. We quickly left and I no longer laughed at those stickers! Once again I was a little bothered with Rob, he just stood there and laughed as they rough housed me. I know he didn't realize how far one went, but it seemed pretty weak that he didn't he didn't ask them to stop. Please don't read this in horror, especially you mom- this scenario lasted all of 60 seconds and their hands didn't get a hold of anything! I just don't stand for anything of the sort and know to leave when things start to turn like this!

A big group of us went to the lagoon to clean off. Now here is where things get goofy with Airley and their laws! A security guard let about 20 of us go into the lagoon drunk to hang out and splash around... but we got in trouble some hours before for enjoying a couple of glasses of wine. I didn't question it, I just enjoyed myself and then had Rob walk me back to my hostel for a nights sleep (by myself) in my bug infested bed! Rob showed much interest in me that night, but I think Ben would kill me if I came home with such a type- no worries Ben, it will never happen!

The next day I met Kelly for brekky as we waited to go to our sail boats. As she was reading her book I noticed a real hotty sitting at a nearby table. I made the move... I went over to talk to him. Keith from Ireland- and his two other hot friends quickly joined us as well. I have to say, this is what I really enjoy about backpacking. It is entirely okay to go over to someone and just start chatting away. Everyone is there to experience the same things and make friends. It is so cool to be able to do that. These guys were nice as could be and we ended up walking to the docs together. I was out to find them again after my three day boat trip you could be sure of that!

Fraser Island

let me say that Fraser Island has been the highlight of my trip.

I arrived at my hostel in Hervey bay, staying just one night before pick up for the Island adventure. I met a few people... snobby damn hippie backpackers giving me crap for doing a 'guided' tour rather than a self guided tour. I am who I am, and that is not a camper! Can you believe staying in a hostel is a luxury?! I never thought I would be one to say that!

My tour was 40 strong and I found 5 other girls that were the most fun! We were the life of the three days we spent together. I clicked with two of them in particular- two that will be no doubt friends for life... Gemma and Jenna... can you believe it?! How goofy- we were Gemma, Jenna and Gianna. The six of us kept everyone entertained and made the trip even more exciting... them along with a some others made this totally memorable.

Day one was filled with activity. We first went to Basin Lake. The road on Fraser Island requires 4 wheel drive... and a lot of other power car talk that I don't understand. We were in the bus for 40 with 8 horse power and an 8 cylinder engine and a crap load of gears... not sure if that is all the same thing... but this was one tough machine! We flew down these sand roads which the self guided tours got stuck in- ha- happy digging dirty hippies! Back to the lake- it was emerald green! Truly amazing. The water was clean and calm, but the most spectacular color. I guess it is that color due to the chloroform or something like that. All I know is that is was beautiful and I have never seen anything like it before.

A quick interruption about Fraser Island- it is the biggest SAND island in the world. Meaning, it is all sand and forest actually grows in the sand. Now they explained all of it and how this is possible.. but I will ask you to refer to the Internet to read about it and then maybe report back to me because I haven't a clue!

Next stop was Lake Mackenzie. This is probably my favorite lake I have ever seen. It was crystal blue water with the whitest powdery fine sand I have ever seen. This couple I made friends with (Swedish couple Mateja and Eddy- so awesome! Can't wait to visit them in Europe!), Gemma, Jenna and I walked down a little path to a more secluded aread of the lake. We basically had a whole private area to ourselves. The sand is rich in minerals and so fine that it is known to be a great exfoliate. We covered our bodies in sand and scrubbed away! I tried giving myself a pedicure but unfortunately I needed way more than some sand to smooth these feet! I am dying for a pedi!

We did a jungle walk... but I must say- see one reforest see them all. I think I am done with rain forests... too many creepy crawlies to come and attack! We did see some very impressive greenery though... some cool lizards and gigantic spiders.

That night we went to Dingo Bar- named after the scrawny but vicious animals that roam the island. They attack babies! They just looked like malnourished dogs to me though. The bar was a blast. I met some Scottish dudes and drank with them till 4am. They are a crazy bunch... I wont go through the menu we plowed through or I should say guzzled down that night it would take up too much time- but one thing is for sure it ws a late but fun night! Scottish peeps can drink and drink and drink and apparently I can too! It made for a rough morning, but all the worth it. We will call the night an opportunity for cultural enlightenment- I am just trying to learn all that I can about the world and its people and this meerly introduced me to the Scottish culture- so as you can see it was quite essential to my mission statement of the trip.

The next day was equally impressive, if not more so. We first went to a creek which starts in the forest and leads to the beach front. It is not that long, but a lot of fun. We started at the top and the stream allows you to float down. At the base of the creek was the pool that it formed. There were some lil boys with a boogie board running and sliding on it so we girls thought we would try. As my friends coaxed me on apparently I developed a bit of a viewing crowd, unannounced to me of course. As I ran and slid on the boogie board and toppled over... ohh about a second after hitting it the entire pool area applauded in synchronicity for my complete embarrassment. What's a girl to do but stand with my arms raised high with my Olympic gold pose and ear to ear grin... gotta be able to laugh at yourself! It wasn't so funny when our oldie tour guide came and tackled me in the water... talk about a creepy crawlie!

We also went to Champagne pools. This is where large rocks block the ocean and as the waves come crashing over- it had formed pools of water where were able to sit and chill. They were really pretty and very relaxing. The view was breath taking. I havee to say it is so hard to describe any of this with any due justice on its true beauty. Any picture you get from my description add oodles of more beauty to it and you might get the right mental image of it.

There is a 60 meter high rock formation that stands right on the beach called Indian Head. We climbed it in the dead hot sun with scorching hot sand and made it to the top. It was well worth it! To look at crystal blue ocean water with its natural habitat swimming about was incredible. We saw SHARKS and sea turtles and other unidentifiable swimming creatures! Defo another highlight. The roads to get to all of these places were the beach! The beach is their highway... gold sand with forest on one side and the ocean on the other...

I also took a 30 minute plain ride over the whole island. It was a 14 passenger itty bitty scary thing. But absolutely my favorite thing I have done thus far. I got to sit in the front seat next to the hotty pilate. I basically saw all the lakes and such that we visited but just from the aerial view. It was cool to see the vastness of it all and most impressive was seeing large sand dunes (looked like the Sahara) in the midst of rich green forest- just a crazy sight!

Speaking of the sand dunes- we went there too. We had to walk down them... but we rolled down them! It was great fun, but with dehydration and a hungover belly I am not sure if it was the greatest idea! At the base of it was another emerald green lake. We swam with catfish and turtles...loads of fun!

That night was another late night at the Dingo bar. The girls and I played drinking games... they have the f*ck game in England too! Only the words are slightly different... made me think of you Phi Siggers! That night the sky was clear as could be, not one cloud. It made for the most spectacular sky... we saw every possible star you could ever imagine. The milky way and Venus were visible with bare eyes! As we were appreciating the enormity of it all, we saw a shooting star!

Loads more happened, but I fear I have left this blog asstray and have too much to catch up on... so I will leave Fraser Island at that. By far it is one of my favorite places on earth... but I have so much more to see! Next stop was Airley beach and the Whitsundays... I need more time to write about that... stay tuned!

beautiful men, healthy food and the sun...

... what more could a girl ask for?

Today was incredible. I woke up and went for a 3 hour kayak trip in the ocean... with dolphins! It was so cool that I was totally like a little girl, so giddy and excited to see them swimming freely! I got paired up with this hot guy from Belgium. We tipped over... the waves were getting intense towards the end of the trip. It was very cool though. The water is so clean and clear. Form a far it looks turquoise but when you are in it you can see to the bottom! The sand is powdery white and feels heavenly on your feet. It reminds me a lot of the beaches in Aruba. The sand makes a cool squeaking noise when you step in it... reminded me of my mom... for some reason I think she would like the noise too!

More importantly, I made friends! I two girls from Ireland, a dude from Holland and some British dudes. The girls and I had lunch and are now off to meet the boys on the beach. Tonight everyone is planning on going to a cheesy bar called Cheeky Monkeys... i am sure you can imagine what that will be like.

Tomorrow I am off to Hervey bay... but I wont really have time there. I get in tomorrow night and I am off in the morning for a three day trip to Fraser island.

It really is amazing how many backpackers there are here. Everyone is just about meeting friends and new people. It is amazing how helpful everyone is... hearing their stories makes this trip seem ordinary.

The town I am in as I said before is filled with hippies. It is pretty funny. They have free barbeque's and dudes sit on the side walk playing drums or acoustic guitar with hats out for cash... it's pretty ridiculous but fun none the less. There are a lot of holistic centers, health food stores... and colon draining... ewww! it is an intresting mix of surfers, backpackers and hippies... all sort of become one.

I have to say I really have never seen so many beautiful men in all of my life- it is astounding and I like it! cheers...

Byron Bay

Here I am in hippy town Byron bay... after a 14 hour bus trip which is like nothingn to me now. This is the first time I really feel like I am on my own and its really up to me to make friends and such... I am up for the challenge. I met a really nice woman on the bus, but she was headed further up north- but from what I hear you cross paths with people all the time... seeing them in different countries and such.

The weather is amazing... very hot! Can't wait to hit the beach. I am goign to try to swim with dolphins tomorrow... though i don't know if it is too late to sign up,we shall see. These next two days are really the only two not planned- after that I really have a set itenerary with activites planned already.

I have to add in, MS. Kat Wolf-Leger brought to my attention that I forgot about the Boston aquarium which is quite good too. I think it falls short of NY, like it does in every other aspect- ie. baseball (I hear Randy's out and Andy's back... woo hoo!!!!). So Boston gets the # 3 slot with Sydney in as #4.

That's it for now... nothing much on this front... other than you really should see me backpacking... it's pretty funny... never ever would I have dreamed it being me!

Coogee Cafe

Good morning! I am gearing up to do a 3 hour walk to Bondi beach and back from Coogee beach. Should be a nice morning as the weather is even nicer than yesterday! I went to a cafe for my morning coffee and inquired about an iced coffee. "Of course we have iced coffee, the very best in Coogee" he says. Well my friends here is a cultural difference. Iced coffee here is espresso with ice cream and whipped cream. We sorted out the difference before I was stuck with that calorie monster... They just couldn't understand cold coffee... but they have named this morning treat after me... our American Iced coffee is now a Sweet Gianna... they had never heard of a such a thing before! Got to love these differences!

Which brings to mind my lactose intolerance (yes it would have been disastrous for all if i had consumed their version of an iced coffee) but the story is that in Argentina I had a heavenly ice cream and was okay! Strange... I can consume the dairy in Argentina. I tested the waters (the cheese) in Brazil... but not such a good idea. Clair, we should move to Argentina!

All smiles in Sydney

Here I am in sunny Sydney, Australia and I am loving every minute of it! The city itself is a cross between Boston, Beunos Aires and San Diego... a strange mix, yes, but indeed true. Yesterday I freely walked around, no map in hand just a point in the right direction and off I was to see some of what Sydney has to offer.

I first lunched al fresco with Ben's friends Ian and Ali. A nice first introduction and I look forward to dinner and drinks with these Brits tonight. I was then off to the harbor for a little ferry ride. I saw the Sydney opera house but opted not to do a tour. I stumbled on the Chinese gardens which were okay, but nothing to really blog about. However worthy of making it in here would be the stupid Americans (we really do stand out)that PAID to dress up in traditional Chinese gear and have their photo taken amidst the garden. Please think back to when you were 8 years old and went to Disney or six flags and dressed in old western gear for a picture... same thing. Only this was a couple on what I assume was their honeymoon. They looked ridiculous, but it made the trip to the gardens worth the 6 dollar entry fee for the laugh alone. Along those same lines, there was a couple in traditional Irish clothing taking pictures... what are these people thinking?! Whatever they were thinking- glad they did... laughing at other people's expense can be fun at times and okay...this was one of those times!

I then wanted to visit the Aquarium which supposedly is one of the best in the world. I will begin by saying I love aquariums and will go to one whenever possible. On my way over I walked straight into the Imax theater which was featuring a documentary- the Deep Blue in 3D!!! It was narrated by Johnny Depp and some famous chick, but who cares... mmmm Johnny Depp. I have to tell you I was the most impressed and excited person in that theater! Wow has 3D imagery come so far... I was "oooing and aaahing" the whole time... the only one mind you. But I must give props to the little girl two rows ahead of me she actually tried to touch some of the images above and in front of her (I so wanted to too!). The old couple beside me laughed at my excitement, i guess it was a moment of laughing at another's expense to them, hey I had it coming. Don't let that fool you though, in no way did I let them burst my bubble... I was totally impressed by the 3D movie... fish were coming straight for me, jelly fish were bubbling all around me and Johnny Depp was all over me! No.. but that would have made it REALLY cool. What a perfect way to get psyched for the aquarium! I was off...

The really cool thing about the aquarium was the walkway where sharks swim over you. The Baltimore Aquarium only has the wall tanks, this had you in a tube, very cool. But I have to say that was really the only highlight. I was disappointed. I would rate this aquarium #3 on my list with Baltimore #1, NY a close second and Washington DC coming dead last- even below the Petco in Union Square!

I have done more in one day than my whole time in Brazil. It feels great to move around again and to be in a city where I don't fear my life. Don't get me wrong I had a blast in Brazil, but it was a very different experience. Tomorrow I am off to travel up the East Coast of Australia. That's right kids, THE GI is going backpacking- staying in hostils and all! I am headed to Byron Bay, Fraser island, Hervey, Airley, A 3 day SAILING TRIP in Whitsunday, Cairns, Cape tribulation, a horseback ride in the rainforest and a Kayak trip around the reef in Cairns. I am then off to Melbourne for a week- but might travel around down there. I have jam packed my itinerary and I am super excited!!!! I should have some great stories... so check in often!
I am also thinking about doing a cruise around some of the french Polynesian islands... wanted to go to Fiji but they are having some political issues right now...

Qantas Airlines

This deserves a blog entry of its own. I travelled from Rio to Sydney via Sao Paulo, Miami and LA. Don't ask... it was 42 hours of complete exhaustion and delirium.

After not getting any sleep the night before my 7am hotel departure- I didn't set myself up for an easy travel experience. I had to fly to SP and spend 12 hours in the airport before my next flight. Brazil is infamous for cancelling and delaying flights for no reason at all, so I could not chance taking a later flight. My flight was delayed, but not by much.

I wont bore you with my zombie like experience and to be quite honest I don't really remember it. What I do remember is my last flight. LA to Sydney on Qantas... my new favorite airline. My word! It was great. The DTV's were amazing.. I watched Little Miss Sunshine, Love Actually, October Sky and the start of a couple of other doozies. Point is they had so much to choose from! Now onto the food... it was better than any meal I ate in Brazil! My one gripe is that they bring too much food around... I was a stuffed lil' piggie, but I bet that helped put me to sleep! The fligth attendants were the sweetest and most cheerful... Fly Qantas! and PS... American Airlines was the worst...

I am now in SYDNEY... so excited! I am feeling quite off today... so I am going to do the walk from Congee Beach where I am staying to Bondi Beach. Also going to a travel agent about making some arrangements... promise to write more often!

I have been neglectful, my day cruise and NYE

My dear blog readers I do apologize for keeping you hanging for so long it´s just that I have been living a very unhealthy lifestyle in Rio and by unhealthy I mean fun as hell. Where do I begin...

Firstly, I will say that I am very disappointed that no one as asked me about the rotisserie chicken. I really can´t write it on here and I am dying to share it with someone- perhaps I will add it to my NC-17 edition.

Now onto other things such as the weather which just about stunk up until my last day. Can you believe I was not able to have one day at the beach because of all the rain. This NEVER happens in Rio... my friends joked that there is a black cloud following me on this trip... but I beg to differ!

I will admit I was feeling a little blue with the disappointment of not being able to travel up north- had I planned poorly or was it really due to New Years vacation book-ups, crappy weather and too much boozin´?! I decided to treat myself to a hotel room for my last three days. I had a BLAST with Angela for all of the reasons I had explained before but was ready for a little privacy as I am sure she was to. I booked myself on the Copacabana beach in hopes of some sunny weather and beach time! On the day of my hotel arrival- no sun. Angela, her friend and I stumbled upon a restaurant to lunch in. (Buffet- so not a fan of the food in Rio, its all frozen and re-heated). We later window shopped for a few minutes and please keep in mind the mood that I had been feeling, basically like the weather. All of a sudden a man's tshirt grabbed my eye. IT COULDN´T BE... it was like seeing a ghost!

I thought I was seeing things and was going to let the moment pass as either a crazy coincidence or me hallucinating. But in that split second, what I had seen really sunk in. The man was wearing a MONDO CANE BLUES BAR tshirt- "Where Every day is New Years Eve". For those of you that don´t know, that was my fathers bar. We closed it 10 years ago. This Brazilian man made the shirt himself by scanning in a flier from the place- which he used to go to many times on his travels to NY. He just happened to be wearing it on the day I am in that neighborhood, on the very same street corner as me at the very same time. If that is not a sign of my dad being around me... well maybe this is...

Feeling overwhelmed with joy and finally being at peace with my decisions (I was sure I was on the right track now) I was sitting in my room alone. I browsed the menu for some room service, still thinking about what had just happened. The menu like all of the other food in Brazil seemed fried, frozen and unhealthy. I saw Chicken Parm on the menu... but it was spelled ParmiGIANNA. Now you're thinking no big deal an extra N to spell my name and misspell that culinary delight, but my dear friends, this was a big joke between my dad and I. As a kid, for very many years I would beg him to change the menu's at the restaurants to this spelling. I wanted a dish named after me and to an 8 year old this seemed so clever- perhaps I should have given up at 15... but clearly it was a great idea! This was the only typo on the menu... and once again made me feel a greater presence around me.

One more sign or delusion... on my last full day in Rio I booked a day excursion- a boat ride to some islands of the coast. Rain or shine... I needed to see something Brazil had to offer other than a great night life! I woke up and to my surprise the sun was shining through some clouds... but it was visible for the first time in days! I boarded the bus very early in the morning and we were off to a town about an hour and half away from Rio to board a 'cruise'. Well when we got there the boat was a crickety crackety old thing. It reminded me of old fishing boats in Sicily. What charm though! They packed about 30 of us on this boat and we were off! There were lavish green islands all around us. It truly was beautiful and I finally felt like I was seeing some of Brazil's rich land.

There was a three man band on the boat; you know with a hand drum and some other crazy hand held instruments. The very first song they sang was Volare... an Italian song my dad used to sing all the time. The band only sang about 8 songs the whole time, this being the first and only non Brazilian song. Strange! So once again I felt like I had my dad and my Uncle's around me. I barely ever feel their presence and this was three things in less than 48 hours... it freaked me out in a good way!

Back to the island cruise... we were to dock at an island for a half hour of swimming, re board and then off to another island for a typical Brazilian lunch. amidst all the surrounding beauty, clearly was the water we were flowing through. It was a rich green color; never had I seen water that color before. As I was lost in thought gazing at the water, enjoying the scenery, serenity and breeze I saw the most enormous jelly fish in my entire life. I kid you not this thing was the size of my head...bigger! I couldn't believe it... and there were tons! As soon as I saw the first one, 20 more seemed to appear! We soon docked the boat... or just stopped about 200 meters from a tiny sandy area and were told we could jump off the boat for swimming...this was stop 1. So much for tanning... there was no way I was going to jump out of this boat, in the abnormally sized Jelly Fish infested water. Their tentacles were longer than my hair! So I sat in the boat and laughed to myself about yet another wacky mis-adventure I was on. I had hope for island two though, after all we were having lunch there.

Off we were and on to the second stop. We docked at yet another tiny sand splotch of a beach. The water had a very odd orange liquid floating in it, still a mystery, in addition to the massive Jelly Fish. We seemed to come to an abandoned hotel. The island was all rich green forest- a beautiful mountain of green. You can only develop on the very little coast, in this case it was only a block long if that. So, this hotel seemed to be the only human presence on the island. The hotel could be nice, it probably once was. But it was abandoned. The pool had about 2 feet of yellowish green water... some other liquid came to mind... not water and not lemon lime Gatorade! People actually got in it. I felt like I was in the twiligth zone... where was I and who were these crazy people around me not fazed by the obscurities that were all around us!

Lunch was surprisingly delicious. It was the best meal I had in Brazil. I ate with a very sweet Argentine couple who had the same sentiments as I about this experience. We laughed alot. If anything this cruise was worth it for the entertainment factor alone.

That night, my last night in Brazil I went out with Angela, Diego and Diogo. It was a great last night... we were up all night as many of our other nights in Rio.

Back tracking to New Years Eve...

We went to the famous Copacabana beach for the celebration. unfortunately I did not get to meet up with Sjoerd who was also there, but I had a blast. We were at a party filled with friends of Angela's and their family. It was a very nice intimate gathering. They hired a staff so our glasses were never empty, there was food (but we all know how I feel about Brazilian food at this point) and lots of Samba. I got to practice though I wasn't as good as the last time- but I still danced my heart out and had a blast! Like every great family gathering there was a letch of an uncle- and me being the token American, he was hooked. He barely spoke English and what he did speak was dirty! It was all in good drunken uncle letchy fun.

We walked to the beach for midnight and watched a beautiful fireworks show (no Macy's 4th of July though). We were among two million people bringing in the New Year on the beach- plenty of music, booze and beautiful people! It was great fun but very crowded so we headed back to the party about an hour after. I got to speak with the fam and friends in NY though... and that was what really made my night!