OOPS!

My new friend. 

So I have arrived at my new host's home. It is lovely and their 3 year old son is so energetic. I haven't done much traveling around the area yet as I got here just two days ago. And thank goodness I haven't been out and about spending money. I spent most of the day yesterday applying for jobs and today I looked at some apartments and did some more job searching. 

While looking for apartments I realized I didn't really know how much money I have in my bank account. Well, I should have been paying more attention because I found out today that I have just over $300AUD to my name. turns out i've been spending a LOT on gas money. I do love to drive but it is so expensive here!! Here is to hoping I get a job and soon. 

While its crazy to think that all I have is $300 and a car it is not as scary as one would think. I just need to speed up the process of getting a job and be careful what I do for the next few weeks. 

"She was a 'wanderess.' Thus, she didn't care about money, only experiences - whether they came from wealth or from poverty, it was all the same to her." -Roman Payne, The Wanderess    

It doesn't matter how much something costs it is the experience and adventure and if you learned something new that matters. I will have to keep this in mind for a while so I can save up for more road trips and some adventures that do cost money. 

Food!

     There are two groups of people in this world: those who eat to live and those who live to eat.
     Those who eat to live have no passion for food. The idea of eating pasta with meat sauce and veggies for three nights in a row has no effect on them. It is healthy and fills a void, what could be wrong with that. Rainy days you weather through eat the same as usual and maybe read a book. To them spicy is just spicy. There aren't variations of spicy and seasonings are extras you don't need it's fine if it comes mixed in a packet. To those who eat to live, having a chicken sandwich for lunch is perfectly fine and snacks are for getting fat. What is the purpose of snacks?
     To those who live to eat, snacks are a way of life. They are delicious morsels that hold one over until the next meal. A chicken sandwich every day is not fine, although it may be considered a challenge.  A challenge to figure out all of the different ways to make this sandwich and not get bored with the same taste. Seasoning are unique and each one has its own qualities to flavor a meal. Spicy has multiple levels and variations and having the exact same pasta dish multiple days in a row would be inconceivable. Rainy days are ideal for a cooking/baking day where one might heat up the house trying new things or making a favorite dish then sitting down with a book and slowly enjoy the fruits of one's labors. Those who live to eat have a great passion for food.
     The house I am helpx - ing  at is loving. It is located perfectly. It's near Sydney but not so close that one feels stuck in the city. The people are so kind and caring. The issue is they eat to live and I live to eat. Oh snacks how I miss you and I really, really, really want to bake cookies right now!

"Pull up a chair. Take a taste. Come join us. Life is so endlessly delicious." - Ruth Reichl     This speaks to me. I love food and life. They are both so full of new possible experiences. Life and food bring people together.

On The Road pt. IV

The Blue Mountains

Driving through the Blue Mountains was lovely and I found a nice campsite for free. Just after pulling in and eating dinner it started to poor. So I hunkered down and read till dark and just enjoyed the atmosphere before going to bed. In the morning I went to the Information center where the lady was very helpful showing me great places to hike at an easy level. The hikes were beautiful but there were SO MANY STAIRS that my legs tired out quickly. After a long morning of hiking I decided to try out another free campsite down the road. There I met a nice Turkish man.  He lives out of his van, makes his own yogurt, collects rain water for drinking, uses the river to wash and makes his own bread. It sounded very interesting but certainly not the lifestyle for me. 

While setting up camp for the night a huge storm rolled in and I experienced what was probably one of the biggest rainstorms I've been in. The raindrops were the size of large bird droppings and the lightning and thunder seemed to last all night. The rain even seeped into the bottom of my car door a bit and got my sleeping bag wet. Thankfully only a little spot. next day you would have never guessed that there had been a storm and I drove around a bit before heading down the mountain and to my Helpx in Hornsby. 

 

    "Travel makes one modest. You see what a tiny place you occupy in the world."-Gustave Flaubert

In that storm I felt immensely tiny and was very glad that there were others camping nearby to know I wasn't alone in my tinyness. 

Moving on.

     So. Unfortunately I have had to move from Margaret and Geoff's. They have a lovely girl from mexico coming to stay with them and it is time for me to move on. Thankfully Geoff introduced me to Ian and Susa who I will be staying with to be a trial run for them. They want to try out Helpx and see how it goes (I hope I represent us Helpx-ers well).  They have toddler twins that are adorable but a handful. With Ian and Susa I will be helping clean the boat I worked on the other day, cleaning out their garage and some other smaller things.  
     The day before Geoff, Margaret, the rest of the boys and I went to Noosa National park to surf for the day. I can now say that I have jumped off Flat Rock and into Boiling Pot. Apparently this is something big in the surf world or at least here in Noosa. It was lots of fun, I am slowly getting better and it is always enjoyable to watch everyone surfing. 

Me paddling out.

At peace with the waves...             or whatever.

Waiting to catch a wave.

After a good crash. 

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the things you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sail. Explore. Dream. Discover." -Mark Twain  

I most certainly am not disappointed in my efforts to surf though it is slow going. And even the mistakes I am making along the way, and there are plenty of those, I am learning so much.

This weeks update

the kangaroos are behind the cows

     Surfing wise I haven't gotten very far. I've been out a total of three times. 1st time I did ok. 2nd time I stood up. 3rd time the waves were huge, the current strong, and my arms were weak. I paddled out as much as I could but I knew I wouldn't make it out and back to shore without hurting myself.  I think the best part of that day was the dog I met. I seem to really miss how back home we have pets everywhere. 

     I FINALLY got my bank account sorted out. Many thanks to my parents for that.  Who knew that in this day and age my bank in the states couldn't transfer money to an overseas account.  It's crazy! The solution turned out to be sort of easy.  I just got a cash advance from my US card to my AU account.  Not to bad but the banks don't seem to want to work together. I was in the bank so much all the employees began to recognize me even over the phone!

     I'm still car shopping. I'll write a post about that when it is all done. Or maybe I will just write a book it seems to be so difficult and taking so long.

     I got a job! It is just for a few days while I am still in Noosa but a bit extra money is nice.   I went with Geoff to one of his skipper jobs to take a ride up the river on a Dinner cruise boat. When the owner found out I was a waitress he offered me a job to cover for one of his waitress. How could I say no? The boat is nice, the river is beautiful and I could definitely use some cash. So I showed up two days later for my shift and my new boss showed me a bit behind the bar and in the kitchen. We set up for the party (a late afternoon cruise) and got to work. For a first day it went great. Everyone was nice and cheerful. I work again tonight with a bigger party and other staff. We will see how it goes. I'm nervous as usual when doing something new.

"Not all those who wander are lost" -JRR Tolkien
It may be that not everyone who wanders is lost, but I often am.

Its hard to write a lot.

  It is hard to keep this blog up. The last thing I want to do while I am enjoying myself and having lots of fun is sit down and write. I really dislike writing but this will be nice to look back later and remember my travels. It's also great because I can keep my family up to date on what I'm doing and not annoy people with it on other forms of social media. So I will start now on what Ive been doing while slacking on this blog. 
     So. Since I got here I have been struggling to get my phone working. At first it was fighting with AT&T to unlock my phone like they were supposed to have done before I left the US. Finally getting that done I moved on to activating my pay as you go sim card. That they want you to have a telephone number to set up....     Hello! Im trying to GET a telephone number how am I supposed to provide them with one!! I will need to go into town and go to an actual store and set it up. 
     A few days ago I decided it would be nice to get a 4x4 car to get around in instead of going around on transportation. This requires a bank account. I was going to get one anyways but it wasn't an immediate need. Now wanting a car it is.  WELL, apparently you also need a phone number to register your bank account. This is just wonderful and makes no sense to me. I need to go in and talk to my new Australian bank. 
     Buying a car is as difficult as buying a car sounds. It's hard so far I have found a lot  I like but they are overpriced for not having registration and a RWC ( means that the car is safe to drive). 
     On to the fun stuff!! All around town here are little art displays for the art festival going on.
    I am learning to surf, I actually stood up!! 
 On tuesday I made burritos for my HelpX hosts and it was fun. Then on thursday I made quesadillas for them with the leftovers from burrito night. To my shock and horror they had never had nor heard of quesadillas. So I had to explain what  a quesadilla was and how to eat them. Australia really has very little Mexican food and to a Californian this is extremely strange as Mexican is a big part of our diet. 

"An adventure without risk is Disneyland"- Doug Coupland
Disneyland a dream land but this is real adventure.

Im a Poor Planner

   

The other day I went with the guys to watch them surf and take pictures. Unfortunately it is school holidays here and so the beaches are very crowded. So crowded in fact that it was extremely difficult to keep track of who was who in the crowd. I also am not very good a photography and thus didn't get a single decent picture out of hundreds. 
     On the way back from surfing the guys have a tradition of stoping at 7/11 for coffee. Me not being a coffee drinker I got a doughnut. Well I tried to get a doughnut. A couple of days into the trip and my credit card company randomly decided to shut my card down so it got declined and that was plenty embarrassing because I knew that I had plenty of credit left on it. Thankfully it was a quick fix and all that I had to do was hit a button on an email they sent me. Would have been nice if Capital One had paid attention to the travel notice I gave them ahead of time. 
     Australian Rugby league is big here and that night we watched the Broncos vs Roosters. I think it was a lot more exciting than American football. It was actually kind of fun to watch, unlike football lol.

"A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving" -Lao Tzu
I do have a few fixed plans and I am intent on getting there (or I will let my hosts down) and I am by no means a good traveler but I hope to become one some day.

DI

Double Island

     The other morning I went with Geoff, Jake, Nemo's girlfriend and another friend to Double Island point to try and catch some surf and avoid the Holliday tourists that hang out in Noosa. The way out there you have to take a ferry then drive in a 4x4 through deep sand along the shore. along the way we saw a huge turtle had washed ashore and we tried to save it. Unfortunately we think it was sick and couldn't swim back and/or we got to it too late and it was just too tired. We continued on as a lifeguard truck pulled up. 

     

Trying to help out the turtle.

 As we arrived to our destination tide was coming in and we set up a spot to enjoy the view and make some food. The boys went out to try and surf (turned out not much to surf on). Meanwhile Jake's GF and I got bored and hungry and decided to try and make some food. We ended up with ramen noodles in a chicken and creamed corn soup; wasn't too bad. A bit later as the boys headed back in Geoff started making food for everyone and some tea. (the amount of tea and coffee everyone here drinks is astounding) 

     As camping there is NOT allowed we did not go camping. We stayed on the beach late into the night and just happened to be there as the sun rose as well. I "napped"/slept in a swag for the first time. I had never even hear of one before. It is like an awesome mix of sleeping bag, tent, and camping mattress rolled into one! 

     In the morning we drove around to find a nice place to try and surf to no avail. Instead we pulled up and made a sandy breakfast in the wind of poorly cut bacon, eggs, bread and more sand. (caution punny joke ahead ->)   It was a Sandywich. lol  

    We then went on a walk to a place they call Spooky's for its notoriety as being sharky. yikes! But it was a truly beautiful spot. After that it was home we went. 

Spooky's

Lots of fun,

     Sami

"Don't worry about the world ending today, it's already tomorrow in Australia" - Charles M. Schulz

Well then, what about those of us in Australia Mr. Schulz? 

A Surfing First!

   

Geoff  and Raff took me out to go surfing at Granite, well they surfed and I got to attempt it. 

     The first thing I learned was that the boards are very light for how large they are. 

     The second thing I learned is that the boards are actually quite heavy. It may be light as a feather at first but carrying that board ~5k uphill in bare feet then climbing down the side of a cliff the board seems to just get heavier and heavier as you go. Carrying it back it was even heavier.

     Then Geoff taught me how to use the leg leash and off we went! (I am right handed but board left foot back, apparently this is strange) Paddling out wasn't too hard one you get past the breaking waves. Out there I got to practice sitting up and paddling around trying to stay out of everyone's way. As I got better at that, Geoff said I should try and catch a wave just laying on the board. That attempt sort of failed as will happen with beginners. I totally ate wave and flipped end over end than got ran over at least by my board and maybe Raff. All the joys of learning to surf. I then paddled back out to wait another try. Getting board paddling around and sitting watching the guys I started watching for fish and turtles. There was even some dolphins in the distance.  If you get sea sick I don't recommend doing watching the sea-life and getting distracted. Sad to say I am the first anyone at this house has heard of getting sea sick on a board. I was good enough not to fall off and roll with the waves but I AM lame enough to get sea sick. It was cool watching the fish trying to eat the jellyfish though!  So feeling a bit nauseous I went back to shore to watch the guys finish their surf and back home we went after the obligatory 7/11 run for coffee.

"I never travel without my diary. One should always have something sensational to read in the train" -Oscar Wilde

Australia day 2

Got Lucky!!

     Monday I was getting morning chores out of the way when I overheard Margaret on the phone talking to someone about passport and cards. This got my hopes up. When she hung up Margaret told me the great news: someone found my lost purse!! It had been turned into Woolworth's. On the way back from picking up my purse Geoff let me try and drive his 4x4 on the (left side) road for the first time. It was so discombobulating. 

     I was just starting to get used to the feel of driving on the other side of the road when Geoff started yelling at me to pull over. I was seriousely concerned that I had commited some seriouse offence. So I pulled over and hopped out when Geoff said "follow me, I wanna show you something" *in australian accent*. So we walked a ways down the road when we see a HUGE (3m?) carpet snake slowly crossing the road. Geoff was brave, grabbed it by the tail and pulled it off the road so it wouldn't get run over. 

       

     Later helping out with dinner, Margaret pointed out this beautiful turkey with a bright yellow and red head. turns out latter that they  are everywhere. I don't feel so bad now not getting a picture of it.

Lots of fun,

     Sami

"The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page" St. Augustine

Day 1 fail

Day one in Australia and Ive already messed up.

     So before I left I set up a Homestay* near Noosa Heads. I was very nervous as I had never met these people before and I was to wait for them to show up where the bus had dropped me off.   Thankfully after stalking them on Facebook throughly I recognized them pull up minutes after arriving at the bus drop off. Unfortunately in my nervousness I left my small purse on the bench (had my passport and credit cards in it). I realized my mistake as soon as we got to their house and felt like a true nincompoop. What a great way to make a first impression!! Geoff and Margaret were extremely kind and understanding and Geoff gave me a ride back and helped me search everywhere to no avail. Needless to say I was stressing. Geoff helped me make a police report but as this was a Sunday it was likely that if someone picked up my purse to turn it he/she would wait till Monday. So. no use worrying till Tuesday if I couldn't find it till then. 

"Take only memories, leave only footprints." -Chief Seattle and my mom

I chose this quote to remind the reader that leaving anything but footprints may be harmful to the environment.   Just kidding. Don't leave your passport and/or wallet. I found mine and am so glad I do not have to go through the hassle to get new copies of it all when out of the country.

*stay at a person/s home in exchange for work set up through sites such as Helpx.net 

Catching ZZZ's

Fiji

After an exhausting day in Hawaii I headed to the airport with two carry-ons in my bikini and coverup. I was expecting to get through check in no problem then, go into the restroom and clean up and change and rearrange my luggage. Well...    my duffle (carry-on according to Alaska Air) was too big and I had to check it in. thus I had to speedily change all I could to my backpack and such while everyone wanted to get the line moving again. Needless to say I forgot some stuff (like underwear). 

Making it through the line I headed for the bathroom and changed best as I could out of my swimwear. Then I headed for the sink and mirror to clean up from the beach best as I could.  If mirrors cracked from ugly sights like the kids joke this mirror would have been in millions of pieces. I had to double take my hair was such a mess! After cleaning up I headed to the gate to wait. Plane came at 2am finally and it was a long flight but not too bad. 

I made it to the Hotel in Fiji about 10:30 am and slept from there. Everyone in Fiji is so incredibly nice and it is such a beautiful country that I am sad to say that I slept most of the day except for meals. 

Next morning I left the hotel at 5am for my flight so unfortunately no pictures were taken the whole time I was there. If I could fire myself I would. 

Plane flight to Brisbane was alright, made nicer by a women traveling like me but coming from Alaska and meeting up with friends.

"Oh the places you'll go" -Dr. Seuss

Hawaii

   

The Inn I stayed at was a lot more sketchy than this picture makes it look. Filters can do amazing things!

  I'm sitting at the airport waiting. Waiting means lots of thinking and facebooking and there are all sorts of things I would like to post; I highly dislike it when people constantly post, especially on vacation.  So in order to remedy this I have decided to create a blog! Just so the reader (probably just my family) knows this is day two. If I were smart (wish I was) I would have started yesterday on this. I would have also remembered that as a solo traveler I can't sunscreen my back.

Wild Chickens!

Rooster wants to ride the waves.

After making it to the other side of Diamondhead rd. there was a pretty rainbow. 

Should have known the clouds and rainbow meant the next minute I had to run for cover it was pouring and I got drenched

   That last sentence is what led me to all this really. The bliss of taking my backpack off of my sunburn that had the knot of my swimsuit rubbing into my sunburned back after walking the Diamond head rd. and back was wonderful.  And thank goodness for buses even IF they are very confusing to a public transit beginner. 

    O'ahu is beautiful, Waikiki is beautiful, the whole beach and area out of the CBD is beautiful, the birds and wildlife are gorgeous even the wild chickens.  I wish I had gone to the Pearl Harbor Memorial but hey, one more reason to come back! After just over 24 hrs I got lots of pretty pictures and when I come back I hope someone/s will be there to share in the fun and maybe sunscreen my back.

Lots of fun,
     Sami

 
“The gladdest moment in human life, me thinks, is a departure into unknown lands.” – Sir Richard Burton

Ps. Mom should be proud I used my hat, sunglasses, and sunscreen everywhere I could reach. I'm making progress already!