Category: Travel

Hervey Bay, Australia

February 15, 2011

We’re in the little beach town of Hervey Bay at a lovely, quiet hostel across the street from the beach. Kids are out exploring and I am enjoying a much needed moment to myself with my book (“The Secret the Power”), cup of java and computer. Luckily we don’t have internet right now as that would steal my time from me for sure! I am reading about Gratitude and how the more you express it, the more you feel it and how it doubles everything in your life to be grateful for. I love the reminder. Years ago, when Julian was a baby, I read that each morning you should start the day with a mental list of 10 things to be grateful for, and to really feel it. I have practiced that since and I believe it is one of the practices that helped me fall in love with life.

It appeared, yesterday, that we hit a block and had made a wrong choice. Thank you Julian and Nick, for stepping up and reminding me that it was all ok and we were still going to have a good time! We had the idea that we wanted to visit a place called “Frasier Island”, as we have read so much about how beautiful it was and that you could go sand boarding there. We left the farm yesterday around noon to head in the direction of the island, six hour drive, got here and realized it would cost $740 for the group to go for the day! On the internet we had checked out taking the car, as it has a “car ferry price” listed, but it didn’t exactly say that your car had to be 4 wheel drive and that you had to rent it from them at $170 for the day. Anyway, we weighed out every possible option and came to the conclusion that we could live without seeing Frasier Island. It was dark by the time we drove to this little town and found a hostel. Turns out to be a great little town! The hostel has kayaks too, for $5 for the entire day! We’ll be here for another night. I got up this morning and Nick had already been up and done everyone’s laundry! He even hung it on the clothes line all nice and straight! Nick is a great team player.

We’ll sit with the map later and see what other sort of “changes” we may need to make. We are definitely learning “all the time” and most of all learning to “go with the flow”!

It was hard to leave the farm. In such a short time, we became so close to the family. I love getting to that level quickly with someone and knowing they have touched my life, and vice versa. The night before we left there was a party on the “ant hill”; which is the highest point on the property with a great view of the meadow below and the sunset. There were about ten other farming families with adjoining farms. It was a potluck. Everyone also brought beef sausages to grill. They all loved the Florida travelers and were curious about our experiences. I met another traveler who was working on one of the farms. He was interesting. He was Dutch, about 25 years old, and has been traveling for two years. He said he never liked school and after a few years at University (Uni they call it here), he woke up one day and admitted that he “still didn’t like it”, dropped out, got a visa and left. He has read all the inspirational books I’ve read and his intention in life is to live everyday in the present moment. He says he wants to “live his life” not just “do” something as a means to an end. Life happens all the time, right, and every moment is to be treasured.

Farming in the Bush (Australia)

February 12, 2011

We’re on day three of farm work in the bush! We’re two hours from the closest town. Tonight they served us a traditional Australian meal of Lamb Roast, roasted vegetables, Pavlova for dessert, and a delicious Australian red wine. The farm is a certified organic cattle farm. During the recent storms in Brisbane, the river flooded and the entire property was a lake for six weeks. The family moved back a week before we got here. Fences are down, grass and garden is dead, and house was inundated with bugs, dirt, and an invasion of mice. We came at just the right time! The kids have been in the pastures every day with Rodger (dad), doing all sorts of farm work and I have been helping mom with kids and getting the house back in order. I consider it post partum doula work. The kids are (almost) two, and three and a half and mom is still adjusting to motherhood and farm life, after a career as a Family Practitioner. Life on a farm isn’t as glamorous as some make it out to be, for sure. You are completely at the mercy of Mother Nature! Two years ago they suffered from a draught, last spring they were stuck in the house for three weeks from the river flooding overnight and they couldn’t get out, and now it happened again for six weeks.

They are very grateful to have us here. I am very grateful to be here! When I see the interaction between Rodger and the kids, and hear the stories each evening of what he shared with them, and what they helped with for the day, I feel like it’s the best education ever! It’s more than an education; it’s an inspiration for them. They are working with a man that loves what he does and is as interested in them and what they want as they are in him.

It is beautiful here! Australia has as many birds as South America and there is always a flock singing their songs. The Magpie is definitely my favorite; their song sounds like a flute. Something I have noticed about a lot of the birds is that they are very people friendly, even though there’s no one out here to be feeding them. When they’re on the hunt, you can walk very close by and they don’t flinch. There are also tons of insects! At night it’s loud with crickets, frogs, and what have you. On the night that we drove in (2 hours drive!), it was around 9:00 and we hit a few places where there were cows sleeping in the road! Lol! They would be slightly startled by the car, get up, and then stand there and stare at us. It was hilarious! There was a bull that was directly in front of the hood having a standoff with the car. It took a while to get around them; then the calves were in the road and ran in front of us trying to get away, rather than running off the road!

The kids are seeing kangaroos on a regular basis out on the farm. They are very fun to watch. They use their hands/paws on their front little legs to hold onto plants when they eat them. There are savannah monitors all around the property and the birds love to tantalize them. Eliot has tried his hand at catching one but hasn’t been quick enough. He’s getting his fill of riding an ATV once again! He’s also working as long and hard as the others and not complaining; that’s a good sign for sure!

Here at the farm, they have guest quarters in a separate little “cottage” (sort of). There are two rooms and a bathroom. One room is a bedroom for Sadie and I. The other room has a small kitchen, table, and bunk beds and a trundle. The boys sleep there. We have a deck, outside table, and camp stove for cooking on. It’s as close to camping as I’ll get while here. I wanted to camp but don’t have the equipment.

So, it’s off to work every day at 8:00, home around 5:30, dinner, and then play cards until bedtime around 10:00. There are breaks for “morning tea” and lunch. Kids are fitting in reading also, and swimming down at the river.

We will take a break when we leave here, spend a few days at the beach, then off to another farm!

Australian Outback

February 8, 2011

We’ve been in the “outback” for three days! What an adventure it was getting here! I’ll regress a little……On Saturday, while driving home from hiking the rain forest, Nick and Julian said they would really love to go to the outback. That wasn’t on the agenda at all. We got back to town and started talking to people about exactly where and what was the outback. Turned out, no one really knew. All we got was, “it’s way out west and there’s nothing there”.

We got the map out and picked a place 12 hours out and decided to head out early the next morning. On the way, about 2 hours into the trip we stopped at a bakery for a cup of coffee and the owner told us we better get bread if we wanted it because he was the only supplier for the outback and he had been out of power since Cyclone Yasi. He also sort of “smirked” when we told him where we were going. He seemed to think it was entertaining. We got bread (solid soft white like Eliot likes it!) and headed west. Nick got to get behind the wheel and boy did he love it! We drove for hours, like six, and only saw about three other cars and a few big trucks. We passed through little towns with a population of 60. These towns would be about two hours away from each other, and about the time we thought we were there, we were back out of town. We crossed the Great Dividing Range early in the day. The landscape was hilly at times and very rocky. The first thing of interest we saw were the huge termite, or ant mounds that we’ve all seen on National Geographic. They were everywhere! We saw lots of cattle and it was all a “no fence” zone. We stopped numerous times throughout the day because cattle were meandering across the road. They were so cute! Sometimes they would get to the other side, stop, turn around, and just stare at us. We saw calves too! We hit flat plains that stretched as far as the eye could see. In certain zones, you would have to drive your car through a car wash on the side of the road, to wash away any “seeds” that might be stuck from the previous zone, so as not to spread them. We saw beautiful parrots that were eating road kill. They were large, white, and pink on the chest and under the wings. We drove for six hours and then hit a “road closed” sign. Checked at the local police station, which was inside of a small house, and he said it was closed due to flooding; we were in the monsoon season! Got out the trusty old map again; boy was that hard for Julian and Nick! They wanted to keep going deeper and deeper into the outback. We discovered we needed to back track about two hours to the closest road big enough to take us south until we could head west again. Did the drive, got to the road heading west again and hit another “road closed” sign……… We talked to a local and she explained about the rainy season and how the roads flooded regularly. We told her what we were looking for and she told us the best place to go that was not flooded and would give us the experience we wanted. Still keeping our spirits up and knowing that it’s all ok, we drove further east and found a room for the night at Charters Towers.

Next day, bright and early, back on the road. Today we were driving on the hottest, flattest land I have ever seen. We stopped sometimes to stretch our legs and the blast of heat when we opened the doors was unbelievable! We couldn’t even open the windows while driving because the heat through the car was too much. We liked it though! It was the Australian Outback! About the time Eliot was feeling like he just couldn’t take the car anymore we decided that on such a long flat desolate road, he could take over the wheel. He drove for about 30 minutes and did a very good job. On the road(s) in the outback, most only have one lane and about four feet of gravel on either side. The roads were designed for cattle “trains” to go through. A cattle train is an 18 wheeler pulling two or three trailers with cattle behind them. It is proper courtesy to pull over and stop when you see one approaching. We saw cattle trains but never another car so we didn’t have to figure out what to do in that instance. As evening approached, we got to see our first actual kangaroo! We saw two or three of them, along with wallabies, dingoes, and lots of beautiful birds including cockatoos! Before leaving the beach, between the rain forest hikes and the boat trip, we did get to see a crocodile, green possums, and a variety of bearded dragon species.

We made it to the town of “Longreach” by afternoon and found a room for the night. Longreach is bigger than any other town we have come across in the last few days but still very small. I can’t really use the word “quaint” to describe any of these towns because they aren’t quaint, but old and homey. The owner of the Longreach motel we are at is a great, friendly Australian. He joined us for part of the meal last night and gave us a thirty minute lecture on Australia. There is a large Barbeque area by the pool and that’s where we are cooking our meals. We decided to stay again tonight while waiting to hear back from farms that we want to work at. In the tree across the street, there are hundreds of white parrots living in it and I can hear them chattering all day! This morning we got up at 6:00 to hike to the river in hopes of seeing kangaroos, but didn’t see any. Damian, from the motel, says in the winter there are literally millions of them here. Most of the locals drive four wheel drives with cattle bars on the front, because in the winter you are very likely to hit a kangaroo on the road at night and with a regular car, the radiator and front of it will be taken out by the hit.

We have farm work lined up for the next few weeks. We’re ready to work and live with some real Australians!

Rainforest and Wallibies (and Cyclone)

February 4, 2011

We survived Cyclone Yasi and are back on track! We ended up being awakened at 6:45am and told to pack up and leave asap as the beachfront was being evacuated. It was kind of tough deciding what to do next; evacuation center or time share high rise for $220 night. We ended up at the time share because we heard the evacuation centers were filling up, and we were told that they had aluminum roofs vs the cement and steel construction of the time share. Safety was definitely the first priority, and also the thought of a very crowded place, sleeping on the hard floor, eating ‘who knows what’, vs a very nice, clean, comfy 2 bedroom time share with three balconies to keep an eye on the storm and an ocean view (it was two blocks away so wasn’t evacuated). We stocked up on food, cooked what we could before losing power (which never happened!), got comfy and lived in luxury for 24 hours! At times during the storm we would go out onto a balcony and the last time, the wind was so strong that we had to duck down and hang on for dear life! There were Magnolia Trees across the street with hundreds of the giant bats swarming around and screeching. I don’t know if that was their normal behavior or if they were confused due to the storm. Very cool to observe! The kids got pics and videos of them. Next morning we decided to rent a car, pack it up with all of our stuff and go driving to the Daintree Rain Forest.

The Daintree Rainforest is a World Heritage Site and this area contains the highest number of plant and animal species that are rare, or threatened with extinction, anywhere in the world. It is said to be the first place for plants to flower and is the oldest rain forest in the world. World Heritage Sites are actual “places” that are endangered and protected by the United Nations. The road getting there was a bit of a mess but the drive was beautiful. Australia is much more scenic than I expected. We got there, took a ferry over the Daintree River, and drove along the windy beach road that goes through the Rain Forest. It is also home to the endangered “Cassowary” and there are 86 of them that live there. The Cassowary is the largest land animal in Australia and is actually a bird. We were the only people we saw that day in the forest. We found a place to hike. The trails were covered with debris from the storm. It was our first “outback” sort of experience and we weren’t sure what to expect! Because of all the talk of poisonous insects, snakes, and so on, we were feeling rather daring. It was very damp, due to being a “Rainforest” and the weather conditions from the Cyclone. We heard birds of every nature and insects. We had numerous “panic” moments when someone would be covered with hundreds of funny looking ants and doing the “ant dance” while knocking them off. There was a vine that was very thin and covered with spiky thorns that both Sadie and I got trapped in and of course we panicked to the point where you would have thought we were being strangled! Lol! With each panic moment we would all end up laughing to the point of tears!

On the way back to Cairns from the Rain Forest we saw Wallabies all along the fields off the road! Wallabies are like small kangaroos and live in Australia. We called them kangaroos because they look just like them and were 3-4 feet tall! We saw so many of them! For Australia it seems as common to see Wallabies as to see Deer in the country in the north in America. That was a real treat! So, Wallabies and giant bats are the two most unusual animals we have seen so far! More to come, I am sure!

We got back to town and checked back in to the hostel. We’ll be here for the next 3 or 4 nights and then we will head south. We’re ready for a real “out back experience”!

Great Barrier Reef

February 1, 2011

Today we went on a boat to the Great Barrier Reef. It was an all day excursion. We took the introductory scuba diving class and were able to scuba dive. We also did hours of snorkeling. It was beautiful and basically looked the same as any other reef I have ever snorkeled on. The crew was entertaining, the buffet lunch was nice, and the wine and cheese and crackers at the end were delightful!

There is a category four cyclone (same as our “hurricane”) expected to make land fall tomorrow! We have been advised to pack everything up before we go to bed tonight as if we were leaving in the morning. We are directly across the street from the beach and may need to be evacuated. Julian thinks we should consider renting our car if we get evacuated and just driving north, out of range of the storm. We’ll have one or our regular “meetings” (lol!) in the morning and decide what to do. It’s interesting being on the “tourist” end of a storm coming. We’re just loving life and relaxing while the residents are in a little bit of a panic about being flooded and having their roofs blown off!

So far, we haven’t seen any dangerous or scary insects or animals in Australia. Before coming here, everyone in New Zealand said things like “why would you want to go there? There are insects everywhere and some that can kill you and it’s so noisy with all their sounds!”. The gigantic bats, which are called “flying squirrels” are the only thing out of the ordinary at this point. It seems that there may be some competitive spirit between the New Zealanders and Australians and whose country is best. The Australians joke about the wimpy country of New Zealand! I think New Zealand is a pristine, peaceful, beautiful country and I do hope to go back some day.

Australia Bound

AUSTRALIA

January 31, 2011

I’m on a flight from Sydney to Cairns, watched the sunrise from the plane at 6:00am and am listening to my “Travel’ CD (thank you Michele and Jordan!)! Life is good! I love traveling and seeing the world and all it’s charm!

We arrived in Sydney yesterday morning and met up with Nick at the airport. Once again, we arrived in a foreign country, with no reservations for travel, no map, or plan of how to get to the hostel. We checked costs of public transportation and it turned out that it was cheaper to rent a car for the night; we were leaving again at 6:00 this morning. We drove straight to the hostel; checked in, and took the free bus around the city. What a cool city! Old, character, charm, artsy, café’s, bars, people everywhere. The waterfront was happening and looks like a great place to be. In the evening, at the park across from our Hostel we saw bats everywhere with a wingspan of about 15 inches! There were three large Magnolia trees in a row and they were flying all around them and feeding on the seed pods; sometimes fighting over one. They were very cool to observe. One would land on a branch, and use the little hand like things to grab hold and pull itself around the branch. We will be back here at the end of the trip and have time to tour around.

This morning we’re flying to Cairns, which is at the northern tip of the Great Barrier Reef. From Cairns we’ll visit the Rain Forest and have an Outback experience. We’ve heard a lot about this part of Australia and are looking forward to being there! Our plan is to rent a car In Cairns, spend time there and then take our time visiting little towns along the coast as we work our way back to Sydney; we’ll have 30 days to do it in.

90 Mile Beach/Farming/Sand Boarding

January 28, 2011

Two more days and we’re headed to Australia! At this point, it just feels like “life”, and not traveling. I guess we’re used to being on the road and it feels very natural and normal.

We worked the last four days on a farm. The farmers, Peter and Suze, had contacted me through a website I was signed up on; helpex.com. They have farmed for 30 years (relocated here from Germany) and rely on farm workers from around the world that are traveling through and looking for work, to help them run the place. It’s a good deal for them and for the traveler. They feed you all your meals and give you a bed to sleep in and you help out with the farm work. But more than that, you’re forming relationships and life time memories. I feel like they’re the “relatives” and I sense they feel the same way. They rented a hydrolic log splitter the day before we arrived. We all worked together on and off for 2-3 hours at a stretch for two days, getting fire wood for the winter split. This wood will sit for two years and then be ready for the fire. We also tagged along on four wheelers for the herding of the livestock, to move then around different paddocks. They have Border Collies to do the job, and it’s great fun to watch. I rode on the back of Peter’s bike to help the dogs move the bulls and man (!) I just about feared for my life! The quick turns, stopping, pealing out, I think he forgot that I was on the back. They gave Eliot little jobs that required the four wheelers because they knew he loved riding on them and felt he was very responsible. Yesterday the kids stabilized fencing in a back paddock and Suze and I did felting. She has a workshop in the loft of the garage and creates the most beautiful felted pieces. Her goal was to teach me all she could and help me create what I wanted. I love her! We also learned a lot about farm animals and their behaviors. Suze is a teacher at heart and loves sharing/teaching about what she knows.

Before getting to the farm, we went to the northern most point of New Zealand and I think we really felt like we were in the most beautiful place in the world. It was the picture we’ve seen on so many postcards that don’t seem real. The Tasman Sea and the South Pacific meet at the tip and it looks like a giant whirlpool. Just before the tip, along “90 mile beach”, there are giant sand dunes, they stand out in the distance looking like white mountains. We rented boogie boards and went “sand boarding”! It was such a hike getting to the top of the dunes, and what a scene! I felt like I was in the desert in Egypt. So, then you get on your board and ride down the dune. It was very scary for me! I did it twice and that was enough to satisfy my curiosity. We got the boys doing it on tape and Julian wiped out at the bottom; it was hilarious to observe! Lol! We also swam, at a different beach close by, and the water is/was so amazing. The South Pacific is such a beautiful shade of blue, it’s very clear, the white water in the surf is snowy white and clean looking, and of course, it’s very cold! That was a good day.

I met a man from the states traveling by motorcycle. He said he has worked very hard and long all his life, had a minor heart attack recently, and decided it was time to make his health and life a top priority and travel to parts of the world he had always wanted to see.

What an adventure it was when we left the northern peninsula. We needed to get to the car ferry by 8:00 because that’s when the last ferry runs. We took our time at first, and when we realized we had an hour to go we buckled down and focused on getting there. It was the windiest road through the mountains and we just couldn’t imagine any rivers or lakes up so high and saw no signs. If we missed the ferry, it would add three hours to the trip and we did not want to have to find this farm after dark. We finally came around a corner, saw the ferry, and pulled right on with six minutes to spare! It was exhilarating! Lol! I reminded the kids about always having faith and how everything always works out.

So, we’re on the road again. Today we have a four hour drive to Auckland. I am so grateful to Julian for doing all the driving. Eliot has “shot gun” today, so he’s up front with Julian. I love watching the chemistry between the two of them. Julian loves talking about history with Eliot and teaches him so much. Eliot loves the attention; it’s a symbiotic relationship.

We stopped in a little town along the road and Sadie and Julian grocery shopped while I took Eliot in to a Physiotherapist. He pulled a muscle in his back and it was painful. The next time I blog will be from Australia. We’re all excited about meeting up with Nick there!

Cape Regina, New Zealand

January 23, 1011

On the road again! We’re headed to the northern most point of the north island, to Cape Regina. We have a hostel reserved for tonight and tomorrow we go to a farm to work until Friday, then we go to Auckland and get ready to fly out to Australia. This is the final leg of our time in New Zealand.

We have been rained in for the last two days! It was a bit of a disappointment since we were at a good beach for enjoying water sports and had plans. The cruise that Sadie and Julian went on was exciting. It was warm and clear for the afternoon and early night and the storm blew in in the night. They did snorkeling, fishing, shooting sports and night time kayaking. They connected all the kayaks together and layed back and identified constellations in the southern hemisphere. They saw the Southern Cross and I guess the little dipper faces the opposite direction here. They were pumped up when they got back; filled up with the energy of other young adults enjoying life. Hey, water drains in the opposite direction here too!

I love meeting travelers in the hostels. A few days ago I met a nice young couple from England who are doing a world tour. They saved their money, quit their jobs, and wanted to travel a year before they get married and have a family. It’s really very possible for anyone to do this if they set their sights on it. An older couple I met at the last hostel were from Holland. Five years ago they went on a three month walk along a trail that begins in Holland and ends in Spain. They borrowed a trained donkey from a friend and used it to carry their supplies. She said there were times when they were cold, wet and hungry but could still find the beauty in life and were happy to be where they were. The husband has always had the attitude that they will never put off what they want to do. If they have a dream, or idea, they will make plans to do it now. They were inspiring. They were a reminder to me about my own philosophy about life and living every moment to the fullest.

Eliot is such a cool person! I think people are surprised, and entertained by him. We see travelers with small children and we see young adults but not very many people his age. He is very observant and aware of his surroundings. When someone needs something at the hostels, Eliot is very often able to tell them just where to find it, eg, the free food basket and what’s in it! I got a chocolate sample at the candy store yesterday and the woman behind the counter told me my son kept her company on her lunch hour at the outside bench. He takes the laptop and sits on the sidewalk, or bench if it’s available, outside the global gossip store and gets on the internet. He seems to enjoy meeting travelers and sharing stories.

New Zealand Beaches (North Island)

January 20, 2011

The coastal town of Whitianga was relaxing and quiet. While we were there we went to Cathedral Cove. I have been looking at Cathedral Cove on the internet since we decided to come here two years ago. I wasn’t necessarily attached to the idea of seeing it, and had actually put it out of my mind, and when the opportunity came up to see it, it sure was a nice surprise! Cathedral Cove is a gigantic arched cavern passing through a white rock headland to join two secluded coves. It is all from ancient volcanic action and is very grandeur.

On the windy walk around the mountainside to Cathedral Cove (30 minute walk), there are two other beaches you can stop at. One is “Stingray Beach”. We heard this was a good beach to snorkel at and rented snorkel gear ahead of time. We snorkeled but didn’t see very much, and no Stingrays. The other beach is “Gemstone Beach” and is covered with rocks and boulders and it’s supposed to be good for snorkeling also but we didn’t try.

Down the street from here, there is a beach we heard of called “Hot Water Beach”, so we just had to go there too! We actually went there first, as you have to get there at low tide in order to enjoy the hot water springs. The hot mineral pools are actually a legacy of an exciting geothermal past. There are tiny hot water springs all over the beach and the water bubbling up is boiling hot! It is hilarious to watch people walking around, not knowing what to expect and suddenly they are jumping and dancing all around trying to escape the boiling water! Lol! You might find a hot spring and next to it a foot away, the sand and water is ice cold. We brought spades with us from the hostel to dig out a pool of hot water to soak in. We ended up taking over an existing one that someone else was finished with and dug each time we wanted more hot water. It is so bizarre! And the beach at this particular place is the local surfing beach. The water was crystal clear and ice cold. It was invigorating to swim and then go sit in the hot pool!

After all that excitement, we got up early this morning and were on the road by 7:00 am to head to the Bay of Islands. The Bay of Islands is at the northern tip of the north island. It is the birth place of New Zealand history. Sadie and Julian had a reservation to go out on a 24 hour cruise that was leaving at 4:45. We got here in plenty of time. Eliot and I are at the Mouse Trap Hostel. It is in a very large, about nine bedrooms, house and is probably 80 years old and in beautiful shape. I was beginning to think the night was going to be a disappointment to Eliot and then he went to talk to the owner about games they might have and came back with “lawn bowling”. We had a great time playing and occasionally fighting over the balls, very playfully, of course. Then we decided to go out for ice cream and walk along the water front. The tide was in too far and was all the way up to the boulders that line the beach. We challenged ourselves to climb down the boulders and run along the beach each time the waves went out, which gave us about 8 seconds of running each time before the waves came crashing back up! Lol! We would then have to scramble up the boulders as fast as we could before getting caught in the wave. It was adrenaline pumping stuff! We made it pretty far, him farther than me, before we were just getting too wet and banged up! We shared a ice cream sundae, walked around town, and came home for a shower and now we’re going to look at the board games. It has turned out to be a fun time after all.

New Zealand Beach Towns (North Island)

January 18, 2011

We spent the 15th and 16th in a lovely little beach town that I could easily see myself living in long term! It was quaint, lots of cute little shops, on the water, and overall had a very good feeling to it. While we were there we hiked Mt. Maunganui, which is a cone shaped mountain that takes 90 minutes to hike up and back down. It’s at the tip of a peninsula and you have unobstructed views up and down the coast of white sandy beaches and clear blue water. While on the way up, we watched a pod of Orca Whales swimming along the coast. We saw them from various levels of the mountain. We even ran down the hill side to get a closer view! I have wanted to run down a hillside since we got here! It was fun. The hike up was tough at times. It was very steep and a hot day. It was fun, as a mom, to see the chemistry of the family. At times, either Sadie or I would decide that “maybe we don’t need to go to the summit, the view is great at every level”, and Julian would encourage us to keep going; “we’ll be there soon”, and “going just 75% of the way is like living just 75% of your life”! I love traveling with my kids! So, yesterday we headed further north along the coast and now we’re at yet another quaint little coastal town and staying at the Beachside Backpackers Hostel, across the street from the ocean (south pacific!). We’re going to be here for three nights. Today a storm is blowing through, so we’re taking the day off! Hanging out, reading, cooking, talking to other travelers, and enjoying 24 hours of unlimited internet!

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