Tag: hostels

Bolivia (Julian) Jan 2015

Bolivia Highlights:
    We enjoyed the capital of Bolivia, La Paz. It is the highest altitude capital in the world and you can feel it when walking around the city. We were there in Mid to Late January and there was a huge festival going on that was really interesting and a great opportunity to experience their culture. From La Paz we traveled to the Salt Flats and arrived in the morning, did a tour and then left that night. The city that is the staging area for salt flat trips is a hole in the wall place and I would try to not spend a night there. We only did a day trip to the salt flats but 3 day trips are available and we should have done one. The salt flats are one of the coolest places we had ever been and a must do it you are in that part of the world. When we left the salt flats we really wanted to travel directly into Argentina instead of the traditional route that goes into Chile. We took the worst bus ride of our lives and would not recommend it, take the route that the other tourists take.

Peru (Julian) Jan 2015

Peru Highlights:
    We arrived in Peru in the capital city of Lima. We found the people very friendly and excited to share their culture (especially the food). From Lima we went to Cusco (the historic Inca city that people travel to before visiting Machu Picchu), it is possible and much cheaper to travel to Cusco from Lima by bus but we heard it was a awful ride and the flight was worth every penny. We loved the city of Cusco, very touristy and lots of cool day trips offered from the city. We did the 4 day 3 night guided hike along the Inca trail to Machu. The hike was amazing (and really hard) and we all enjoyed the hike more than the time we spent at Machu at the end of the hike. Machu Picchu was a really interesting place however there are tons of people there and it kinda feels like a tourist trap, the hike there was what made the experience.

Vietnam Cave Hiking

 

(Sadie’s post from backpacking with her brothers through southeast asia for two months) Vietnam cave hike. Tu Lan Cave System in Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park. This 12 hour hike traverses over and through two mountains. Part of the hike includes swimming through pitch black caves in ice cold water on a freezing day, fully clothed. Needless to say, I ended up with pneumonia by the end of the trip and when we got back to Thailand I spent a week in the hospital.

Arrived in Bangkok

(Sadie’s post from backpacking with her brothers through southeast asia for two months) First beer in Thailand! We made it to Bangkok, let the fun begin! We were told later that that particular beer has formaldehyde in it. We landed in Thailand the night before and had to walk through a protest to get to our room, because the taxi driver refused to drive through the protest. We stopped for this first beer after exploring Bangkok the first morning there.

Blue Mountains, and Bondi Beach, Australia

February 26, 2011

We’re in Bondi Beach today and we’ll be here until we leave for home on Tuesday. We heard that Bondi Beach is famous for its beaches and surfing. We didn’t actually want to stay in this town, but this happens to be a very busy week-end in the Sydney area and “everything” else was booked up. We’re only about 15 minutes out of Sydney so we’ll still go in for the day. Bondi Beach isn’t what I expected. It’s crowded and not very pretty or quaint. I guess you could say this is the first place we have been to that I was not excited about. Maybe it’s all in the plans, so I’m not too sad about leaving!

The kids are at a Rugby game in Sydney tonight. They took the 5:00 train, so I have the night to myself. I bought a nice bottle of red wine, fixed a vegetarian dinner for myself, and am quite enjoying the night.

Before getting here, we spent three nights in the Blue Mountains. Oh! What beauty! The Blue Mountains are two hours west of Sydney and unbelievably beautiful. We spent two days hiking and saw numerous waterfalls and the most wonderful forests. The hike on the second day had 900 steps down into the valley and 1000 back up! It was all worth it and we did it with no problem.

In the Blue Mountains, there were flocks of Cockatoos everywhere. I love watching them in nature and can’t imagine ever caging such a happy, free animal, or any animal for that matter. They were loud and not real serene sounding. There are also Black Cockatoos. I didn’t get to see them but Eliot saw a flock one day while we were driving.

Australia has been a real treat to visit. The people seem to be very relaxed and kind. I guess it’s hard to be in “the fast lane”, here as 95% of the roads are two lanes; including the freeways. The speed limit isn’t very fast and there are reminders everywhere to slow down and take a break. Driving the coast to this area was about a 10 hour drive and it was through little towns and forests. The freeway goes through the towns. It would be the equivalent of driving US1 all the way up the coast vs highway 95. In fact, that is the way my family traveled to Canada for many years before highway 95 was built.

I recommend visiting this country to anyone that has ever wondered about it. There is something for everyone here. It was nice to see that there isn’t as much “fear” of the crocodiles as we heard from the states, or of the great white sharks. Things are always different when you get somewhere. I’m happy that I have been able to see, first hand, what life is like in Australia and New Zealand! If my kids would come, I think Joe and I would try our best to move to one of these two countries.

Bryon Bay, Australia (Hippie Town)

February 23, 2011

We spent two nights in Bryon Bay! Byron Bay is a quaint, old, small hippie town a few hours south of Brisbane. Byron Bay has beautiful beaches, and one of the things that make them so beautiful is the coast line and the mountains in the background. There is a Lighthouse you can hike to and this Lighthouse sits on the easterly most point in Australia. At this point, the way the waves come in and break, surfers can get a 20-25 second ride; which is a long time standing on a surf board! Again, the tides were very strong; like it was hard to even stand in one place without being pulled. I guess that’s the story everywhere here.

We’re on a 10 hour drive to the Blue Mountains. It is supposed to be very beautiful and a great place to hike. We’re being brave and daring today. We started the day out at 6:30 and went to a place called “Minion Falls” for a five hour hike. It was drizzling when we got there so we decided we would start with an hour in and then reevaluate. About the time to reevaluate, we began noticing little inch worm leaches on our ankles and shoes. We had another encounter with them a few weeks ago and it wasn’t pretty! They look cute at first but then you realize they are burrowing into your skin at an amazing speed and you have to pull hard to get them off. They even burrow into shoes and socks! We decided with the rain, blood suckers, and the long drive ahead, that we had seen enough of Minion Falls. On the way out we got to see two large “Kookaburras”, which allowed us to get very close for observation.

Two things I love about Australia are the National Parks and the birds. Everywhere you look, there are National Parks to hike and explore. Although there is less than 10 percent of the Rainforests that was once here, there still seems to be a lot. The birds are so amazing! At Byron Bay there were flocks of hundreds of beautiful, colorful parrots flying around and chattering. The Magpie’s have the most amazing voice and I could never tire of listening to them. The Kookaburras too are so outstanding to see and listen to as they make a loud “laughing” sound, even in the nighttime.

Our time is nearing the end here and I am feeling a bit sad about it. I love this country and the diversity it has to offer. I am trying to remain on the vibration of “love” for what I have experienced here and not let the feeling of sadness enter. One of the most important lessons I have learned on this trip is “trust” and the faith to “let go” and know that there is a plan and it will be revealed every step of the way. We have completely lived one day at a time here and so many times what we thought we were going to do didn’t happen but something just as good or better did! I don’t even think more than a day in advance anymore. I wonder how that will work when I get home!

Gold Coast Australia/Barbeque Kangaroo Meat

February 20, 2011

We’re chilling at “Gold Coast” at “Surfers Paradise” beach! Gold Coast is a coastal town just south of Brisbane with crystal clear water and beautiful wide white sandy beaches. It also has enormous high rises all along the beach; so high and so many that by late afternoon, the beach is completely shaded. It’s quite a site! I will definitely post pics of it! It is a vacation destination for Australian’s with money and I think that’s how it got its name. This is our first experience of actually “swimming” in the ocean in Australia. You can only swim inside the flagged areas that are patrolled by lifeguards, and the flagged areas are very small and scattered. The ocean has strong tides that seem to change frequently throughout the day and a swimmer can easily be swept out to sea. The life guards are diligent about using their megaphones and keeping swimmers within the flags.

Our original plan was to just pass through and take a look, but since Eliot and Julian wanted to go to a theme park close by, we decided to hang out for a few nights and make the most of our time. We ended up with a two bedroom condo on the beach with the most magnificent views and ocean breezes. We slept with the sliders open and listened to the Pacific all night. Nick got us up at 5:00am to watch the sun rise and that was beautiful as usual! The further south we get, the higher the cost of beds. Hostels at this point are $30 a bed, so $150 for the five of us, and we got this place for $150 a night. It was first quoted at $190 but I was able to bargain them down to $150 if we took it for two nights. That was the third time I’ve been able to bargain and get a room for a lesser amount.

The three nights before getting here, we stayed in Brisbane. Brisbane is the capitol and the third most populated city in Australia. It is along the coast and about 8 hours north of Sydney. It turned out to be a great city to walk and explore. I found the most beautiful tropical gardens near the hostel and spent a few hours walking it one afternoon and counted at least 30 water dragons. At first, I was a bit nervous to walk past one, as the first one I spotted was about three feet long and sunning itself in the middle of the sidewalk. I got my courage up and walked past, practicing what I knew about deep breathing and blending in with my surroundings and he never flinched. After that, it got easier to walk past them. While I was there, I met an amazing woman named “Moss” that had 10 month old twin girls with her. It turned out that she had a doula and had natural childbirth. I loved listening to her story! The next day Eliot and the kids went to the gardens with one purpose in mind…………to let Eliot catch a water dragon! Much to my dismay, they went and yes, he caught one!

While traveling in Australia I became friends with a Birth Advocate/Author, Sarah Buckley on facebook and discovered she lived in Brisbane. I contacted her when I got here and she invited me to pizza night with the family and I accepted. I took a bus to the hospital her husband works at, here in Brisbane, and rode home with him, and she brought me back at the end of the night. It was fabulous! Sarah Buckley is a trained GP/family physician with qualifications in GP-obstetrics and family planning. Her work critiques current practices in pregnancy, birth, and parenting from the widest possible perspectives, including scientific, anthropological, cross-cultural, psychological, and personal. She is the author of: “Gentle Birth Gentle Mothering”. What a treat for me to be able to hang out with her!

Tonight we will barbeque kangaroo meat! Sounds morbid, I know, but it’s one of the “must do’s” on the kids list so we’re doing it! A cool thing about Australia is that they have public “barbecue’s” everywhere and they’re very simple to operate. They have a large flat stainless steel surface and you simply push a button to get it hot. Here though, it’s called “Barbie” to everyone! So, we’re having a Barbie tonight!

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”!

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.