Africa

We met up with Rick after two days in Dar Es Salaam (entry to come). We're starting our Kilimanjaro climb today, incredibly excited about the upcoming week and a successful summit day. If you'd like to follow a day-by-day cybercast from Alpine Ascents, here is the following link: http://www.alpineascents.com/kilimanjaro-cybercast.asp

Cheer on Team Toomey!

Sydney

We arrived in Sydney by train and made our way to Kings Cross, a suburb of the city recommended by most budget travelers. To our surprise, it’s a charming area full of hostels and prostitutes; we have yet to discover how these two lifestyles settled in the same location. The hostel we’re staying at was gracious enough to give us “The Gospel”, which is a coupon booklet that allowed us to freeload on several (15, to be exact) bars around the city. It also provided us with a list of things to do, a map, and several meal deals for every day of the week. Turns out, this was a great tool to get us to see different areas of the city. Needless to say, we covered a lot of ground in order to redeem our free/cheap stuff. Keeping up with our Kilimanjaro training, we opted to avoid public transportation. This decision resulted in approximately 8 hours of constant walking. We covered all the typical sights including a romantic sunset overlooking the harbor with a view of the Opera House and bridge. There is a popular option to climb the bridge for a whopping $175, but we decided to walk across it instead. Monday evening we decided to splurge instead on a $30 entry into a bar made entirely of ice. No worries, though, we had a 20% discount and drink voucher for this as well. We had to watch a safety video before entering, wear special jackets, there was a 30-minute time limit and our glasses were made of ice imported from New Zealand—it was a fun thing to do once.

The next morning we had our first mishap with international diplomacy when we accidentally went to the home of the Vietnamese consulate instead of his office (this was the address provided on the website). We were told by a little Vietnamese boy through an intercom that his dad was not there and he had no idea where he was. Upon asking if there was a phone number he said yes, but he didn’t know it. Convenient. We were kindly redirected by a sign on his giant metal gate door to the office, where we dropped off our passports in hopes to see them 24 hours later.
After more sightseeing and walking, we placed our bets on some hermit crabs at Scubar, which races these little creatures as a form of bar entertainment. Unfortunately, Wizard’s sleeve, the bogan, and minge (their names) were not victorious. We’re not even sure they came out of their shells. Here’s a terribly sad story and a not so pretty picture: as we were relaxing in a booth from the jam packed bar traffic, two guys (one with a beautiful blonde rattail) came to sit down beside us. As he said to his mate (and I quote), Oi! Chicks! He promptly pulled off his pants because it was more comfortable to sit in his boxers, the guy beside him peed in a corner and they both shattered glasses under the table. We laughed (they were ridiculous), but then realized it was our cue to leave.

Today we ran errands in preparation for our first country switch since our travels began. We also stopped at the famous Bondi beach to take in Australia’s beautiful blue water one last time until we return in September. There was a beautiful beach club overlooking the water for which we just so happened to have a free drink voucher. Thinking it too good to be true, we decided to take our chances at the Bondi Beach Icebergs Club. Excitement turned quickly to skepticism when the bartender in a white tuxedo asked how he could help us. Donned in the same outfits we’ve had to wear for days, we smugly ask if we could redeem our free drink here. He kindly says, no, that’s downstairs at the kiosk. Of course, it was closed. By this point; however, we were thoroughly embarrassed. Reflecting on the horrific experience, we did a mental check on our appearance. Excuse me, could we have our free drink? Please overlook my fleece, chipped toenail polish, greasy hair, dirty Band-Aid and the underwear I wash in the hostel sink. The scenario was quite similar to a homeless man asking if the Ritz was free shelter. (And we haven’t even encountered true culture shock)

Now it’s off to pack and prepare for our journey over the Indian Ocean to Africa (with an 11-hour stopover in the Bombay, India airport). If the rumors of free Wi-Fi in the airport are true, we will update you with our creative ways to kill time. However, we’ve been informed it’s one of the worst places to sleep so we’re not quite sure what to expect.

Newcastle

Newcastle (everything Aussie has British names—cities, states, and roads, you name it) is a quaint, waterfront town with not much to do. Our YHA hostel looked exactly like an English boarding school—complete with dark wood, large leather sofas and high ceilings. The staff there arranged four free dinners a week at either one of two town pubs. We enjoyed a free BBQ and trivia night at The Brewery. Our team’s name was “You think you can fight? You should see my sisters box!” (we did not think of this) and we won a $25 bar tab for coming in first place. We saw Harry Potter so all is right with the world. The next night we went to a local fire show, which was a quick flashback to Carrboro because tons of hippies were twirling around fire in the middle of the city park. You could see Weaver Street in the background if you looked hard enough. The highlight of the weekend involved a box of goon, which we learned helps you make friends. It’s also Aussie for “good time”. Like we said, the city is pretty uneventful. The main street could be covered in a few hundred steps, but it’s a great place to meet lots of people because it’s a common stop for travelers going up the coast from Sydney or settling in to study abroad. A nice rest before we hit the big city.

Temporary Separation

We decided to take separate road trips for our last weekend in Brisbane. Brady was able to enjoy BJ’s company without a third-wheel shadow and Katie traveled south with Tayte to cover more Aussie ground in Victoria.

Laura: Thanks to Mr. Hampton BJ and I got our act together and arranged a relaxing weekend in the country town of Stanthorp, which is surrounded by heaps of vineyards and farms. We stayed in Wagtail Cottage, an Eco Retreat run by a lonely old lady and her massive sheep dog Max. The cottage was fully stocked with firewood and thanks to the gourmet picnic basket packed for us by BJ’s mum Dallas we had everything we needed from marshmallows to patee, wine, cheese, and Tim Tams. We spent Saturday hiking in the national park up to the granite boulders. We climbed up Castle Rock, which is the 2nd largest rock in Australia (next up to the one in Alice Springs) to catch some amazing views. After a day of hiking we decided to indulge ourselves in a 6 course Christmas in July dinner at Thunderbolt Farm. Since it is run by a German family we got to celebrate our 2nd German Christmas this year (we spent this past Christmas in Munich) and were reunited with our holiday favorite, Gluwein. The dinner came complete with a giant German Santa, carols, a fat little dog that begged for food, and presents for everyone there. I got a nice pair of purple toe socks and BJ got a wine key, which we thought was more useful until we realized that all Australian wines are going to screw tops now. On Sunday we took the ‘scenic’ route home, which included a one lane dirt road through someone’s farm that I’m not sure was meant for public access. BJ got the biggest kick out of having to open a cattle gate in order to continue driving...I failed to see the novelty but I have grown up in Mississippi and Boone.

Katie: I flew down to Melbourne on Saturday, July 7th for three nights. The guidebook was correct when they described Melbourne as being more of a connection of little villages than a big city. With its narrow alleyways full of shops and cafes, it’s no surprise that Melbourne is known for its arts and culture. Similar to San Francisco, public transportation uses a tram system which connects the CBD to all of its many suburbs. We went to the Melbourne Cricket Ground to see an AFL (Aussie Rules) match, which is extremely popular in the area. The match, better known as footy, was a nail biter. We enjoyed the game in our team colored mullet wigs that we got for buying a coke, but when it starting pouring we wouldn’t splurge on the $5 poncho so we split it (sticking our heads out of each armhole). The guy in front of us was one of those fans who commented every second of the game. When his team pulled off a comeback to win, his tears of joy fell harder than the rain. Other than encountering some interesting hostel life (i.e. Rodney who lived there and walked around in his underwear), the city was quite enjoyable. We went to the top of Rialto Towers to see a 360-degree view of the city and wandered through the 1,000+ stalls of the Victoria Market. I finally bought some Aboriginal (native) art. We decided to stay in St. Kilda the following two nights and visit Brighton Beach on our last day. This beach is famous for its strip of 90 beach sheds, which are painted in bright colors and varying patterns. We hit the highs of both Melbourne day (they love their coffee) and nightlife so when I returned to Brisbane, I was eager for a good nap.

4th of July

Celebrating America's independence one day before the United States, we decided to cook the Hamptons a wonderful American meal to show our appreciation for their hospitality over the past month. Picture this: Brady and Katie in matching outfits-one in a blue dress and the other one in red. We walked down to the local Woolies to get some groceries and booze for the night's festivities. The laptop is on the veranda with 4 recipes up (including a blog on how to make 'perfect' sweet tea...don't worry, we used Lipton). We hop from the kitchen to outside to glance at the ingredients and the correct amount. Laura quickly Googles metric conversions so that we don't ruin our masterpieces: made from scratch biscuits and a homemade meal. We were quite impressed and surprised that everything turned out well. The Hamptons even surprised us with a formal table setting- complete with an American flag handkerchief and bust of Teddy Roosevelt (wearing a mini Union Jack flag).

The menu:

Good ole Southern sweet tea
Sweet potato and red pepper soup
Carolina Crab Cakes with a lemon dill sauce
Succotash
Cheddar cheese biscuits
Red, white, and blue chocolate cupcakes

Whether or not the Aussies calls us sepos or yanks, we're proud to be American. Happy fourth, Y'all! Cheers!

Fraser Island

Listed as a World Heritage site, Fraser Island is the largest sand island in the world. With 75 miles of untouched beach, the national park is host to a variety of wildlife and dense vegetation(which is remarkable considering it grows in sand). We stuffed the 4WD car with all kinds of things to survive one night of camping in the wild. Blankets, check. Peanut butter and jelly, check. 4 liters of cheap boxed wine ("Goon"), check. tent, duh. bread and water, check. flashlight, check. The list goes on. We brought enough food to feed an army and enough music so that we only listened to the same song 10 times before the end of two days. Similar to Moreton, Fraser can only be accessed by ferry and has one-way sand roads. These bumpy paths make navigating difficult when you're trying to avoid getting hit head on, run into some animal, hit a bump funny or get stuck in the sand. You get the hang of it, but for the most part it's bump...bump bump, thud. We're ready to drive along the smooth beach. However, in the middle of the island is where we found Lake McKenzie. A beautiful, freshwater lake with crystal clear, bright blue water (it was hard to believe the postcards), the view was surreal and quite rewarding--as if to say, congratulations for making it here. Our jostled bodies thought otherwise. After enjoying a picnic lunch on the lake, we hightailed it north to find a campsite before sunset. On the way, we gave some German hitch-hikers a short ride, but because they couldn't fit in the overpacked car, they hung on to the outside as we carried them much further than they would have liked to walk. As we began to pitch the tent, a park ranger approached us about the problem with dingoes. As if we hadn't seen the 100+ warning signs around the island, she thought it'd be great to brief us on the wild dogs right before it got dark. They have attacked people in the past and ripped through their belongings looking for food, she said. Do not hesitate to use force if they become aggresive. Oh okay, sweet dreams everyone. We gather our dinner and head to the barbie to cooke some sausages. Thanks to a full moon, the night was quite bright. However, it wasn't light enough to show us the animal peering behind the glowing eyes looking at us from the woods...just a bird. We roasted marshmellows, made smores, and gazed at the stars hoping that nothing was staring at us from behind.

Because it's winter here, you can drive along Fraser and go for miles without seeing anyone. We got up early to continue exploring the island. Just in front our campsite we watched several humpback whales enjoy what they considered to be warm water. We were fascinated with them as we watched their massive bodies jump almost completely out of the water several times before moving up the coast. We stopped at a few places to take in the island's natural beauty: champagne pools, a creek that you could see right through, a beached shipwreck, and headlands that provided a great view of the coast. The water here looks like blue koolaid and everything seems clean and refreshing. And to be an island supposedly infested with dingoes (we saw 1!) and sharks, we witnessed everything but them. Wedge-tailed eagles soared overhead and other funny birds stuck their beaks into the sand looking for goodies. The weekend was an adventure; one we'll remember for it's all its wonders--the joys of off-roading and camping as well as the splendor of untouched land and protected wildlife.

Highly recommended.