Looking for Koalas

After our big update, Ulrik pointed out that we didn't have a single picture of koalas on our website. Which was weird because I had made such a big fuss about seeing them -- and maybe even getting to pet one! -- when we were in Australia. So here are a couple of pics for you to enjoy.

We met this little girl -- and got to pet her! -- at
the Featherdale Wildlife Park.
We spotted this little fellow on the road to the Otway Lighthouse.
(He's to the left of the big cluster of leaves in the centre.)
For more photos, see our Featherdale photo album and/or our Great Ocean Road photo album.

Driving the Great Ocean Road

The entrance to the Great Ocean Road.
Melbourne was to be our last major stop in Australia so we were both happy and sad to arrive there. We initially stayed outside the city centre in an area called St. Kilda. St Kilda used to be a happening place, but then it fell into a state of ill-repute. It's starting to reclaim its former glory, but there is still evidence of its seedier past -- there are more than a few girly bars standing shoulder to shoulder with the more elegant home furnishing shops and cosy coffee shops in the area!

We took a couple of days to recover from our overnight train journey to get there, and to plan a road trip along the Great Ocean Road. It took us a while to sort out a car rental as pretty much everything in the city was booked; our visit coincided with the FINA swimming competition, Formula 1, and Melbourne's Food & Wine Festival. Needless to say, the city was packed! We finally booked a car with Hertz, but funnily enough we were only able to book online. When we went into their office, they didn't have access to their own online booking system! The man at the counter told us to try to book online and, if we were able to get something, to just come and pick it up. Which is exactly what we did. Weird. But, fortunately, it all worked out and we were on our way!

The Great Ocean Road (GOR) stretches from Torquay(just south of Melbourne) to Adelaide, a total distance of about 260km. We planned to go only as far as Port Campbell and the renowned 12 Apostles, a distance of about 150km (a total of 300km there and back). And we gave ourselves three days to do it, so it made for a very leisurely drive. Driving the GOR is very easy. There isn't a lot of traffic, and there are a lot of areas to pull off to enjoy the view (which was fortunate for Ulrik as he did most of the driving). To offset the cost of the car rental we slept in the car the three nights we were on the road. And I have to say that the Toyota Corolla is a very comfortable car to sleep in!

Don't we look cosy?
Driving yourself is definitely a nice way to get around. We were able to go at our own pace and stop whenever something looked interesting. We walked around the 12 Apostles, did several walks around the Loch Ard Gorge, and toured the Otway Lighthouse. And we got to see so many koalas in the wild! They were in the trees leading to the lighthouse. And they were in the trees on the walk toward the Kennett River. At one point we stopped for lunch at the appropriately named Koala Café, and I saw seven koalas on my way to use the bathroom! By the time we finished our tour, I was almost koala'd out.

The 12 Apostles.
After three days, though, it was time to return to the city. This time we decided to stay closer to the city centre as we only had a day and a half before our flight to Indo. We toured the Queen Victoria Market and enjoyed the western toilets and hot showers (we weren't sure when we'd get to enjoy them again!)

It's been wonderful getting to see Australia. I remember when I was a little girl, the most exotic and far away place I could think of was Australia ... probably because it is literally on the other side of the world. Unfortunately, we've only seen a small part of it, but I am sure that we will be back someday -- there's still the Outback, the Great Barrier Reef, and Western Australia to explore. As for now, although Australia has been a thoroughly enjoyable interlude of western delights, we are looking forward to getting back on the road and enjoying the often daily challenges of travelling in developing countries. The travel may not be as comfortable or easy, but it's certainly always interesting!

For more photos, see our Great Ocean Road photo album.

Hanging with Wilf

After the wedding festivities were concluded, we planned to spend some time travelling with Wilf, my boss's husband. I know it probably sounds a little unusual, but we've known Wilf for some time; he's an interesting guy to spend time with (he's working on some interesting projects) and he's very active. To be honest, the only thing we were worried about was whether we would be able to keep up with him!

Our first and only time at Starbucks on the trip so far.
Wilf made us ... we swear!
We headed back to Sydney (the wedding had taken place in Narrabeen), and explored there for a couple of days. We did a tour of the Sydney Opera House, and visited both the Sydney Aquarium and the Sydney Wildlife World. The Opera House was impressive; I had no idea how ahead if his time the designer (a Dane!) was. And both the aquarium and the wildlife place were cool ... but I wasn't able to hold a koala at either.

Next up was the Blue Mountains. This area is really beautiful. We did two short walks and one longer day walk. During our day walk, we headed to Ruined Castle, a rock formation that from afar looks like ... you guessed it, a ruined castle. With the exception of a section called the Golden Staircase, the walk wasn't very difficult. (The Golden Staircase, on the other hand, was literally stone stairs that just went up and up; fortunately, they didn't last too long.) The walk terminates at the Ruined Castle rocks, and you can climb up to the top for an amazing 360 degree view of the Blue Mountains. We stopped there to enjoy the view and a bite of lunch.

Our picnic spot was the top of the rock
in the upper right corner.
After a few days in the Blue Mountains enjoying the views and more than a few tasty dinners (thanks Wilf!), it was time to head back to Sydney. Wilf was heading back to Canada, and Ulrik and I were trying to decide how we wanted to get to Melbourne (car? train?). While in Sydney we were able to hook up with the newlyweds one last time before they, too, headed back to Canada. And we were able to check out this animal sanctuary called Featherdale, where I was finally able to pet a koala! And just as we were leaving I got to hold a joey (a baby kangaroo). Score!

For more photos, see our Australia photo album, our Blue Mountain photo album, and/or our Featherdale photo album.

Surfs Up, Dudes!!

Our friend James took on the foolhardy and extremely challenging task of trying to teach us how to "hang ten". Here are the results!


I only managed to get up on my knees ... getting to my feet eluded me know matter how many times I tried. But Ulrik actually looks like he knows what he's doing!


For more photos, see our Surfing in Manly photo album.

First comes love, then comes marriage ...

After New Zealand, it was time to head to Sydney, Australia for our friend's (Karen & Scott) wedding. First up, though, were the hens and bucks nights. (For those of you not familiar with the terms, it's Aussie for the bachelorette and bachelor party). We were picked up from the airport by the radiant bride-to-be and one of her lowly minions (Kylie, Scott's sister and a fellow bridesmaid). Ulrik was dropped at our friend James' house (James was putting us up for about a week while we were in Sydney -- thanks again James!); he would meet up with the boys later. And I was whisked off to Terrigal, the site of all the hen-y debauchery to come.

The weekend was filled with good food and drink, great friends, and a plethora of plastic penises ... as all good weekends should be! (Ulrik had great fun with the boys as well ... but from the sounds of it, it was much tamer than the hens; I don't believe there was a single plastic penis).

The rest of the week (Mar 3rd to Mar 9th) was spent getting reacquainted with our friend James (he really was as great as we remembered), getting to know his girlfriend Penny (who totally lived up to the advance press), and, of course, spending time with the bride and groom. I should note that for having to plan their wedding from the other side of the world, these two were incredibly relaxed and chilled out.

The wedding day (Mar 10th) dawned bright and beautiful. Because the wedding wasn't until 5:00pm, the bridal party had a relaxed time of it having breakfast and getting ready. There was no frantic running around, no stress, and definitely no bridezilla! (Although anyone who knows the bride would know bridezilla-like behaviour would be completely out of character.)

The wedding was held just off the beach shortly before sunset. And it was beautiful. It was one of those weddings that truly reflect the personalities of the couple being married.

Next up, the reception ... which also completely reflected the couple of the day. It was so much fun! The playlist was excellent. And, although we were vastly outnumbered, we Canadians REPRESENTED! (Right Julie?)

For more photos, see our Karen & Scott Get Married photo album, our Karen's Hens Night I photo album, and/or our Karen's Hens Night II photo album.