Farewell Australia- Hello Thailand!

Hello Friends! Greetings from Thailand! I hope everyone is well and enjoying their summers! It has been another busy couple weeks- this is what we have been up to:

Final Days in Aus

After coming back from the farm, it was time to start packing up Meighan and Sarah while attempting to do as many touristy things and for them to say farewell to as many of their Aussie friends as possible. This meant, it was a hectic week! We had lots of fun though, I believe I told you about the Sydney Tower, and we also went for a beautiful Harbor Lunch Cruise, past the opera house and Harbor Bridge. It was really lovely. That evening, we went to see an Opera at the Opera House. We were off to see La Boheme. We were all very excited, got all dressed up and headed back to the CBD (code word : downtown). Well, because we were all trying to strictly adhere to a budget, we decided we would only pay for the least expensive seats, seeing as we are not Opera buffs and just wanted the experience. WELL! The one thing that the ticket purchasing website failed to mention, was that by sitting at the back, your ability to see the screen that translates the lyrics for you would be totally blocked. Therefore, we sat there, watching an Italian Opera, unable to figure out what on earth was going on. We had a general idea from the program, but the details were definitely lost on us! That was the last major attraction we saw before leaving Sydney, as the next couple days were spent packing up and saying goodbye.

Hello Thailand!

We arrived in Bangkok Sunday night, and awoke to rain all day Monday. That hampered our ability to see as much as we had planned, but we still did alright. I found Bangkok to be big and disgusting, but the other girls didn't mind it as much as I did. To me, it was so big and I felt like we had to negotiate everything because we basically had tourist stamped across our forehead.

From Bangkok we headed North to Chiang Mai, where we had many activities planned. We weren't sure what to expect, as we had heard that a tropical storm had moved through Vietnam and Laos, meaning that there had been a ton of rain in Chiang Mai. It was true, and it did rain and rain for our first few days. Not a big deal as the first few things we had planned were indoors. We started off going to visit the Tiger Kingdom where you pay to enter an enclosed cage with tigers in them. Sounds crazy but it was really fun. We got to play with baby tigers, which were sooooo cute and sooooo much fun, and then we got to pet and take pictures with a small adult tiger and then a BIG tiger. It was pretty neat. There is much debate among travelers in the area if the tigers are drugged or not, but it is advertised that they are just well trained. It didn't feel like the animals were mistreated when were there, and the staff working there genuinely seemed to enjoy their jobs and working with the tigers.

The next day we were off to a Thai cooking course. I was extremely nervous due to a) my lack of culinary skills and b) my lack of Thai food experience. I wasn't sure what to expect but we had a fabulous time. I made Chicken Fried Rice, a Sweet and Sour stir fry, Coconut Milk soup and a Curry. I really enjoyed all but the curry. It's not really my thing. The class was so much fun, and our instructor, Mam, was absolutely fantastic. I sort of felt like Rachel Ray, as everything was pre-measured and prepared so you just had to put it in the wok! Please don't expect me to be cooking any fabulous Thai meals when I get home, as I think I will definitely need some practice!

The day after we were headed to the Flight of the Gibbon, a 5 km zip line adventure. We were all excited and a little bit nervous. The course consists of 29 platforms up in trees in the rainforest, all connected by a zip line or similar apparatus. It was pretty fun, the best part was the 800 meter zip line over a valley. It was the BEST feeling ever, flying over so much green and so fast. I wished that the adventure had been more of the longer zip lines and less short ones. That night, back at the hostel, it was one of the girl's birthdays so we took her out for dinner. There were 5 girls, and because our hostel was in a residential area, we had to figure out how to get into town. The answer? Tuk-Tuk. We pulled on over and were going to go in groups , but the driver said he could take all of us. It was crazy! I didn't think we were going to make it! When we got to the restaurant, the tuk- tuk driver told us not to do that again! It was his idea!!!

Our last day in Chiangmai we went on an elephant adventure. Or so we thought. We booked this tour through our hostel, and it was quite the day. We started out at a Long-neck village tribe. These are the women who wear the gold rings around their neck for life. It was an interesting experience as I wasn't sure how legitimate it was or a bit of a tourist trap, but I didn't like seeing the women with the rings on. It looked so uncomfortable. From there we were off to ride an elephant for an hour, which was also lots of fun. After that, a hike through the muddy forest to play in a waterfall and then off for a bamboo raft. Or so we thought. As we pulled into the rafting place, our guide informed us that we would be white water rafting instead, as the water level was so high. It was an interesting surprise, turned out to be really fun, despite the interesting safety requirements compared to Canada! The rapids weren't as big either, and it was another adventure.

We have also decided to take advantage of the numerous Thai massages that are available. For $7.50 you can get an hour long massage. Our first day in Bangkok we decided to do this and it was a painfully relaxing experience. They use their elbows and knees and twist you into interesting positions! This was nothing compared to our experience in Chiangmai! We decided to upgrade to the hour and a half Oil massage, as we had been walking all afternoon and cooking all morning. WELL! Forgive me if this description gets a little personal, but here is what happened. You walk into the room (Meig and I in one, Sarah by herself in another) and are presented with disposable underwear and a hairnet. So you put these on, lay on the table and the massage starts. The next thing you know, the underwear are moved to that half of your rear end is exposed and is being massaged. The other part of your leg that is getting massaged is your inner thing, and things are getting extremely close to becoming uncomfortable. I lay there, trying to enjoy the experience, but it was all I could do not to laugh. The next thing I know, its time for my back. Or so I thought until the underwear were pulled below my derriere and I was treated to a full tush massage! I didn't know where things were going to go from there, but at one point the lady had her toes on my calves, her knees in my bottom and her elbows in my shoulders. Good thing these Thai women are (annoyingly) tiny! After the inner thigh rub and tush massage, you can only IMAGINE what went through my head when she told me to turn over!!! AHHHH! Turns out I was in for more inner thigh work and a belly massage. Which, for the record, is not so easy on the self esteem!! As soon as the ladies, who worked so hard, and really, did a good job, Meig and I just started laughing. It was quite the experience.

We are currently on beautiful Koh Samui. I was looking forward to being a beautiful, bronzed goddess, but really I should have known better. When we were on the elephant in Chiang Mai, the sun popped out for 10 whole minutes and fried my shoulders!! So have a lovely white strip down the middle of my back. To follow that beautiful look up, after rigorously applying sunscreen yesterday, I managed to avoid more burn. Except for a patchy spot right on my belly. Beautiful!! So between my patchy tan and the tiny Thai women and European beauties, I think I'll be keeping a low profile on the beach! Tomorrow we are off to Koh Tao for three days to enjoy some world class snorkeling and other ocean adventures. I can hardly wait!

The next few weeks will continue to be spent on the beach! Keep your fingers crossed for my tan!! We'll be home in just a few weeks- please enjoy the rest of your summer!!

See you soon!
Lindsay

Sailing, Snorkeling, Skiing, Sheep Farming and More Sydney!

Well!!!

The last few weeks have certainly been a bit of an adventure, and nothing less than busy! Here is the rundown!

Whitsundays

My first adventure started out with a solo trip out to the Whitsundays to snorkel the Great Barrier Reef. It was a little bit overwhelming to be by myself, but I was looking forward to the beach and the reef! As I arrived in AIrlie Beach, the sun decided to go on holiday as well, and would remain away until the day I was leaving. That meant that for my sailing trip, it was FREEZING! I had signed myself up for three days aboard the Habibi, a tour meant for Backpackers. I should have known better than to book a budget sailing tour! I arrived at the harbor to board an aging boat, that unbeknownst to me until the trip was over, was also home to many creepy creatures. I was lucky however, that because I was traveling alone, I was given the best bed on the boat. That was a blessing, as everyone else was sleeping in beds that were less than two feet from either the roof or the bunk above them, or at the back of the boat, 4 across a giant bed. Sketchy sleeping conditions aside, in the end it was a fun adventure. The first night we sailed for about 5 hours, through rough seas, and about half of us on board were feeling the effects of sea sickness. It was worth it however, when we got up in the morning to discover Whitehaven Beach, which might be the most beautiful beach on the planet. It is 99% silica, gloriously white and soft, and you can do all kinds of interesting things with it- clean your jewelry, brush your teeth, exfoliate your skin... I can only imagine what it would be like on a sunny day- I might have never left! After exploring Whitehaven, we all got back aboard our friend Habibi, to do some snorkeling. I was really nervous, as I had never been snorkeling before, it was freezing cold and we had no hot anything on board! After gearing up to get in the water, our guides threw some food in the water to lure some fish in our direction. Of course the ones they lured were about 2 feet long! Cue anxiety attack number 1! You see, the thing is, as excited as I was to snorkel and check out the reef, fish aren't exactly my favorite thing. So, with some nervousness, I climbed into Dougie the Dingy to be taken to our snorkeling area. There, I was presented with anxiety attack number two. You see, my inexperienced snorkeling self was not aware I would be swimming WITH the fish. I assumed that I would be snorkeling ABOVE the fish. I was wrong. As I put my legs in the water, I was surrounding with many beautiful, tropical fish, right near the top of the water. It took everything I had to jump into the water, but once I did, and I put my face in the water, I couldn't believe what I saw. It was like stepping into an IMAX movie. I couldn't believe all the beautiful fish, the beautiful coral just hanging out right near the shore. I was so glad that I did it, the only sad part was that it was so cold we couldn't stay in the water very long at all. Next time, I'm sticking around til the sun comes out!

In the end, it was a great experience, and I met some fantastic people from around the world and have some good stories to share!

Skiing in New Zealand

I left Airlie Beach on Monday and on Tuesday morning we were up at 4 am to catch our flight to New Zealand. I was pretty excited to go skiing in July, as that seems like one of the most backwards things ever!

The first thing I need to tell you, is that Queenstown, New Zealand is beautiful. I had a wonderful time, loved skiing and managed to get through the trip mostly in one piece. I did learn a few things about myself however, and more specifically, my skiing strengths. I learned that we are spoiled in Canada, with some of the best skiing in the world. You see, in New Zealand, the mountains do not have trees. It is the strangest thing, and as a result, makes for some interesting skiing. I consider myself to be an excellent green run skier, an average- below average blue run skier, and a more-interested-in-the- lodge black diamond run skier. In New Zealand, because the mountains a) do not have trees and b) are fairly steep , they have come up with some interesting ways to make the mountain accessible to everyone. At home, we have wide, soft snowed runs, with plenty of room for everyone, for beginners like me. I enjoy these runs, as there is lots of room, and one false turn is not going to run you into someone else or some place else. In New Zealand, the majority of the easier runs, have been built in switch-back hiking trail form. This means that these runs go back and forth, cutting across black diamond runs in an attempt to give you and easier trip down the mountain. Good News, they were easily skiable. Bad News, one bad turn, mistake or run in with another skiier, and you were off the side of a cliff and tumbling down a black diamond. The idea of this was extremely nerve racking for me, and greatly influenced my skiing. My sister felt I skied like a Grandma. I disagreed. I felt I was taking the necessary precautions to stay alive. I ended up finding a couple runs more my style, and skied those runs often and they were just great. Even my sister might have been slightly impressed.

The Farm

After returning from New Zealand, Meig and I again were up early to head out to her friends' sheep farm for a couple days. It was a great experience to be in the Outback, seeing a different way of life. Meig's friends manage a 90 000 acre sheep farm, with 12 000 sheep, 11 dogs and a few other creatures. It was stunning, with rolling hills and green pastures with sheep munching away. It was so relaxing! We saw wild kangaroos, planted some trees (to help the environment of course), moved sheep and helped vaccinate a flock of sheep (I got to put a needle in 500 sheep- it was an experience). Watching the dogs work was the most unbelievable thing. They are so smart, and so fast and can jump higher than any dog I've ever seen. My sister has many great photos of them working, which I will post at a later date. When we were leaving, it was dark and I looked up at the sky and saw the most amazing stars. There were so many of them, it looked like a drawing you would make when you were a kid. Unreal.

Sydney Part 2

I am now back in Sydney til the end of the week. This week we are playing tourists and packing up the girls so they are ready to come home. Today we went to the Aquarium and walked the SkyWalk at the Sydney tower. It is outside, 880 ft up and overlooks the city. It was beautiful and nerve racking. Just ask my sister. Who is the Grandma now??

I hope everyone is doing great and summer is treating you well. I know this post is long- sorry about that. i'm also going to post it without proof reading as I am beyond ready for bed!

Take Care!
Lindsay

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Off to the Races!

Greetings from Down Under!

I am currently writing from 36000 feet aboard a Virgin Australia flight to the Whitsundays to go explore the Great Barrier Reef, but before I start on adventure number 2, I thought I should catch up on my first week in Australia. I guess the best place to start would be the beginning!

Before I left last week, I was so nervous about the flight, I honestly considered staying home! Which of course is ridiculous, but a 20+ hour trip by yourself is daunting. Sure enough, everything went fine (minus flying around Sydney in a holding pattern for an hour once we got here) and the flight is now a distant memory. It was long however, and I thought that my right calf was going to explode, but it was worth it. It was great to see Meig at the airport and start checking out a city I never thought I would see.

Sydney is a stunning city. The Opera House and Harbor Bridge are magnificent, the downtown (or CBD) is a combination of beautiful old buildings and fancy modern ones. You are hard pressed to find a chain restaurant, instead you have countless options of any kind of food you can imagine. Thai food seems to be a favorite, and I think the names of the restaurants are even more entertaining (favorite being Thai Me Up). The shopping seems wonderful, although I am TRYING to keep myself to window shopping. The city reminds me so much of the UK, the way the roads work, the signage and the way it is set up. I haven't seen any concrete jungles of massive stores and parking lots, but streets filled with little family run shops and restaurants, with everything you need within a couple of blocks. I wish Canada was more this way.

Meig lives in the Eastern suburbs, more specifically, Coogee. Her apartment is a 10 minute walk to the coast, which is one of the most stunning views I have ever seen. You can walk all the way from Coogee Beach to Bondi Beach, which I believe is about 7 km. We of course decided that that should be the first thing I should do after getting off the plane. My poor calves! The walk however, is fabulous, passing small coves and beaches, stunning cliffs, crashing waves and of course ending on the world famous Bondi Beach! It is possible that if I lived in a place like this, my personal fitness regiment might improve!

Aside from visiting the major attractions (aka Opera House) my first few days were very busy. Currently, it is winter in Australia, although it seems Winter in Australia=Summer in Edmonton. The temperatures have been in the high teens, and although I have been in pants and a jacket (I'm starting to think I have a standard uniform) the term "Winter" seems to be a bit of a stretch. Seeing people walk in down filled coats and toques is fairly amusing, as well as Uggs and mitts. Its hard to believe that Uggs came from this country! I was walking around in a t-shirt the other day, and I am pretty sure the people around me thought I was crazy.

In order to help celebrate the Aussie "winter", we headed down to Bondi Beach to go skating. It even sounds bizarre writing that! For the Winter Festival, a skating rink is built right onto the beach. I am still not sure how they kept it frozen, but a rink was there. It was the strangest thing skating around and then looking over to see the sand and the waves crashing in. What was perhaps more amusing however, was watching Aussies skate. To borrow a line from Meig's flatmate Sarah, "I've never seen so many bad skaters in one place!" She wasn't exaggerating either! It was our chance to show off!

On the weekend it was time to go to the Royal Randwick for the horse races. That meant it was also Fascinator Day!! I can't tell you how excited I was to get to wear a fancy head piece! The races were pretty neat-I had never seen racing horses close up and before each race the horses would be paraded so you could size up your bet. They were so beautiful and strong. You could see their muscles rippling as they walked- these horses were streamlined for speed! I managed to in about $20 on three races, which isn't too bad considering my first bet was $5.00.

On Sunday we headed to watch a NRL rugby game. We were cheering for the hometown Roosters, who haven't been having a great season so far. As we headed in to the stadium, we had missed the first couple minutes of the game, and we heard an announcer stating that the Roosters could not have started any worse. This didn't bode well for us, but didn't those Roosters turn it around and pull out a victory in a fabulous game to watch! It was so much fun! I love sporting events, I think they might be one of my favorite things to do.

On Monday, Meig and I headed to Wildlife World with Gilly and Graham, some Irish friends of hers. We were off to see closeups of Koalas and Kangaroos. The Koalas are adorable, I wouldn't mind bringing one home. I wonder what they would say at Customs? We got to see a mother with a baby, and it was the sweetest thing. We also saw a massive crocodile and bunch of other native Australian wildlife. The Koalas however, stole the show.

That is the scoop of what has been happening! As a side note, here is a few tidbits about Australia!
- you can't really tell if the water swirls the other way when draining. I've done some research that says it is a bit of a myth, which is very disappointing. My sister and I figure however, that the sink in her bathroom does drain differently than home.
- Kookaburras are loud. And apparently have tempers. Which makes them louder.
- I have never seen such big hills as I have in Coogee. I am trying to view this as a good thing for me and my muscle tone.
- So far I have avoided seeing any crazy bugs, which means when I do, it is going to be big. Stay Tuned.
- Quay = Key and Gaol = Jail- Who Knew?

For now, I'm going to relax and enjoy the rest of this flight to the Whitsundays and continue to hope the rain stays away for my sailing trip this weekend. Take Care!!

Cheers!

Lindsay