Dingoes, vodka cran and British boys

So today is my last day in Airlie Beach, 8pm tonight L and I greyhound ANOTHER 12 hours(a relatively short ride for us now) up north to Cairns. But I'll start at the beginning.
After leaving love and our amazing new friends (specifically M, P and J, our lovely roomies) in Byron Bay, L and I travelled up to Noosa where we spent two nights in a huge 16 share mixed dorm, Noosa itself was alright, we arrived in the morning, got dropped off the greyhound, strapped on our huge backpacks and hiked 15 minutes up the biggest hill known to man, to get to our hostel. While we were there we met our roommates, and just fell in love with our British boys (S included because she took it like a champ) A, A and C. They were just hilarious, now there isn't much to do in Noosa, especially after the hostel bar closes at half midnight, so we ended up walking to the beach in the middle of the night, smoking and drinking and having a ball, just acting like we owned the town. We splashed around in the water a bit and pretended we were being attacked by sharks, it was such a laugh.
After we left Noosa, L and I went to Hervey Bay to spend one night prepping for our Fraser Island camping trip. Hervey was lame and everything was crazy expensive and there was just nothing to do. So we met our Fraser Island team, figured out who'd be driving the huge 4wd trucks, and did some groceries.
The next morning we left for Fraser at 7am! So early for our lazy asses. Fraser was just incredible, I'll have to upload photos of it later but they don't do it any justice. We drove around like madmen on beaches and through huge sand dune trails (literally) almost killing ourselves a few times (and that's no joke, this shit was dangerous, I won't be suprised if these tours stop running quiiiite soon due to the amount of casualties caused by them). Day one we walked about 20 minutes through this crazy forest growing on a sand island (weird but amazing) and saw Lake Mackenzie. Now Lake Mackenzie has got to be hands down THE most incredible sight I have ever seen. Crystal clear water, warm, freshwater, bright blue, powder fine white sand. Amazing. If I die on this continent I want my ashes scattered along Lake Mackenzie. After that we did a 40 minute uphill hike through burning hot sand dunes (in bikinis and flip flops) to see Lake Wabby, another beautiful lake that was warm and wonderful, then the hike back (I don't know how) was ANOTHER 40 minutes ... UPHILL again!!! Worth it though.
The rest of Frazer Island was also gorgeous and scenic and amazing, such as the huge T.S. Maheno ship wreck that we got to see, and a few other lakes such as this one lake that was full of tea tree oil (made my hair so soft). The evenings were full of dingoes, walks along the beach to see the stars, excessive drinking with the locals and playing Never Have I Ever and Fucked By The Bus.
Our team of 7 (The Eh Team) became family to us, as have our many groups of roommates, and we miss them tons, our British boys on this trip, T and J became brothers to us and we were inseparable, then today the most amazing thing happened (in Airlie) T and J, and A, A and C all showed up in Airlie at our hostel. We were ecstatic, missed those hilarious bastards like crazy, especially in this boring town.
The point of being in Airlie beach was to do a sailing tour among the Whitsunday's, but there are huge cyclones so we had the trip cancelled and are leaving for Cairns tonight. So that's the story of Airlie Beach, lame as hell, but awesome in our last few hours due to our British boys amalgamating and showing up here. Oh god we love them, all we do is howl with laughter, they are just so hilarious and all so sweet.
Also, a word to everyone at home, I have been fb hacked :( So I can't go on, and sadly I am ashamed to say how much I miss it and how much it sucks to not be able to upload all my photos and stuff. So to anyone who might be reading this, I have tons of pictures that I want to show you to make you jealous, and I miss you all.
As for emotionally, I'm doing pretty well, actually very well since a certain ex-boyfriend decided to go batshit crazy on me, all it made me do is feel sorry for him and for how embarassed he must be, and I just see him for the pathetic loser peice of shit child that he is ... It sucks that I wasted 8 months on him, but I guess you don't really know someone until you break up with them. I'm pretty proud of my reactions though, although I can't say I have been the nicest, the worst thing I have done in reaction is write on my blog, just now, that he's an idiot. I'm pretty proud of myself :) And the boys in this country are way cuter, smarter, nicer anf funnier anyways so I have no complaints :)
One last thing ... Thailand this summer :)

Wonderwall

So today is our official first whole day in Byron Bay, NSW. Yesterday L and I got off the 14 hour train ride, 2 hour bus ride and arrived in BB at 5am, we then waited until 7:30 to get into our rooms and thank god they were free so we hopped into our 10 person communal bunk bed rooms and tried to sleep. Then we woke up, spent the day at the beach and then bought 4.4 liters of Goon for $11 and found some Canadian boys to drink with. Everyone here is very nice but it has been surprisingly difficult to make friends, mostly because there are some big language barriers, but also people kind of say hi then go about their own ways, but our new Canadian crew is awesome and very fun, we are definitely the loudest and drunkest in the hostel and made quite a scene last night, playing Slap the Goon and singing a song about it. Was such a riot though.
Other than that, the community feel of Byron is really amazing, there is a big communal kitchen with a communal shelf and fridge, and we just leave all our food there and label it and no one touches anyone elses stuff, everyone cleans up after themselves, there are no assholes leaving huge messes and it's just so nice that everyone respects each other. Good karma for sure. Other than that Byron is totally filled with hippies, it's hilarious to see, and there are alot of new-age alternative type people, who are also cool but I can't quite figure out if they are just part of this neo-beat generation or if they are being ironic in thongs. Whatevs. That's another thing though, no one wears thongs! Everyone walks around bare foot everywhere, on the streets, in shops, in Wooly's (our resident grocery store). So very weird but I have embraced it and am taking it slow, walking barefoot to and from the beach (which is a 5 minute walk from our hostel). The beach in Byron isn't nearly as beautiful as Bondi Beach in Sydney, which may be my favourite spot in the whole world, and the waves are really intense and the water is angry, it seriously beats you up and throws you around, reminds us who's boss around here I guess.
I miss my family lots, I have already created a little fort in my bottom bunk by hanging pashminas all around so it's private, and I have sticky-tacked some photos up on the wall already. I miss my friends too, but mostly I just wish they were with me because the type of partying here is RIGHT up everyone's alley, it's very cool.
I don't know if I'll be down to go out tonight though, I'm kind of hungover from the goon last night and also am spending about a grande on the next 2.5 weeks of my trip (oh yeah there's a story there!) so I don't feel like paying cover and buying drinks all night. And another thing, when I got here, I bought a pack of ciggies, in Sydney I mean, and smoked one, then I got sick, and since then I am disgusted by the thought of smoking, the smell of it makes me nauseous when I walk by and just knowing that I have that pack in my bag makes me want to gag. It is the weirdest thing, a New Years resolution that I didn't even plan on. I won't throw them out because they cost $20, but maybe I'll find a smoker and sell them for a tenner or something. It's so weird, I usually love smoking, I don't smoke too often, even when I was at home, but while drinking you just have too, that and it looks cool (which I still stick by even though I want nothing to do with it.) But I have always been pro-smoker, like yes it's disgusting and unhealthy but so is the rest of the world. I don't know, I guess I just am off it, maybe this will be forever! Which is so funny because I totally thought before I left that, once I was living alone, and not having to worry about not smoking on my parents property, and not smelling like cigs around my fam and friends, that I would smoke all the time, but it has totally been the opposite. Oh well I'm not complaining!
So, my big adventure, I'll have to write more details later, but essentially L and I hustled the travel planner guy, and are going to Noosa beach for a few nights, then doing a 3 day long camping trip on Fraser Island, then a few nights at Airlie Beach, then a 2 day sailing trip around the Whitsunday's, and then a night at a hostel on a beach (forget the name). Then a 2 day snorkeling cruise in the Great Barrier Reef, after that two days, L and I start working on the ship as housekeeping, so we stay and eat for free and do 3 hours of cleaning during the day, this is garunteed to us for 3 days and then if they like us they'll keep us. I am so excited for that, living on a boat, sailing the most beautiful waters in the world! Ugh it will be awesome, as much as I love Byron I am sooooo excited to get to that damn boat. And the camping part of this trip will also be amazing.
I guess I have got my enthusiasm back :)
Love and miss you all who are reading this <3

When the Levee Breaks

So I made it to Australia in one piece (sort of). After arriving in Sydney and making it to our hotel in Kings Cross, I got sick. Like, very sick. A raging case of tonsillitis that kept me in the hospital for 3 days. And it sucked. It sucks to throw up alone, gagging and choking on your own stomach acid without even someone there to hold your hair, or tell you to go back to bed, or even just be sympathetic with you. It really sucks, and then being in the hospital was also terrible, I was lonely and surrounded by gross, weird, sick people, the food was absolutely vile and the only nice thing I have to say is that I had a sexy man servant of a nurse who snuck me a sandwich, and gave me morphine which was also lovely. But yeah, that was my first time every staying in a hospital overnight, alone, with tubes and needles stuck in me and that stupid annoying IV that dragged behind me every time I got up to go to the bathroom. I even got stuck on it in the middle of the night when I tried to change my shirt and it must have taken me like 15 minutes of crying to untangle my old shirt, new shirt, and bra with the tubes and everything. So annoying.
So my parents friends L&G have kindly taken in L and I, to stay here for a few nights, but they live very far from the city and it's inconvenient and we don't want to overstay our welcomes so we are leaving tomorrow for a hotel with a/c that I can recuperate at.
But I still feel like absolute shit, I have absolutely no energy, I think 3 days of severe dehydration and bed-rest zapped me of everything I had, and the penicillin tablets they have given me make my mouth taste like I'm chewing on salt, it is absolutely disgusting and makes me so thirsty I can't stand it. So as much as I'm trying to be perky and optimistic I'm kind of still having a miserable time and I am wondering why I just spent my life savings flying to the other side of the world when all I have seen so far are some emergency rooms and one beach. It's not that I'm even homesick or desperately missing anyone, I mean I am but not to the point that I want to go home. I just feel like maybe I thought I was a certain type of adventurous person when really I'm just a homebody. L keeps talking about how excited she is for our real backpacking to begin, and as I nod my head along with her, I'm really just thinking that it's going to be noisy and hot and full of drunk teenagers. Oh another lovely part of being on antibiotics, no drinking for 10 days :S Lame.
So right now I guess I'm just questioning my decision to make this trip, because it's a whole lot less fun than I had expected and it really sucks not even being able to walk around for 2 hours without feeling exhausted and salty. Boo.
I miss my parents and my doggy though. If I could just snuggle up with my pup for one more night I'd probably be in a lot better mood than I am these days. I guess it also doesn't help that since I've been here I haven't slept a whole night through.

Get Ready

I'm tripping balls. Like SO nervous. I can't wait to get on that damn plane and have the crappy flight over with and be in Australia. But I'm also freaking out and want to stay in my bed under the covers forever. I hope I can bring my sandwich through customs :) It will be the last thing my mom makes me for a long ass time.
So last night after H and S left (we watched an awesome comic book movie called Kick-Ass) and I went in to my parents bedroom to try and wake up my mom and get her to hang out with me. She just rolled over, so I went to get my puppy to try and convince her to come sleep with my for my last night at home and she just snored at me. I guess it's a loneliness pre-view :(
God I can't believe I am actually flying away in 9 hours. The girls commented that I have left my room totally the same and am not taking many personal things. It's weird because my room is full of my stuff, like not just normally, but I have boxes in storage in the basement of old decorations, pictures, books and knick-knacks that don't "go" with my new wall colour .. (I repaint often). But as of right now the only personal items I brought for sentimentality and decoration is a stack of photographs of my friends and family. It's weird, part of me wants to clear out some space in my suitcase so I can bring my Tibetan prayer flags, my paintings, some incense and candles, and like 50 more books. Oh and movies, I have like 5 movies that I watch compulsively and also every season of Sex and The City, which I also watch all the time. Oh well, I guess it's time for me to learn how to live without a ton of my own shit.
Anyways, I can't beleive I slept so little, I hope I am tired enough to sleep on the plane from TO to the 'Couv, and then will pop some gravol on the way to Sydney .. hopefully that knocks me out for a good 14 hours or so.
AHHHH okay, I need to stop babbling now. And whoever reads this, someone needs to take care of KP for me.
I will miss painting my puppy's nails so much. She loves her paw-dicures, and we usually do matching nails. Awhh my poochie, I'm going to freak out without her.

The Long and Winding Road

Christmas was wonderful, New Years was great (but quite messy) and now I'm leaving. Tomorrow is my last full day in Ottawa, so today I figured I should pack all my shit and weigh my suitcases to make sure I'm under the limit. I'm actually quite proud of how light I'm packing. Except for my backpack, but the heaviest things in there are 4 bottles of sunscreen and my sleeping bag, which are both so very necessary. I'm in such an odd state, I don't know what to feel, I'm sad that I'm leaving but I'm excited to go, but not really that excited. Actually not excited at all. I don't think it will hit me until I wake up on the 4th and know I'm flying away from my whole entire life and everything I know.
I'm kind of winging it when I get to Australia, I'm flying alone, and I know that I suck at flying, I don't hate it but after a couple hours I get restless, then frustrated and then I get a migraine which eventually turns into a break down. I guess it will be interesting seeing how I cope with a claustrophobic melt down on an airplane, when I am all alone and have no one to complain to or cry on. But then I fly into Sydney in the afternoon, and am going to have to find my way to my hotel, where L and I will meet at some point during the day. Then we have to remember to go start up Aussie bank accounts, get Aussie cell phones (which I have actually already bought but will need to pick up) and also probably get groceries. Thank god we have a mini kitchen in our hotel room, so we'll save money not having to eat out at every meal. I'm guessing that I will spend 6 weeks carb-loading .. cereal, pasta and Mr. Noodles .. mostly because those are the only things I know how to cook, and for the most part I won't have a fridge.
Since L and I have no plans for 6 weeks (except for a couple cities that we want to visit, and activities we want to do such as learning to surf) we are totally just winging it. We have our hotel for 5 nights, which we will be sharing for a few nights with my old friend J from Manitoba. After we get kicked out of the hotel we are on the road with nothing but our backpacks! I want to hit Byron Bay, Surfer's Paradise, the Gold Coast, obviously the famous Great Barrier Reef, and I want to do a sailing trip in the Whitsunday's. L and I have been looking into doing holiday accommodations, so renting a house or apartment for a few weeks instead of hostelling, but it seems to be pretty difficult to find anywhere legit to stay, so I think I'm going to bank on hostels (and it will be way easier to meet people and party every night anyways) and then if we can save some cash and stay in a home or apartment for a week or two in between that would be wonderful too.
Anyways this outfit is what I'm planning to wear while wandering the streets of Sydney, green floral American Eagle dress (clothing swap), Minnetonka Moccasins ($75 Joneve), brown studded belt ($2 Ardene), green tye dye bag ($20 Old Navy).