Sydney, Byron, Brisbane

Sydney: day 1 was amazing and exhausting. We got up at 5 am to get on our flight and landed in Sydney by 11 ish. We went straight to a friend of my dad's who let us hang out there and who we are staying with for 2 nights at the end of our trip. Our few hours in Sydney were fantastic and included fish and chips, being surrounded by bats, thunderstorms and the opera house. That night we caught the 11 pm bus to Byron bay.

Byron bay: we LOVED Byron. It's a chill little surf/beach town and the hostel was the definition of chill. It was all hammocks and had beach access. We spent the first day there just exploring town and lying on the beach. I got the worst sunburn of my life. On the second day we hiked up a mountain to the light house and by the most "easterly" point in Australia. On our last day in byron, John and I went surfing and then we just read on the beach. Lots of beach time and smoothies every day. Byron was fantastic.

Brisbane: today we got to Brisbane which is the opposite of Byron. It's a big, busy city. And it was pouring rain all day. We still wanted to explore so we took the shuttle downtown where we saw a really tall Hilton and decided to get to the top even though we were drenched. View was worth it. Then we decided to go to the library to use the free Internet. Brisbane is pretty exciting so far. Nice to be in a city again. Tomorrow we are planning on climbing my. Coot-Tha for an amazing view.

More soon!

Happy New Years!

So today we went to a bird island. yep. and island full of birds (endangered ones...there was only 30 in the world of one species). We took a tour with these two women who were SO obsessed with birds. They freaked out every time we heard one and kept trying to identify them. so funny. Then at lunch, we found these two little puzzles in the visitor center and spent 45 minutes racing each other in finishing them. Nicole's brothers were way too good at it. The other island we explored a few days ago was waiheke island. Where we went on the most epic hike...we almost missed two ferry's back. It was really beautiful and beach-y. Then celebrated new years on the beach/in the hot tub. We could see fire works from the beach. And then made a list of goals for the new year... I felt ambitious. Heading out to Sydney tomorrow!

Auckland

New Zealand is beautiful. I would need months and months to really explore this country, but it's also really great to just relax here for a week. I'm in a house in Orewa thats right on the beach. Amazing. The day after I got here, Nicole and I met up with a friend from school who lives here and went to this big-deal horse race. I've never experienced anything like it before. Everyone gets really dressed-up and its an extremely social event. I even bet on some races (only 2 dollars :) ) ...which was a complete fail. Mostly, though, we've been planning out our Australia adventure in detail. This trip is going to be slightly insane, but SO AMAZING. I'm really excited. The main obstacle is our bus, which seems to arrive and depart at the most ridiculous times (11 pm, 2:45 am, etc...). So we will have some really fast-paced days. My internet access will be very limited in Australia. I really want to just be there and not worry about emails, so I'm not sure how often I'm going to update... But I'm already loving the adventure!

Southeast Asia details

Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam

route map

Highlights

• The ancient Thai historical capital of Sukhothai and its superb temples and monuments


• rafting, hiking and trekking trip in the Umphang Wildlife Sanctuary


• climbing and caving in Northern Thailand


• trekking trip in the Nam Ha Biodiversity Conservation area in Northern Laos


• riverboat journey down the Nam Tha and Mekong Rivers


• World Heritage town Luang Prabang, with its ambience, temples, waterfall and textiles


• Exploring the Old Quarter of Hanoi, Vietnam


• Mountainous Sapa with three different trekking options and fascinating highland culture


• Moto tour of the former imperial capital of Vietnam, Hue


• Relaxing in Hoi An


• Markets and museums of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)


• Cu Chi’s Vietnam War era tunnel systems


• Mekong Delta exploration by bike and riverboat with rural homestay


• Markets and museums of Phnom Penh


• Insight into rural Cambodian life, home-staying with a wonderful family in Takeo Province


• Battambang’s bamboo train and countryside moto-tour


• Riverboat traverse of Tonle Sap Lake, through floating villages and Prek Toal Biosphere Reserve


• Exploring the amazing temples of Angkor Wat


• Bangkok’s kaleidoscopic markets and temples


• Intro to Scuba Diving in Southern Thailand


• Beach time in Southern Thailand


• Several volunteering days assisting with community development project

11W(hy not)

I have decided to take a real off term this winter. No classes or internships, i'm going on an adventure. exploring new zealand, australia, and southeast asia. beyond excited. My friend Nicole and I planned (are totally winging) a backpacking trip across the eastern coast of Australia. We have hop-on hop-off bus passes and backpacks, and we're just going to do it. Southeast asia is a little more organized. We are going with a group through a student travel company. Both of us are really into outdoorsy stuff, so lots of hiking and climbing and swimming. My blogging will definitely depend on how much wifi I can find. Updating on my phone is hard because my international plan is very limited in data roaming (??). i'll try though!

if you wan't to write me a letter (thanks!):

Mail drop 1
- Send mail before February 5. Group will be here February 25-26.
- Address as follows:

Pacific Discovery Group
"Participant Name"
c/o Madame Cuc 127 Hotel
127 Cong Quynh Street
District 1
Ho Chi Minh City
VIETNAM

Mail drop 2
- Send mail before February 25. Group will be here March 13-14.
- Address as follows:

Pacific Discovery Group
"Participant Name"
c/o New Siam II Guesthouse
50 Trok Rong Mai
Phra-A-Thit Road
Chanasongkram
Bangkok 10200
THAILAND

guess where I won't be 11W...