Over the Alps and Beyond...

Off I set yet again on Wednesday morning, the first time in a while I'd had an early start before the sun was up! Autumn is definitely here in New Zealand, and I was rather cold waiting for the shuttle to the train station, despite wearing THREE sweaters! A far cry for my time in Fiji last week, I can tell you! As usual, I was at the pick-up point way ahead of time... good job really, as I had been there for 10 minutes before I realised that I was stood outside the wrong hostel! Luckily I had time to make it round the corner and still be on time! Soon the shuttle arrived, off we went to the train station and I took my seat on the TranzAlpine express. It was a 4½ hour journey, right across the Southern Alps and my goodness, the scenery was breathtaking!

View from the TranzAlpine

The train had two open-air viewing carriages, which provided a great place to take photos of the countryside. It also allowed you to freeze solid whilst doing so, and I was concerned that my fingers would soon no longer be able to operate the shutter button! I soon headed back into the warmth of my carriage and purchased a Devonshire Tea for only £2.50! The scones were even hot, just what I needed! The cream however was rather amusing - I guess it would have been a lot to ask to have real clotted cream, but it was a little pot of squirty cream out of a can! Hilarious! After we passed through Arthur's Pass, the skies cleared and by the time I reached Greymouth, it was a little warmer! However, after I had checked into the YHA, I went straight to a charity shop and bought myself a woolly hat and scarf, all for £1!!! Well, after being extremely cold on the train, I thought it best to be prepared for walking on a glacier!

After a spot of geocaching that afternoon, I returned to the hostel and found Lee and Michelle from Fiji. It was quite a reunion, with lots of hugs, jumping up and down and joyous shouts! We spent the evening chatting, before I hit the hay, with a hot water bottle, kindly loaned to me from reception! I tell you, it is damn cold over here right now, especially in Greymouth and the winds just blast through off the mountains!

On Thursday morning, I was up ready for my first stint on the Magic Bus! Off we set with Colin, our crazy driver, who made us raise our hands in the air every time we went over a level crossing or railway track! We had a few stops en route to Franz Josef at Hokitika, Ross and Pukekura - the latter being home to the notorious Roadkill Cafe, complete with museum about how deer in the area are "managed". I didn't go into the museum, but it seems that it and the cafe have caused some interesting responses from travellers in the past. Not a place for vegetarians!

I had been in a bit of a dilemma that morning on the bus about when to do the glacier hike. The forecast for Thursday was supposed to be very good, so part of me wondered whether or not I should go straight out and do a half-day hike that afternoon. On the other hand, the full day hike is supposed to be more impressive as you get further up the ice and it becomes more blue and there are more cracks to walk through, but as the weather in NZ is so changeable, I was concerned that if I went on Friday instead, the weather would not be as good. In the end, I opted for the full day, and resigned myself to making the most of it, whatever the weather! As it happened, as we arrived in Franz Josef just after lunchtime, it was quite overcast, so at least I hadn't missed out that afternoon.

Imagine my absolute joy yesterday morning, when I left my hostel, to see glorious blue skies overhead! By the time we had checked in at the Glacier Guides HQ, the sun was up and I just knew it was going to be a perfect day on the ice! I'd been coming down with a cold since Christchurch, and I was a snotty, dribbling mess as I put on two pairs of socks, heavy boots, four layers of clothes and my hat, but the sun was out and it was going to be a great day! Once briefed, we took a bus up to the glacier valley, where we were divided into groups: 1 & 2, for those who were feeling energetic, 5 & 6 for those who wanted to take it easy and get lots of photos, and 3 & 4 for those in between!!! I opted for group 6! Well, it's all about the photos you know (and not killing yourself through outdoor pursuits!)

It took about 45 minutes just to walk to the start of the ice along the valley. We then strapped on our crampons - I wasn't even on the ice yet, but was so excited just to be wearing crampons! Wow, crampons!!! Then the fun really began, as we climbed up the first set of steps that had been cut in the ice for us. Over the rocky moraine we climbed before we hit wide expanses of ice. It was great fun and we had a great group, and I was soon chatting away to our guide, Johnno, about truncated spurs and hanging valleys... well, what was the point of going to school if you don't get to show off about it 10 years later???

We passed the area where the half day hike terminates, and it was time to get out the ice picks as the terrain became more challenging from there on! I was glad I'd opted for the full day in the end, as I could see where we were headed and it looked fantastic! The ice became cleaner, bluer and more rugged! we could no longer take a direct route upwards, we had to snake in between cracks and crevasses, and up and down peaks in the ice! At one point, we walked through a crack that was the exact width of my hips, and so I had to go a little sideways! We got soaked, but the sunshine soon dried us off in no time. In fact, we had all peeled off most of our layers by then as the weather was so fine!

Franz Josef Blue Ice

We covered about ten to twelve kilometres over the course of the day, which doesn't sound like much for a full day, but over that terrain, it was an impressive feat! By the time we'd made it back onto the valley floor, the aches and blisters were really kicking in, but on we pressed back to the bus. Back at HQ, I peeled off my soggy socks and boots, very pleased that they weren't mine and I could hand them over to someone else to wash and dry!!! I met up with Lee and Michelle again and told them all about it! They are on the glacier today, so they were pleased that it had been such an amazing experience!

Last night, I had just about enough energy to pack my bag and chat to my roomies, Rosie and Katie. My cold was quite bad at this point, so I had an early night. This morning, I awoke with a cough as well, but no pain, no gain... it won't stop me enjoying my trip! Well, actually, I am going to take it easy today, but I have plenty of time to take NZ at a slower pace! So, I'm in a new hostel just for tonight as it was $2 cheaper than the YHA with free Internet! I've not checked in yet as the dorm isn't ready, so once I've done that and sorted out my bag, I think I'll spend the afternoon in the Glacier Hot Pools spa up the road! Well, when in Rome...

Kia Ora NZ!!!

Here I am in Christchurch, as far south and as far east as I have ever been so far! I think so anyway, I'm not sure if Fiji is slightly more east, but who cares, I'm on the other side of the world! The flight over here was smooth, I got through customs with no problems as I declared my teabags, coconut bracelet and shell necklace... well, I'd heard stories of $200 on the spot fines, so I wasn't taking any risks! I wasn't able to book a hostel online in Fiji as there was a power cut at my hostel and all the Internet connection went down as well, but a simple freephone call from the airport secured a bed for 3 nights at Frienz Backpackers. See, Emma using a telephone again with no problems!

Christchurch is a really pretty city, and it's evident why it's known as the most "English" of all New Zealand towns. I had a little wander around after checking in on Sunday afternoon, and collected a new ream of travel brochures and pamphlets, just like being in Oz all over again! It took weeks before I threw them away, just in case! Anyway, I decided to head out that evening to the cinema as I'd not seen a film for a while and it was slightly cheaper here than in the UK, so I was sold! I saw Slumdog Millionaire and I would highly recommend it! At last, an Oscar winning movie that didn't make me feel as if I'd wasted 2 hours of my life! The cinema was really quaint, it had a small screen and was styled like an old fashioned theatre. There was no popcorn and fizzy drinks, but a cute little shop selling ice creams and cakes and coffee... I'd only been in the country a few hours by this point, but I loved the place already!

Christchurch

Yesterday was plan day and of course, I got myself in a little tizz over the best way to get around the islands. Imagine my annoyance to find that a massive 35% discount offer had ended last Friday on the Magic Bus, one of the contenders!!! Sometimes, it is best not knowing tings like that! Anyway, I could either take this option, which is more convenient as the driver will pick you up and drop off at hostels, book accommodation and trips for you and stop for lots of photo opportunities along the way. There's also a great social aspect to it as you will be travelling with the same people for parts of the route. On the other hand, a Flexi Pass is purchased in blocks of time, and you can go in any direction and back on yourself on national coaches. Of course, you will know by now, dear reader, that I'm perfectly capable of organising my own accommodation and onward travel by myself as I'm an experienced World Traveller now, but I really didn't know which option to select. It did play on my mind quite a bit overnight, but you'll be pleased to hear that I didn't get myself into the same state I did when I was planning my route through Oz. What a difference a couple of months makes!!!

This morning, I was still undecided, but I went into the travel agency as soon as it opened, picked their brains some more and made a decision - the Magic Bus it is!!! To be honest, whichever way I go around NZ, I'm going to have a damn good time and meet more great people, so I'll just head off tomorrow and make the most of it! I'll be taking the TranzAlpine Express to Greymouth, which is supposed to be a very scenic trip. There doesn't appear to be much to see in Greymouth itself, so I think I'll spend just one night there before taking the first leg of the Magic Bus to Franz Josef Glacier where I will do a trip to walk on and through the ice! That all depends on how well I'm feeling though...

...The Rotting Bite disease came back! Just like it developed after Bali, I think I picked it up again in Fiji. It must be in the sea or something, but rather than let it get out of control again, I went to the doctor's today and got some more antibiotics and cream - $115 gone! That's about £45, but that's 2 nights accommodation! I'm also coming down with a bit of a cold I think, so I had to dig out the Lemsip Max Strength from the bottom of my rucksack!!! Oh well, I won't let it spoil my trip, I'll be as right as rain soon, and off to the glacier regardless! I now make the most of every single day and I sometimes chuckle to myself as I walk around, just because I'm so pleased to be on this trip! Which reminds me of a funny thing that happened this afternoon!

Caravans in the Botanical Gardens

I went to the beautiful Botanical Gardens here this afternoon to find a geocache. I needed to drop off a travel bug, and it seemed that this was the largest cache in the area that it would fit into! As I approached the cache site, I could see a lot of muggles (i.e. non-caching folk) so I would have to be discreet in locating the box. Imagine my surprise to find the area around the cache completely inaccessible as there was an Australian TV commercial being filmed right next to it, complete with smoke and rain machines!!! That put the kibosh on that one! So I need to find an alternative cache, or wait until I come back to Christchurch just before heading to the North Island in a few weeks' time! I swear, you couldn't make this stuff up!

Made Fiji!

I'm back from the Coral Coast, and two more days of paradise! On Thursday, I'd planned to catch the 8.30 bus into Nadi, but due to Mr. Wriggle features and the Fan of Doom, I was up early and had had breakfast in time to take the bus an hour earlier. I then had plenty of time to buy some bread (my meals for the next 3 days!) and find the next bus I'd need to catch to take me to The Beachouse. "Who's the driver today?" I enquired, as I didn't know where I would need to disembark, to which I heard the reply "I am, don't worry!" Of course, everyone here is so laid back and all operate on 'Fiji Time', which by this point, my clock was automatically in time with! Off we set over the island, past the green of the hills and the blue of the skies.

By lunchtime, I'd reached The Beachouse and I wasn't disappointed. It was more pricey than the dorms in Nadi, (but still damn cheap!), I could see why people had recommended it to me. The dorms were small but spacious, immaculately clean, set in pretty gardens and but a minute's walk to the beach, where I found a pool and a variety of hammocks to laze in! Once again, my tale gets a little boring here as more swimming and sunbathing occurred! I also repacked my backpack yet again, ready for my flight to New Zealand tomorrow. Well, I've heard a few tales of "$200 fines" at customs, so I just had to double check that all shells and the like weren't stuck in a corner or a pocket somewhere! Seriously, I would suggest anyone with organisation/tidiness issues should live out of a 65 litre bag for a prolonged period of time - it WILL cure you!

Yesterday, I had another easy day, first napping in a hammock by the beach, then paddling in the sea with some more new friends; Adam (US) and Fran & Phoebe (UK). Thanks to Adam for bumping into me with his kayak - yes, I have dived with poisonous sea snakes and sharks, but I still scream out loud when someone creeps up on me! I was hoping to see a kava ceremony at the resort last night, but after waiting for over 90 minutes and still no sign of action, I thought that was taking 'Fiji Time' a little too far, and so I hit the hay!

The beach at The Beachouse

This morning, I took the bus back to Nadi. It was more cramped than the one on Thursday and it wasn't all that enjoyable. However, good practice for South America I guess! I was losing patience, even though I'm incredibly chilled out these days, especially when there was a little lad on there being a kid. By that, I mean he was making goat noises at a speed of about 3 'baaaaaaas' every 4 seconds. I was glad to get off 2 hours later! So, here I am back in hot, humid Nadi, with another hour to kill before I can back to Horizon for one last night. I've got to be up at 4.30 am tomorrow to set off to the airport, so I am hoping that I'm not back in the Wriggle Bunk again!!!

Fiji's been great fun! I'm sorry that maybe my blog entries haven't been quite as interesting as usual, but I'm sure there are a few of you out there who are grateful for shorter posts! I've really enjoyed being on 'holiday' for the first time since leaving the UK. Now, I know you all think I'm on a year long holiday, but believe me, this travelling lark is tiring, challenging, hard work at times! It's been nice to just laze around for a while! I can honestly say, as I get nearer and nearer to the six-month mark (yikes!), that this is genuinely, honestly the best thing I've ever done, and I really don't know how life back in the UK will ever be the same again...

Anyway, next time you hear from me, I will be in New Zealand and thirteen hours ahead! That's due to Daylight Savings, so I'll need to watch out for when the clocks go back sometime this month! Bizarre! Plus, I need to watch out for when the clocks go forward in England too! Weird! So, first stop Christchurch and then I'm hoping to head north to Kaikoura to swim with wild dolphins. It's a tough job, but somebody's got to do it! ;-)

Island Hopping in The Yasawas!

Well, dear readers, you won't believe it, but for the first time, I've had a little bit of writer's block today! I know, me of the lengthy blog entries!!! This is not to say that I haven't had an amazing time out in the Yasawas, because it has been absolutely bloody brilliant! However, it's been such an easygoing week with a real change of pace from my previous adventures that I genuinely think I'd bore you with my usual detail. I mean, how much could you bear to hear about sunbathing, snorkelling, swimming, snorkelling, sunbathing, snorkelling, snorkelling, diving...

To be honest, the thing that has really made the past seven days so memorable are the great people that I've met and I feel they all deserve a special thank you for listening to me chat incessantly for most of the time! Cheers to Michelle & Lee (Canada), Michelle (UK), Adam & Stephanie (Germany), Graham & Al (UK), Karin (Switzerland), Elaine & Marcus (Ireland), Jane (US), Jen, Helen and Ally (UK) and Chris & Karen (UK). It was a blast guys, I hope our paths cross again in the future soon! Anyway, back to the islands! I think the best way to tell you about my week is note form, so here goes:

DAY ONE

Caught Yasawa Flyer and sailed to Coral View Resort on Tavewa Island. After lunch, chatted on beach to new dorm mates. Bought Fijian shell necklace, as everyone else seemed to have one and felt left out! After dinner, played musical statues and card games!

DAY TWO

Up for breakfast at 7.45am, then straight into the sea for snorkelling. Great site, loads of coral, BIG triggerfish and banded sea snake (1m long!). Watched snake surface for air a few metres away. Watched (deadly venomous) snake swim towards me and so beat a hasty retreat. After lunch, more snorkelling at the Blue Lagoon, where the Brooke Shields movie was filmed. Took well needed shower then climbed hill behind resort to watch sunset, benefit of shower negated! Had great fun taking silly photos, descent through "David Bellamy" style vegetation not so easy in the dark!

Me, Michelle, Lee, Adam & Stephanie

DAY THREE

Went SHARK DIVING! Hilarious to see Fijian guy dive overhead with wheelie bin full of food! Saw grey reef and white-tipped sharks, big moray eel and two huge sicklefin lemon sharks! Enquired if lemon sharks are dangerous, apparently not, they are very shy and polite! Damn, not scary enough! Took Yasawa Flyer south to White Sandy Beach on Naviti Island. Lovely little place, nice beach and friendly staff. Watched girls perform their Bula Dance after dinner!

DAY FOUR

In sea snorkelling again after breakfast, another great site, loads of fish. Taught myself how to skin dive. Back at 10am for church!!! Great fun, good practice if I ever visit the Bible Belt! Highly amused by simple hut by the forest with PowerPoint projection of hymns onto the ceiling! More snorkelling before lunch, then turned into a big prune after spending 3 hours in sea chatting to Elaine and Marcus! More dancing after dinner, this time we learned the moves as well!

DAY FIVE

More snorkelling after brekkie, back out at 9am to make coconut bracelet, back in at 10am and gave friends a fish tour! Elaine asked "What's that fish?" I replied, "Well, I don't know ALL the fish!" Back for lunch, informed that Flyer would be several hours late. Oh well, got to spend an extra few hours in paradise! Flyer eventually arrived, but water taxi too heavy to move at low tide, had to get out and push it, then motor fell off as we reached the Flyer! Hilarious, had to be towed to Flyer by another resort's taxi! Met Jane on boat to Waya Lailai, hope to do US Road Trip together one day! Arrived at next resort, great food, watched fire dance in evening.

DAY SIX

Lazy, lazy day on beach, chatting and swimming to all my new friends from the week, who by a great twist of fate were all in the same resort! Made crown of frangipani flowers in the afternoon with Jane, so became known as "Frangipani Girl" to the staff!! Saw poisonous sea snake on the beach, plus more sea, sun and sand, saw sunset and played the "I Can Name All 50 States" game with Jane! Got to 47 and was stuck, as usual!!!

Sea Snake Knows My Initials!!!

DAY SEVEN

Last day on the Yasawas. More swimming and sunbathing, checked out in morning and had pandanus leaf bracelet made in afternoon. Took Flyer back to Nadi, and spent my last few hours yakking to my friends again!!! Bus back to resort easy peasy, checked in again at Horizon Backpackers, this time in dorm with fan only. Met new roomies, chatted some more, went to bed. Fan really noisy, but pointed in opposite direction, so no benefit felt. On top of really wonky bunk bed, guy below must have had worms as he wriggled all night, didn't get much sleep!

So that's about it! It was great, great fun and I'm really loving meeting so many new people, they really did make my week special! Dorms are definitely the way to go and I wish I'd known that when I was in Asia; although I had a great time there, I was quite lonely at times and so I'm not sure if I made the most of my time there! Oh well, just have to go back again! Anyway, I've got 3 more nights on Fiji, so rather than stay in Nadi all the time, I'm off to The Beachouse on the Coral Coast today! Apparently, the first series of ITV's Love Island was filmed there! Anyway, I'll be back on Saturday to tell you all about it before I head off to New Zealand!!!

Bula Fiji!

Well, it was a wrench to leave Oz, but soon I was off to Fiji! The flight went smoothly and I landed around sunset at Nadi Airport. Nadi is pronounced "Nandi" by the way! I was collected from the airport by the Horizon Backpackers shuttle and was soon checked into to a clean dorm with air-con; Arctic wind would have been a more appropriate term, but never mind! I was soon chatting away with my new roommate, Luke (Birmingham), who'd just returned from the Yasawa Islands, and had already visited New Zealand! So the poor lad had to play Twenty Questions with me about both! It was good to talk to him as he gave me lots of info about his experiences on the Yasawas and so I felt well prepared to book all my activities there the next day.

On Wednesday, I went down to the beach at Nadi Bay. Whilst travelling, I've met may people who've said that it's best to get over to the Yasawas and I could see why... Nadi doesn't really have the idyllic expanse of sand you would expect in the South Pacific! Never mind, it gave me a chance to buy a coconut for $5 that I didn't really want!!! You know how it goes; "Hello my friend, where you from?" "Please, take a seat, here have this it's fresh!" "So, how much would you like to give to help me feed my family?" Well, I couldn't really say 50 cents could I? They always get me on Day One, and after such a long time in Oz, I'd forgotten what it was like to travel in slightly more 'rough and ready' places! Note to self - be really prepared for South America!!!

Sunset over Nadi Bay

I then took the local bus into Nadi, much better at 70 cents one way, and organised a boat and accommodation pass for the Yasawas. I'd left all planning until I arrived in Fiji, just to make sure that I could shop around and get the best deal. As it happens, there's really only one way to do it, take the Yasawa Flyer operated by Awesome Adventures, and all operators offer it at the same price anyway! So, I spent a good few hours in the Tourist Information centre, somehow getting a $19 discount without even asking, and I missed the afternoon deluge whilst I was in there as well!

Back at the hostel, I chilled out by the pool and bumped into Luke again, once again gleaning more useful information from him, and formulated an itinerary for the islands. Now, believe it or not, I was looking forward to a week without Internet access, but of course, because of my video application, I have to check if I have been contacted for online testing to make it through to the next round! Only two resorts have Internet and so I've planned everything around that! Part of me wants to just go with the flow, but then again, what if I only check my emails next week when I am back on Viti Levu later, and miss the deadline to reply by just two days? It's not worth taking that risk, so I'm slave to the machine yet again!

So, not to worry, I've planned to take the boat as far north up the chain to Tavewa Island first, to Coral View Resort, then work my way south again to White Sandy Beach on Naviti Island. That means that I'll be able to check my emails up until the Monday deadline and then I can move on to Waya Lailai (with no Internet) after then with no worries. That's the theory anyway! Anyway, I'm just using up my last bit of mainland credit now before the bus arrives to take me to Port Denarau... if I do make it online this week, at $12 an hour, please don't be expecting any blogging! You'll just have to be patient until I return next Wednesday!!!

It's All Over, Oz!!!

OH NO!!! I'm leaving Australia today!!! I swear, I've been a bit of an emotional wreck since I arrived back in Sydney for the last time on Sunday morning, and I know I'll be in tears on the plane to Fiji today. "Pull yourself together girl!" I hear you say, "You're going to FIJI!!!" Yes, that's pretty damn great but I cannot even begin to describe how much I've loved Australia and I've really been genuinely completely happy here; I feel like a new person. Well, not quite, I'm still crazy ol' me, but I'm way new and improved! Can you remember how stressed I was, back in Week One? Indeed, the money thing did worry me, and I've just about managed to stay within budget, but every penny has been worth it. I've had the most amazing experiences out here, but the very best thing has been the people.

Australians are genuinely the nicest people I've ever met anywhere and it has been a pleasure to meet each and everyone of them. the British service industry could learn a lot from these guys! Oz cured my phone phobia, diminished my spider phobia, made me so happy that I try to pet sniffer dogs and chat about any old nonsense to security whilst being tested for explosives at airports! And then there are all the people I have meet here from other countries, they've all been amazing! I have so many new friends that I need to visit again one day, loads in Denmark, some in Germany, hopefully I'll make it to Italy and Israel and then definitely back to Oz to again. Seriously, someday, somehow, I HAVE to come back to Australia. It is just... words fail me!

Talking of coming back to Oz... I left a little cryptic note at the end of my last blog post. Well, I can now tell you all about it! Mark had told me about a job, that the Queensland Tourism Board had been advertising online, for "The Best Job In The World" whereby the successful candidate would have to live on the Whitsundays for 6 months, rent free, and write a blog about their experiences out there, such as snorkeling, scuba diving, sunbathing, sailing. What's the catch? Erm, there isn't one! What's the salary? $150.000. Yes, you read that correctly - ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY THOUSAND DOLLARS! For 6 months work in paradise! When he told me about this I was stunned, I've been in training for this job for the last 5 months, I can scuba, I can blog, I can talk for England (and hopefully now Australia!).

"How do I apply?" I asked? Well, I went online to find out and lo and behold, the deadline for VIDEO applications was last Sunday! Crikey, I was really pushed for time and plus, how on earth could I make a 60 second video with no time to plan, especially as I was heading off to Perth that morning? Anyway, when Gillian had to cancel, I started to hatch a cunning plan, but I was struggling to come up with any cool ideas. However, when we got back to York that afternoon, I found that Mark had video making software on his computer, and by some miracle, I started to make a video to send in for the job.

6 hours (and one batch of homemade fudge) later, I had somehow managed to produce a 58 second video and I pressed submit... off it went through cyberspace and last night I got a confirmation email that it had been approved and was available to view online!!! So, I'm up against thousands of other applicants and I probably won't get any further with it, but it was so important for me to give it a go! For years I have shied away from opportunities because I've been too scared to fail or I wouldn't stand a chance... but things are different now, I mean, I am travelling the world on my own! I survived Vietnam! I'm going to South America for 5 months... what can't I do? Well, there's bound to be something, but I feel so positive and enthusiastic, bring on all the challenges!!!

Anyway, this is where you, dear reader, can help me! I'd ask you to kindly view my video and rate it (favourably I hope!) If I do make it through to the final 50, then voting starts and I'd appreciate it if you could take the time to give me your vote! I can't imagine that I will get to that stage, but my new motto is "Never say never!" Here's the link, hope it amuses you as much to watch it, as it amused me to make it!!!

Emma's Video Application

Now, I've just tried the link out and it wasn't available; due to so many people visiting the website, it is undergoing maintenance. However, I watched it online last night so it is there, I would kindly ask you to persevere and come back to it later to give it a look.

Anyway, that was Saturday afternoon, since then I left Mark and Kaiya in York, headed back to Sydney, checked back into the the YHA for my third and final time and since then, I've talked non-stop to my new roommates! I'd like to say a personal thanks to Sarah (UK), Azure (Canada), Sanne (Netherlands), Pernille, Maria and Cecilie (Denmark) and Sinikka (Germany). I talked the ears of these girls for 2 days! The Danish girls arrived last night and I basically didn't stop talking to them for a good hour probably; bless them, they needed to eat! Anyway, I made yet more cool friends and now I have even more people to visit in the future (if they can bear the talking again!!!) So, I have but 30 mins left here before I catch the shuttle bus to the airport, and by 2pm local time, I'll be on a plane to Fiji... and then next phase of my adventures begins...

Australia - Week Ten

On Sunday, we left Augusta and headed north through the national park to take in the spectacular sights of that area. First stop was Conto's Beach, followed by a jaunt down into Calgardup Cave! I was a little hesitant about this when I heard that it was "self-guided with a torch and helmet" - what, no rescue party or electric lighting??? Anyway, Mark and the park rangers assured me it was absolutely safe and the paths inside were permanent boardwalks, complete with sturdy railings! So off we went, down into the gloom, 27 metres below the ground! Once in there, armed with a torch and headlamp, it was actually great to be in the damp coolness of the cave, away from the blistering midday sun, and the structures within were fascinating! We turned of our lights at one point and took in the absolutely blackness. Even after a few minutes, when you would expect your eyes to adjust, nothing at all could be seen. Back at sea level, we left the caves and went to Prevelly Park, a world-renowned surfing spot and the town of Margaret River: unfortunately, the Fudge Factory was closed by then!

Still posing at 88 feet deep!

Nannup was our next port of call, to visit Mark's best friend Jason and his partner Dee. Unfortunately, Mark hadn't remembered to bring Jason's phone number on the trip AND he didn't know his address. "It's OK though," he assured me, "I've seen his house on Google Earth!" I didn't feel particularly hopeful about finding it, especially when he told me to look for "a wooden house with a white Ute parked outside." Believe me, in Australia, that really doesn't narrow things down! After what looked like kerb-crawling for way too long, Mark decided to knock on a door and to my surprise, he'd found the right house! The Ute was black by the way...

It was lovely to meet Jason and Dee and they were extremely hospitable, even letting us pitch our tent on their back lawn, to save us having to go looking for a campsite at dusk. I was especially grateful for this, as there had been bushfires nearby that afternoon and we had originally planned to camp right in danger area! (Don't panic Mum!) I immensely enjoyed a delicious dinner of homegrown salad and barbecued fish... and a bottle of semillion sauvignon blanc! And no washing up!!! The next morning, I enjoyed my second shower of the trip and off we headed to Busselton and Bunbury, to pay Mark's dad a visit, before getting in a few more geocaches, bringing the total for the trip to 27, including my 100th cache and two First-To-Finds! (That's good, all you muggles out there!)

We camped that night at Nanga Mill, in a beautiful coniferous forest complete with a babbling creek and a large group of wild Western Grey kangaroos!!! I got really close to them and managed to film a young joey and his mother feed on the roots and shoots of the forest floor. We had the area to ourselves and decided that instead of hitting the road again on our final full day, we'd spend another night there, so we could enjoy the river on Tuesday. It was great not to have to strike camp again and reload the Ute, for another long day's driving. Mark felt like a 12-year old again, as he skidded down rocks in his boardies and splashed into the river below, just as he did here years before, on family camping trips. So after over a week on the road and over 2,000 kilometres on the clock, we just chilled out with nature... although I did take an afternoon nap out on the open on an airbed with a duvet!

It's a dog's life!!!

On Wednesday, it was time to strike camp for the final time and head back to York. I was so glad to find (not) that we had transported TWO huntsmans back to Mark's house with us, and one had made it into the kitchen on the food box!!! Luckily, it was noticed in good time before it made its way into my Sultana Bran! On Thursday, I had a day to myself while Mark had a golf game in Perth, so of course, I spent it doing laundry (LOL) and on the internet, burning photos to DVDs, blogging... but that evening I got to do something quite special!

Mark had kindly arranged with a friend, Alan, to take me out in his little home-made plane! Now, when I say home-made, I mean that he had built it himself from a kit (like you can do with cars) and he uses it to oversee his farm! So, once the thermals had died down, off we sped along Alan's little airstrip (complete with real windsock!) and I was soon having a guided tour over Beverley. I got to wear a headset and everything got to say "Roger that captain!" through the microphone. It wasn't a formal requirement, I was just being a geek! Back on terra firma, we all then enjoyed some freshly smoked sausages, chicken and steak and myself a nice Wolf Blass chardonnay! Well, these are the perks of being a jetsetter!!!

Friday was another day of organisation - I had my backpack to repack and still bits and pieces to get done on the computer, plus some more Wii Fit practise! The damn thing reckons I'm 42, so it's a good job it was Mark's or I might have thrown it out of the window!!! Today, we set off to Perth to meet my old schoolfriend Gillian, who now lives and works out here. Alas, just as we were leaving York, she texted me to say she had to cover for someone at work and had to cancel! We decided to head into Perth anyway, just so I could get a few snaps and say that I'd been there! Once back in York that afternoon, I made some macadamia nut fudge for Mark, seeing as the factory in Margaret River had been closed! I was a bit concerned when I realised that Mark doesn't own any scales, but I managed with a little guesswork AND no thermometer! I was really chuffed with myself - admittedly, I beat it for just a few too many seconds and it set really hard and grainy, but it tasted delicious!

I also spent a few hours today on a special task... I'm not sure what will come of it, but when I have more details, I will let you know - in fact I will need your help, dear reader, so watch this space...

Australia - Week Nine

Well, the pace certainly changed this week! After spending six weeks up the East Coast, in and out of hostels like a yo-yo stuck in a revolving door, I had the luxury of staying in a real house with real facilities! Yes, I know I talk about it a lot, but I did laundry (it's important when you're backpacking!: I got to hang it out on a real washing line with real pegs in a real garden, with real sunshine and a real breeze to dry it!! I also got to sleep in a real bed with a real duvet and had several real lie-ins, for the first time in months and months and months... As a result, there isn't a lot of note to tell you all about, regarding my first few days in York, apart from the fact that I actually had a chance to begin to wind down.

The pace was all set to change again though, and on Tuesday morning, Mark and I loaded up the Ute, and set off on our camping tour of southern Western Australia, with dog Kaiya in tow on the backseat! The previous night, I printed out a swathe of Geocaches and logged all their co-ordinates into my GPS and we found our first one but a few kilometres outside of York! Off we continued until the yellowy landscape of the Wheat Belt became progressively more reddish, and the tarmacked roads more and more bumpy, until we were no longer travelling on asphalt, but gravel for miles and miles on end! We stopped midway through the day to visit Wave Rock, which I'd been terribly excited about as I can still remember reading about it as a child; indeed, I'm constantly surprised by how much I can still remember from Usborne's "Earth Facts and Lists" that I received for Christmas in 1985!!! Anyway, it was very impressive, although at that time of day, it cast a shadow upon itself that I thought would spoil my photos. I was pleasantly surprised when I uploaded them.

Wave Rock, Western Australia

It was then time to head further east, picking up a few more caches along the way. I should really warn you that should you ever wish to become a Geocacher, and have the good fortune to be able to participate in Oz, then you should be prepared for the terrain: quite a few times I've wondered what I may find lurking under rocks, be it spiders or snakes, and I was bitten by a bull ant that morning, and by gum, it bloody hurt! It was like a hot needle, coated with acid, had been stuck into my finger! Luckily, I slapped on some tea tree oil and that sorted it out after a few minutes. Once I'd calmed down, I was actually rather proud of my injury and was even more chuffed that I'd used some Australian Bodycare (from the UK, incidentally!) to treat the wound!

That evening, we arrived at our fifth cache site of the day - McDermid Rock. This was similar to, yet smaller than, Wave Rock, but just as interesting. In fact, we decided to camp there for the night, so we could see it in the morning light. After setting up our stuff and cooking on the little gas stove, we sat out under the stars with a bottle of sparkling wine... lovely, until a huge golden orb spider did a "Little Miss Muffet" but a few feet away from my chair... and that was just seconds after I'd moved out of its descending trajectory! "Yes Mark, it's not going to come anywhere near us, is it Mark?" I retorted in reply to his earlier reassurances!

On Wednesday, we continued further east to Norseman, from where we then turned south towards Esperance. From here on in, our days became quite similar: breakfast, strike camp, drive a bloody long way for hours in the Ute, set up camp, look at stars, go to sleep. I won't detail every movement with my usual vigour, so I'll keep it snappy! We camped that night at Starvation Boat Harbour, by a lovely little beach, although I was a little worried that the tent might blow away in the night, the wind was that strong! It was here that I had my first encounter with march flies since the Whitsundays and I can honestly say that they are just as annoying in WA too!

Then on Thursday, we headed along the coast towards Cheynes Beach. Unfortunately, although I had the map, I didn't know where we were heading: it was only after quite some time on the road did Mark say "I think we've gone too far!" We pulled over and checked the map and we realised that we'd missed a turn to the south and had headed inland, which meant a detour of approximately 100-150 kilometres was required!!! We eventually made it to our final destination and pitched the tent before dusk at Cheynes Beach Caravan Park, and after having a shower for the first time in three days, I felt human again!

On Friday, we headed north again and a little inland, via Denmark and Walpole, to the Karri Forests. Karries are the largest Eucalyptus trees in Australia, which can only be found in this region. We camped that night at Fernhook Falls, a lovely little spot. Not so lovely the following morning when I realised that a huntsman had been peeping at me all night through the tent window... at least it was on the outside of the mesh!! After that, we went to Augusta, where the Southern Ocean and Indian Ocean meet. We visited Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park and, as with the Great Ocean Road weeks earlier, the rugged coastline reminded me of Britain.

Scotland? Cornwall? No, Cape Leeuwin!

That night, we camped at Westbay Retreat Caravan Park, where Mark found "the best amenities I've ever seen! It's like a tropical atrium over there!" I can certainly vouch for that! Apparently, the urinal had a limestone rock wall that "curves up and around it, providing the necessary privacy." I can certainly NOT vouch for that! Later, after dark, an almighty thunderstorm made its way towards us, but stopped just far enough away to give us a spectacular light and sound show, with none of the rain. I saw lightning shoot upwards for the first time ever (just as my physics teacher assured me it always does). Hmmm, still don't believe that one...

Australia - Week Eight

"A cyclone warning has been issued. A Category One cyclone is apporaching the north Queensland coast and is likely to hit tomorrow (Monday) morning. Please be advised that we may need to enter your room to tape the windows if necessary. We recommend that all guests stock up on water and tinned goods. We will advise you of further developments at 11am."

That, over the hostel's tannoy, was my alarm call last Sunday morning. After a few seconds, I soon started to panic... "Cyclone? Stock up on tinned goods? But, excuse me, I have a flight to Ayers Rock tomorrow!!! What if the airport is closed? Oh my goodness, if I can't get to Ayers Rock then I will miss my tour and there is no refund and and there will be no point me going but I have to go just to catch my flight back to Sydney and if I don't get back to Sydney I will miss my flight to Perth and I can't get a refund for that... aaarrrrrgggggghhhhhhh!!!" And, so that was how I spent most of Sunday, I didn't leave my room, I read The Horse Whisperer from cover to cover instead and didn't get to see Cairns at all, even though I'd spent 4 nights there!

I even phoned Qantas (again!) to check if the airport was still open, which at that stage it was, but I was terrified that by the following morning, things would have worsened. I could have transferred onto a flight that day, but I would literally had to have put the phone down then and there, run back into the hostel to pick up my belongings and taken a taxi straight to the airport. Not likely, as I panic if I'm not in an airport before check-in usually opens, never mind trying to make it there with seconds to spare! My ear was still blocked and I was feeling pretty ,miserable for most of the day, but after a while, I realised that I wasn't panicking anymore, well not physically... I had stopped shaking and I had reached an internal level of calm. I don't know if deep down I knew it would all be OK, or maybe I had accepted the outcome as being a disaster but I'd get over it... either way (despite my initial panic), I was not me anymore, I was new and improved calm Emma. She's great, you should meet her!

When I awoke on Monday morning, the weather was surprisingly calm, especially as I was expecting a full-on cyclone by that point! As it turned out, it had hit Mission Beach, a few hours south, in the night, and hadn't caused much of a stir anyway. I told the lady at airport security, as she screened me for explosives, all about my tribulations the previous day. She thought it was ridiculous that they'd advised us to stock up on supplies and that it would have delayed, but not cancelled, flights. Once in Ayers Rock Resort, I took great delight in telling the hostel porter all about my adventure. It turned out that he was from Cairns originally and that Queenslanders wouldn't bat an eyelid at a Category One! When a Brit hears "cyclone warning" I don't think it is unreasonable to panic... we wiped all the supermarkets clean of bread and milk in 2000 just because the petrol tanker drivers went on strike! Nobody told me that Category One was the lowest threat! Anyway...

It is bloody hot in the Outback, I good forty degrees in the day and still well over twenty-five at night! I did a bit of laundry and it was dry within a very short time. I was really hot, but it was dry heat and it actually felt good to sweat and not be soaking wet as I was all through Asia! Evaporation worked once more! It also meant that dehydration was a very serious risk and so I drank a lot of tap water. Unfortunately, there is no such thing as cold tap water out there, and so I resigned myself to a week of drinking warm water... bleck!

On Tuesday afternoon, I was off on my adventure around the Red Centre at last. It took a fair bit of rescheduling and panic to get here, but the moment had arrived! I spent that afternoon trundling across the Northern Territory to meet the rest of my tour group and then making our way to Kings Canyon Resort to camp for the first night. I was really lucky and was joining just four more people for our tour - Evie (Italy), Will (UK), Morane (Israel) and Kellie (Sydney). That's right, an Australian who has actually been to Ayers Rock, and for the second time nonetheless!!! That night, we all mucked in to make a superb Spaghetti Bolognese (despite most of the ingredients being missing...) and were soon ready to get into our swags and lie out under the stars: although Morane was most concerned about the spiders and we didn't tell her about the huntsman that had been watching us prepare dinner! At last, I wasn't the one in a tour group that was most freaked out by insects, I had even been on moth and cricket removal duty! Then it really began...

On Wednesday, we were up at 4.30 am, breakfasted and packed away and in the bus by 5.45am, off to walk Kings Canyon at sunrise! We even spotted a few dingoes on route! When we arrived at the canyon, we were faced with the initial ascent up "Heart Attack Hill" but were assured that that would be the worst part over with first! Good job really, as it was quite hot, even though the sun had not yet risen! Once up at the top though, it was great fun and we saw some amazing views and found out all about the area and the flora and fauna within. After covering 6 kilometres in the morning heat, we spent most of the day (with a stop for lunch) back on the bus, to make the 300km trip back to Kata Tjuta (or The Olgas). It was a good job that there were only the 5 of us, plus our guide Jane, as we could sprawl out in the bus, in an attempt to nap and stay cool in the +40 heat. The air con became useless, even on full blast, as the weather was so hot outside!

Jumping for joy at Kata Tjuta!

Once at Kata Tjuta, I was incredibly grateful for the stupidly expensive flynet I'd bought back at the Resort, as the little b*ggers were everywhere! I was also pleased that I'd put on a long-sleeved shirt and long trousers that morning, as they were absolutely relentless. However, it didn't spoil out visit as we walked for a few more kms around the rocks. It was really impressive and despite the temperature, it was well worth it! Then, after taking some fun pictures, we were off again to... Uluru! We got there nice and early, and found a great spot to sit and enjoy our 'champagne' and snacks whilst watching the world's most famous rock at sunset! At this point, I feel duty bound to warn you, dear readers, that one mug of sparkling wine is more than sufficient to get you rather tiddly: if you have been walking and riding hot buses for 12 hours, you are likely to be quite dehydrated and so alcohol becomes rather more potent! So much so, that even though I took way too many pictures of Uluru, not one of them had me on it as I'd forgot to ask someone to take one! Whoops!

Back at camp, none of us really had the energy to cook dinner, but somehow we managed it and had a birthday cake for Evie (who had only told us about it just before we got to Uluru!) Then it was swag time again and I was awakened in the small hours by the howls of dingoes in the distance! Brilliant!!! Not so brilliant was the 4am start to get back to Uluru for sunrise, but we managed it! Again I took way too many photos, but I knew that this was my one chance to visit this magical place and I'd probably never be back. Morane and Kellie were ready to head off after a while to get started on the base walk before the sun got too hot, but they very kindly humoured me and waited until the sun had cleared the horizon so I could take snaps of every possible colour variation possible!

We were then taken on the guided Mala Walk at the start of the base walk and I was feeling pretty dodgy by the end of it, even though it was all shaded. I asked if the base walk was compulsory, and from Jane's expression, it seemed that it indeed was... we were to set off unguided and walk all around the perimeter of Uluru and it would take us about 2 hours. If it had been a partial walk, I think I would have opted out, but I knew that I couldn't miss this chance to make it all the way around. So off we set and very soon we were out of the shadows and in the full glare of the sun, which was incredibly powerful at only 8.30am. In short, at the start it was hellish as there was no breeze at all and we were all feeling the effects of the previous day's exertion, but Uluru was so spectacular, it was well worth it and luckily by the end of it, I didn't feel as bad. It was absolutely amazing, I'm just glad that I bought high capacity memory cards for my camera! Well worth it... even though we were amazed to learn that we'd covered 9kms in that heat and survived!

Uluru - absolutely amazing!

After a visit to the Cultural Centre, it was time to head back to camp for lunch and then our tour was over, but I was pleased to find that Kellie and Morane were staying at back at Outback Pioneer Lodge with me, so our time was not yet over! So we were dropped off and we said our goodbyes to Evie, Will & Jane (who still had a long drive back to Alice Springs!) After we checked in at the hostel, I dumped my bags back in the dorm and jumped straight in the pool, it was the only way to escape the heat! I then attempted to nap in the dorm, but the air-con wasn't working properly as despite being absolutely shattered, I just couldn't sleep in the heat!

I met up with Kellie & Morane later that afternoon and joined them back in the pool for another dip, by this point we had it all to ourselves! It even started to rain and some pretty big grey clouds rolled in overhead. The sky looked very threatening, at which point I said "I'd love it now if it just went (very convincing thunder sounds)!" No sooner as I stopped speaking, did the air rip open and an almighty rumble broke above us. "And I'd just love a million dollars!" I retorted... which had us all in stitches for about 10 minutes! I guess you had to be there!

Yesterday, it was time to leave the Red Centre and head back to civilisation and I was sharing the flight back to Sydney with... Kellie and Morane! I've met so many great people on this trip so far, but usually we move on in separate directions, so it was great to spend a little extra time with my new friends. The flight was fine, although Morane did not enjoy the turbulence and I had to watch the in-flight movie with only one functional earpiece! Back at Sydney, domestic arrivals was extremely easy and Kellie kindly offered me a lift back to the Sydney Central YHA (well, better the devil you know!). But then it was time to say our goodbyes and I promised to stay in touch and to one day visit Morane in Paris (where she lives at the moment) or in Tel Aviv (where she may be living if she goes back to Israel) - either way, I'll be chuffed to meet up again and see another new place!

This morning, I was up early AGAIN and back at the airport to board my Virgin Blue flight to Perth. We were due to board at 8.45am, but it was soon obvious there would be a delay. As I waited in the departure lounge, I could overhear many conversations and I soon learned that yesterday, TWO flights to Perth had been grounded and hundreds of passengers had to stay overnight in Sydney! It wasn't looking good, but surely that couldn't happen to three planes in a row...? Alas, yes it could, and to cut a long story short, we were delayed for over three hours and we had to get a new plane which was smaller and so people were asked to volunteer to take a later flight via Adelaide! I remained quite calm throughout, albeit quite bored, as I no longer had a tight schedule to work to and there were way more people in the departure lunge worse off than me.. plus, I got a free $6 voucher to spend on the plane!!!

So here I am in Western Australia at last! I managed to text Mark to advise him of the delay and he kindly collected me from the airport this afternoon. It was quite funny; as I was saying hello to him, I spotted a cute little beagle sniffing around my legs. "Hello, little guy, aren't you lovely?" It was only when its handler asked me if I had any fruit with me did I realise he was a sniffer dog and he'd made a beeline for me!!! What a fool! No, I didn't have any fruit, I assured the lady and started to empty out my bags all over Arrivals to prove it, but then I remembered that there had been an orange in my bag yesterday and that was probably the cause, so the dog got a treat and soon I was off in the car to York! Trust me to try and pet airport security!!!

Australia - Week Seven

Phew! Another week gone and yet again, I've crammed it all in again! Here's what I've been up to for the last seven days! Last Sunday, my new friend, Linus (Sweden), from Magnetic Island, was kind enough to let me borrow his laptop for the morning, so as I did a bit of laundry and killed some time before leaving the island, I was able to type away for free! Cheers Linus, you saved me a good $12 or so! At 1pm, we took the local bus shuttle back to Nelly Bay and then the ferry to Townsville, where I caught my tenth and final Greyhound bus to Cairns! It was late by the time I arrived, so I had time to check in a re-organise my stuff for my trip to Cape Tribulation the following day.

On Monday, I said bye to Lotte (who was staying in the same hostel again) and set off north on Australia Day! My guide, Mick, informed me that there would only be two more people joining me for the trip and soon we were at Port Douglas, taking snaps of the exclusive resort. Next stop was a guided walk through Mossman Gorge, followed by a nice cuppa and some Lamingtons - well, what else on January 26th??? After our tea break, we took a boat down the Daintree River to spot some local wildlife, i.e. CROCS!!! Due to the recent heavy rainfall (of which I was extremely thankful hadn't disrupted my journey up to Cairns the previous day), the water level was quite high, and so our guide informed us that most wildlife was likely to be harder to spot, especially the crocodiles as there were no exposed banks for them to lie on.We patiently scanned the riverbanks, eventually seeing some big white-lipped tree frogs whose camouflage is amazingly good!

Hard to spot!

Then, our guide saw a croc - a little baby titcher, but I was so excited, it didn't matter how small it was, I had seen my first live, wild snapper! Then another a little bigger... then a 2-metre one... and just before we had to head back to shore, a whopping 4-metre chap down a little side creek. We couldn't believe our luck! It was then time for lunch, the best buffet spread I've seen in a long time with hot and cold dishes, and amazing desserts. Mick insisted we eat as much as we wanted, so it would have been rude of me not to have eaten a slice of carrot cake AND a piece of lemon meringue pie, wouldn't it?!!

To round off the afternoon, we made to the Cape itself, where the rainforest meets the reef, and then it was time to drop me off at Crocodylus Village YHA for 2 nights in the jungle! The staff were extremely helpful and friendly and I hit the hay almost straight away, not emerging until 11am the following morning. Well, dear reader, you'll probably have noticed how many early starts I've been having for the last 4 months, so it was about time I had a lie-in! However, I think that I maybe got a little too much sleep as on Tuesday, I had no energy to make the 40 minute walk to the beach. So I did another jigsaw, again 750 pieces, but a much more intricate design. I didn't move from the table for 6 hours until it was completed.

That night, I joined some other guests from the hostel to take a guided night walk with our guide, Possum. He recommended that if we saw something, we should point it out so everyone could see it! As soon as he said "You get 2 points for everything you spot" I was in my element! "Oooh, what's this?", "Is that a huntsman?", "Look at this big cricket, surely that's worth 4 points?!!" Geek! Anyway, it was great fun, we didn't see as much due to the rains, but there was still a lot of bugs and beetles and things, a few lizards and we got a fleeting glimpse of a bandicoot! It was fleeting mainly because I yelped as something large flew up my poncho and so I scared it away!

"Do you mind? I'm trying to sleep here!"

The next day, I made my way back to Cairns via the Daintree Discovery Centre, where I climbed to the top of the Observation Tower by myself, yet another example of the fear-facing that has become an integral part of this trip. Back in Cairns, I had enough time to meet my new roommates and reorganise my backpack for the next exciting adventure - scuba diving on the Great Barrier Reef! On Thursday morning, I was off on the ProDive minibus to collect my gear, leave my backpack and head out to my home for the next three days, ScubaPro III! Soon we set sail, met the crew, had some snacks and were briefed of the plans for the next eleven dives. Eleven dives, woohoo!!

I teamed up with Britta (Germany/US) as my buddy and it was a little unnerving at first to realise that on the liveaboard, we would be diving unguided, which of course, would be a first for me! Britta was a little concerned about her rusty navigation skills, so we opted to join a guide for the first dive, and then we would be on our own. Anyway, it all went well, we even stayed down longer than the others in the group as we both had good air consumption - admittedly, we did get completely lost and we surfaced a fair swim away from the boat... so we just had a bit of a swim to get back on board! We had three more dives that day, including a night dive and we became more confident with each.

Yesterday was a super day of diving, I saw my first shark and turtles whilst underwater! OK, it was a fairly small white-tip, but even so, it was a SHARK! In the afternoon, we dropped anchor at Gordon's Mooring, a lovely area that Britta and I explored for a full 60 mins, and we still had plenty of air left! I was especially pleased with myself that I could recognise all the landmarks that Oscar, our dive director, had drawn on the briefing plan - it was only when I got back to the boat that I realised that I'd got them all in the wrong place in my head! Anyway, we didn't get lost and I did my first "swim-through" - a small tunnel in the coral, and I didn't bash my tank!

I was really excited to be night-diving at that spot last night, but unfortunately, I couldn't equalise my ears and I just had to abandon the dive. I was gutted as I swam back to the boat's steps to remove my gear after only a few minutes. As I took off my fins, Oscar said "Look in the water, there's a shark right next to you!" So lo and behold, there he was, swimming around the large fish that had been attracted to the food scraps thrown out by the crew! "But I can't stay here, I'm getting bashed on the steps" I replied, thinking that he'd say I had to come out of the water... but he didn't he let me get in and stay at the surface with my gear on, so as everyone else went looking for a shy leatherback turtle, I had my own private night swim with three grey reef sharks, who I watched circle around me by torchlight! In the end, I think got the best deal and I was extremely grateful to Oscar for letting me stay in the water!

When I awoke this morning, the pain in my ears had faded but I knew I'd not be able to dive again today. It was a real shame knowing that I'd miss 3 dives, but when I saw the weather at 6am as everyone else was preparing to descend, at least I wasn't going to be missing great conditions! The sea was very choppy, the sky very grey and the boat had not been able to move in the night to a new site. In the end, the third dive was cancelled anyway, and we made our way back to Cairns early than usual due to the rough conditions! It was quite bizarre having breakfast at 7.30 am and then lunch at 10.30, but when in Rome... the food on the boat was so good, it didn't matter that the mealtimes were a little erratic!!! Back at the dive shop, we all arranged to meet up later tonight for a meal and drinks, but I was feeling really crap by this point, and I knew I wouldn't make it. Too much travelling and trips over the past few weeks was taking it's toll I think! Plus, I couldn't hear much in my right ear and it felt like water was trapped, although hopping around on on leg didn't seem to help at all. Clara and Penila (Denmark) thought I was hilarious though...