"An Around-the-World-Ticket for Two, Please."

Christmas Day!

Posted by Sarah O'Neill , Wednesday 29 December 2010 21:43

So we pretty much knew that Christmas day was not going to be the hot and sunny beach day that we had imagined when we knew we’d be in Australia for Christmas so we made sure we had lots of nice food, Sam and Kelly’s DVD collection and their Wii! We had a lazy morning while Ben did our bacon sarnies on the BBQ and we opened pressies in our PJs. We had set a $10 limit for each other so we had something little to open on the day! Ben got me some cute summery PJs, sweets and blank CDs so we can burn some tunes for Gunther from Sam and Kelly’s CD collection! I got him a bright green Frisbee and water pistol (hoping to play on the beach on Christmas day!) some sweets and a Bob Marley CD! Then Ben had to start on his ham! He bought a 7kg ham to bake for dinner and all the dinners to come for the next week! While he lovingly took care of his ham I was watching a childhood favourite “Yogi’s First Christmas”, which was on TV! We both pitched in preparing dinner, I of course did the roasties, and Ben did pretty much the rest! I set up the table and we sat down to our Christmas dinner! It was delicious! After a while we also had Christmas pud, but missed having the usual clotted cream, the thick cream here was not a patch!!! We were desperate to get outside for a walk and some fresh air, but the weather was awful all day! But thankfully by about 4pm it cleared up enough for us to walk down to the end of the road and set foot on the beach, albeit in a Pac A Mac!! We took some pictures to show we had been on the beach on Christmas day, but not quite how we had imagined! It was so lovely to get out and get some fresh air! After a lovely long walk we came back to the flat and played some Wii bowling, and dare I say I kicked Ben’s ass in the first two games! We were then able to watch the Queen’s speech at 6.30pm, well before the UK! We also skyped with Carol and Mike which was great! It was so funny that they were just starting their day and we were finishing ours off! It was great to speak to them and wish them a Merry Christmas! We spent the evening watching TV, and playing Wii with a few drinks which was lovely. Unfortunately Ben got better at Wii bowling while I got worse, so he won 3-2! Oh well, just like when we went real bowling! Overall it was a good day, I certainly had my moments feeling very homesick, but we had each other and had a special day just the two of us!

How could I forget . . .

Posted by Sarah O'Neill , 21:38

How could I forget the major event of last Sunday after we went to the markets?! As we went to go to the mall Gunther wouldn't start because ... Ben had left the lights on!!!! Luckily we have RAC cover from the girls who owned Gunther before us, so we just gave him a call! After an hour he turned up and started us up again, but warned us we needed to get the battery charged up. We asked him if driving around would be ok, but he said we'd need to go for a good 2 hour drive, and even then, he would advise charging it properly! So, plans diverted, we went for a nice long drive to Bribie Island and back, around an hour, and made sure we were parked outside the store 'SuperCheapAuto' in case when we stopped it wouldn't start again, and we'd have to buy a charger! Luckily Gunther started up again and we were on our way!! Good Old Gunther!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Posted by Sarah O'Neill , Thursday 23 December 2010 20:32

I can’t believe almost two weeks have flown by since I last blogged! We have been very grateful to have the caravan as the weather had not been great! We have had a few nice days and have tried to make the most of them, but sadly they have been weekdays while Ben has been working and I have been volunteering, and come the weekends, it has all gone a bit tits up! On one of the nice days last week I picked Ben up after a long day at work, handed him a santa hat and told him we were driving out to Bribie Island for a Christmas photo for our Christmas cards to the parents! It had been a glorious day all day, but as I went to pick him up there were some ominous looking clouds over the way, so we chased the clouds to the beach, and they were close behind the whole way! We did manage to get a good pic, but if you looked the other way it did not look good as you can see from the pics! As we drove back it rained and rained!!!

We had some lovely cosy evenings in front of the TV while it rained, we were so grateful not to be in Gunther! At the weekend we got out and about a bit while it was dry! We went to the Glass House Mountains nearby and drove up one to a great lookout point. The view was spectacular, and you could see how flat it was apart from these odd mountains sticking out of the ground! We went on a 800m circuit walk, and about half way around it began to rain!!! We stepped up the pace and made it back to an undercover lookout point to shelter! Headed back to the caravan after that as it came in for the rest of the day!

On Sunday we decided to try the markets again as long as it was not raining! Luckily when we got up it was dry, so off we went. The market was huge and we moseyed around for a while, and then you’ll never guess what . . . it rained! We ran back to Gunther and headed back to the caravan to get into some dry clothes as we got drenched! Ben downloaded a computer version of ‘Settlers of Catan’ a game we got a bit addicted to at home with my family! So we played as a team against the computer and won! Then we headed to the mall to do our ‘Christmas shopping’! We have set a $10 limit to get each other something little to open on the day, there is no point spending a lot, our bags are full already and we’d rather spend the money adventuring! That evening we went to see Tron 3D which was very good. We also saw Love and Other Drugs earlier in the week, so we have now seen nearly every film presently out! Waiting for boxing day when ‘Meet the Little Fockers’ is out!

Rainy Sunday!

Posted by Sarah O'Neill , Sunday 12 December 2010 20:32

We were going to get up early today for the local markets held at the show grounds, but it was pouring with rain, and we decided that it might be cancelled, or even if it was on, we would get drenched, so we didn’t bother! Had a bit of a lie in which was nice as I was feeling pretty crappy. Didn’t sleep as well as I normally do due to my cold, and I also woke up with a horrible cough!

Got up and lazed around for a bit, and then we decided to go Bowling! We had seen a bowling place when we first arrived, and decided to check it out! It was busy with lots of families and was typically noisy and crazy! Luckily they had a spare lane for us, so off we went. We put on our sexy shoes and began! Ben was whining about how bad he is at bowling, he is not a good loser! It turned out that although I haven’t done it for ages, I was quite good! Almost every time it went straight down the middle, but didn’t manage to knock them all down as I don’t have enough power, and if I used a heavier ball it didn’t go so well! I won the first game and was very happy! We had paid for two games, so began the next one, which I was winning again for the first two bowls, however, the tables quickly turned! Ben was getting into his stride and I was losing mine! I seemed to get worse as he got better! Needless to say, he won that one! I was gutted, I thought this might be one thing I could beat Ben at, but no, he won overall when we combined both scores! Oh well, I’m used to it now! It was good fun, and I think we will do it again if it rains!

We had lunch at the mall, there are so many food places in the food court! Ben has his favourite, Big Mac, and I had one of my favourites, Fish and Chips!!! Not nearly as good as home, but was yummy nevertheless! We had a very lazy and lovely afternoon escaping the rain inside lounging around, I read my book and drank tea for hours while Ben wrote the blog and wrote a few emails, it was lovely and chilled! In fact the rest of the day was very lazy! We both managed to skype with our families, and I also chatted on fb chat with my sister and friend from work, so lots and lots of catching up which I always love! The perfect end to the day was watching P.S. I love you, which happened to be on TV! Lush!
Sarah x

Australia Zoo

Posted by Sarah O'Neill , Saturday 11 December 2010 20:46

So, I was given a direct order by my mother today. I am a good boy so will do as I’m told and write a blog entry.
I woke up nice and early to the sound of birds singing, I lay there and thought of home… My daydream was quickly ruined by a growling noise! Sarah has a bad cold! So I got up and had a shower and washed my hair. Sarah finally got up and showered, we both had a bowl of Cheerios and got ready for our day at AUSTRALIA ZOO. This is one of the places I’ve been looking forward to going to the most, as I’ve seen a lot of Steve Irwin’s shows over the years. It’s just a shame he wasn’t going to be there.
A moments silence for the Crocodile Hunter please.............................................................................................
We arrived shortly after the zoo had opened, it didn’t seem that busy. Once we’d got through the gates we sat and decided what we’d like to see during the day. They have lots of shows and feeding sessions. We decided that we’d go and see Wildlife Warriors show, the one with all the crocodiles. It started at 11 so we had a couple of hours to kill. We went and had a look at the alligators, they were all basking in the sun. It was bloody hot already! We had a slow walk up to where the snakes are kept. They have one of all of the dangerous Australian snakes. The world has 22 species of venomous snake, 18 of them live in Australia! The wombats were next door, my dad used to call me a wombat sometimes so it was interesting to see what I look like! Eleven o’clock arrived so off we went to the Crocoseum to watch the show. They brought in a lot of different animals for us to see. The last one was the crocodile. The keeper (Steve Irwin wannabe) messed around with it for a bit, baited it with dead rats and showed us how crocs attack, it was pretty cool to watch. After that we had some lunch, I had a chicken sandwich and Sarah had a ham one, which was nice. After lunch we went and fed the kangaroos, they sell the food in vending machines then you just go and find a kangaroo in their massive enclosure and see if she’s hungry. The first one we found was not hungry she just ignored us! We walked a bit further and found three having a rest by the billabong, which was nice. These girls were hungry! You put some food in your hand and they just munch it off your palm. That was pretty cool! We’d never fed a kangaroo before. The only problem was that even though I’d just had lunch I became very hungry! I just wanted to eat them! Kangaroo is very tasty! Koala land was next, they have an area where you can stroke a koala, we both had a go at this, which was nice. We managed to spot one up a tree with a baby hanging off of it. Sarah thought this was very cute. The final thing we wanted to see was the tiger show, we’ve both become pretty interested in tigers since we’ve been away. They have three Bengali tigers, pretty big ones too! The keepers were playing games with them with balls and stuff making them jump up trees and in the water. Amazing to watch!
On the way back to Gunther we wondered through the Steve Irwin museum. I never realised how much conservation work he did over the years! I just thought it was all an act for TV. There were a lot of tributes around the place. He was obviously a very popular man in Australia, the government even named a road after him!
On the way back we managed to avoid a massive traffic jam, which was nice! We stopped at a supermarket and bought some stuff for dinner. 40 king prawns and a kilo of steak for 15 bucks! Bargain! So that’s pretty much it. A good day! Shame about the weather now though! It’s pissing it down!
Ben

Friday Again!

Posted by Sarah O'Neill , Friday 10 December 2010 02:12

I had another great morning with the wrinkles today! We went for our morning walk, which was lovely in the sunshine! When we got back I said hello to Charlotte and her friend Vera. We talked about how good the concert was yesterday, and Vera told me a story about one Christmas when she and her husband were somewhere different, and a Father Christmas came on a boat and gave out presents, and how she had always remembered it as it had been a different Christmas than usual! She said she had looked at me during the concert and thought how this was such a different Christmas for me, and that I would always remember that moment, which I thought was so sweet! I think I will have to write to Charlotte and Vera when we leave here, they are so lovely! After morning tea I helped out with the Bingo in the sunshine unit, which was fun! Jenny called the numbers while I darted around helping those that needed it! Then I took a turn calling, which was funny! There was one old lady, Rona, who is so funny, she was taking the mic out of my accent when I said any ‘teens’ number! There was a sad moment when Billie, one of the ladies came in with her son, and he was leaving, and she was asking him where she was. He told her that this was where she lived, and she looked completely bewildered, it was so sad for them both. I distracted her by asking her to help me put the bingo balls in the right place which I think helped. Being a volunteer here is so rewarding, but also so sad at times. I was collecting the bingo cards at the end, and had to break up a little fight between the Rona and a man on her table, he was trying to be helpful and collect the boards on his table, but she wasn’t going to let him have hers, they were both pulling it back and forth yelling at each other just like little kids! It was funny, but also so sad, they were once adults who would have been appalled at such silly behaviour and there they are doing that. After I’d sorted them out, I helped clean out two of the residents bird cages and fed the fish! On my way out I went and said goodbye to Charlotte and Vera who were so happy to see me, it was lovely! I am hoping to spend a bit more time with them next week!

Did a bit of shopping for our packed lunch for tomorrow when we are hoping to head to Australia Zoo, and then headed back and had a tidy up. Sat on the porch and read my book for the afternoon which was lovely! I picked Ben up and we were going to head to a community event called ‘Christmas under the stars’ that was happening in the local park. It was from 4pm, with free rides, stalls, face paints etc, and a nativity scene with real baby animals! We were planning to check it out, and maybe get something to eat, and then head back to our cabin, and go back for the fireworks and outdoor movie later. I had been looking forward to it all week! However, as we drove in there was a big sign saying it had been cancelled due to inclement weather. It was such a shame as the weather was actually perfect for it, but it had been so bad earlier in the week, and the weather reports weren’t good, so they had obviously had to make a decision and stick to it. I was gutted! So, we ended up getting a bottle of wine and having curry which I froze from Monday which was good, and watching Polar Express which was on TV, followed by Christmas with the Kranks. It was a lovely evening, it was just a shame about the fireworks and outdoor movie! Oh Well! Hoping to go to Australia Zoo tomorrow if the weather isn’t too bad! Fingers crossed!

Day two in the old people's home!

Posted by Sarah O'Neill , Wednesday 8 December 2010 20:33

I woke up with a very sore throat today, and Ben still felt under the weather but we soldiered on! As we got ready we both felt a little better, so got on with our day. I dropped Ben off again and headed for my time with the ‘wrinkles’! Today was a lovely sunny day so we took some of the residents on a morning walk, I pushed Molly in her wheelchair and chatted to her along the way. I felt very responsible pushing her around, as she was once fully able to get herself around, and now she was relying on me to steer her safely, and put her trust in me, not knowing where I am steering, and loosing her independence. Molly was quite used to this it seemed, but I realised how hard it must be to first be pushed around in a wheelchair and lose your independence. However, it meant she could get out and enjoy the lovely sunny morning with her friends, so I think it’s worth it! When we got back a lovely lady called Jenny took me under her wing for the day. She went in to a few of the residents rooms saying hello and just generally chatting. The residents really vary in their needs, and we went into one room, a lady called Grace, who had gone down hill recently. Her husband lives in the room opposite, and he was there holding her hand. She was so pleased to see Jenny and gave her a big hug. Jenny asked them how things were, and Grace and Cliff said she was not doing so well. She couldn’t talk very easily, and was obviously tired and in pain. She asked Jenny to do something for her, and Jenny said of course, and Grace asked her to make her feel well again, it was so sad. Poor Cliff was standing there and you could just see how helpless he felt, it was heart wrenching. I could see how much they adored each other, I found it really hard not to cry in front of them. Grace said she was worried about Cliff as he wouldn’t sit down, they were both worrying about each other, bless them. Jenny and I left and I must admit I did cry a little. I felt really silly, but Jenny was lovely and said there are lots of tears and lots of laughter here. I was so surprised by how much it affected me, but I really was watching their last days together, and seeing their love and seeing how helpless they felt, it was so sad. However, it is an emotional rollercoaster there, as the next minute you’re laughing with another resident. We met a few more, including Eddie in the sunshine unit, who is a Scot with a thick accent! Had a chat to him, and he had actually sailed out of Plymouth many years ago and knew the Hoe and all the sights, so it was nice to talk to him!

At 10.30 there was a concert for the residents, with a lady who comes in and sings for the residents, so we wheeled those that needed wheeling down, and got everyone sorted. The concert was great and made me feel very Christmassy! It was so nice to see them all enjoying it and singing along! Bronwyn, who is in charge of all the activities dressed up in a giant Christmas Tree costume, and there was also someone dressed as Santa giving out presents to all the residents. Charlotte was there and insisted I sit on the chair bit of her walker, which was so sweet of her! At the end of the concert I helped get a few of the residents back to the sunshine ward, safe and secure! I took Charlotte to her table for the Christmas dinner and then headed home feeling so pleased that I found somewhere to volunteer my time!

It’s only 2.30pm here and I must go and check on the washing. I am still feeling a bit under the weather, but will try and avoid having a nap! Ben and I are planning to go to the cinema tonight to watch Megamind which looks like fun!

Hangin out with the 'Wrinkles'!

Posted by Sarah O'Neill , 20:33

On Tuesday I dropped Ben off to work and headed to the old people’s home! I got introduced to a few of the people that work there and one lady, Judy, was lovely enough to show me around and take me under her wing! She immediately introduced me to Charlotte, a lovely 91 year old (although you’d never believe she was 91!) who comes from London! She still has a bit of a Londoner’s accent which is fun to hear! She and I talked for a long time and she introduced me to a few of her friends! Judy showed me around, there are 99 residents, in low care, high care, and the ‘sunshine’ ward. Sunshine is for people with dementia, and it is a secure locked unit. I met a few of the residents there which was fun!

After morning tea it was time for the knitting and crochet group, run by a volunteer. Some ladies are making their own projects such as a woolly snake and a cardigan and the rest are knitting squares to be sewn together to make blankets for babies in the hospital. I sat with Charlotte and her friend Vera who were lovely! Had a wonderful morning chatting with them!

Headed back home for some lunch and started to feel a bit unwell, so sat down for a while and then had a snooze as I felt so rotten. Not sure what was wrong, but when I picked Ben up he had been feeling rough all day too and felt like he had a cold. We had a good hearty dinner of a sausage casserole and an early night, hoping to feel better in the morning!

Work and Volunteering

Posted by Sarah O'Neill , Tuesday 7 December 2010 22:42

Ben started work on Monday morning, so we both got up early and had a relaxed time getting ready without rushing! I dropped him off at the medical centre and went off to the shopping centre to buy a mobile phone. Mine is not unlocked so we can’t just put an Australian SIM card in like Ben did. I got the cheapest thing I could find, $30 which is not bad at all, gone back to having a Nokia! Now Ben and I can keep in touch while he’s at work and I can drive Gunther without worrying that I have no phone for emergencies!

I headed to one of the local schools I had looked up on the map which was nearby Ben’s work and the shopping centre and met with the Principle there. She was lovely! However, I do not have a blue card (like a CRB here) and so I could not volunteer to go in and help out. It is their last week at school here before they break up for the long summer holidays and Christmas break, which would have been fun! I tried at one more school thinking maybe they’d be more lenient, but it was the same response. So, went home wondering what I was going to do for the next two weeks!

Once home I decided to set up my phone straight away, but annoyingly there was no SIM card in the pack, so I would have to go back later! Had a bit of a tidy up and organise, and some lunch and then went back to the shops to get the SIM card. I headed back to the cabin and spent some time researching volunteer work in Caboolture and Morayfield, and found a few places to visit on Tuesday. I spent the rest of the afternoon cooking a Masaman curry (Ben’s favourite from Thailand!), which if I do say so myself was sooo yummy, however, chicken thighs with bones in are a complete bugger!

I picked up Ben and we both said how pleased we were we had the cabin, as it had rained all day and looked set for the evening too! Not only does it give us more space, but also our evenings are much more pleasant as we have a TV and we have a lot more cooking facilities! We both enjoyed the curry, which was rather spicy! Had a nice chilled out evening.

On Tuesday I took Ben to work again and headed to the shops to get some washing powder. I then and set out to find somewhere to volunteer! It turned out to be quite a mission! It was also the first sunny day we’ve had in ages, so the car was boiling, and the whole time I was thinking I should get back to do the washing, it could be drying so nicely in this sunshine (how middle-aged is that!). I also remembered that we had no pegs to hang out the washing, so had to go to the shops again! I first went to the Caboolture Community Information Centre, where the lady gave me a list of places that look for volunteers which was helpful. I also picked up a few leaflets of things to do, including a Christmassy evening this Friday at the Centenary Lakes, there is a Nativity Scene with real animals and an outdoor film which sounds like fun as long as it doesn’t rain! One of the places on her list was also on my list from my internet research, the Community Volunteer Service, so I headed there next. I couldn’t actually find the building, so went into the Meals on Wheels place and asked. They directed me to the Adult Literacy Centre behind them, and I met some very friendly people, who said the place I was looking for hadn’t been there for 7 years! However, they were nice enough to look it up on the internet for me and give me directions! I went on my way again, and ended up in a very industrial looking area. I drove up and down looking for number 39 and couldn’t see it, so I parked and had a closer look. I had nearly given up but am glad I didn’t as I just came across it! The lady there was super friendly too, but she said it takes about four weeks to go through police checks etc to sign up with her, but gave me a direct link with an old people’s home, giving me the name of the lady there, and said if I went direct maybe she would take me for two weeks. It has been so difficult to volunteer my time! All the forms and checks are necessary for safety, however, all I want to do is read to an old person, or hand out cups of tea!

Anyway, I went straight there, and they were happy to have me! Yay! So, I am now doing mornings there, and it’s just down the road from Ben’s work, so I drop him off and then head down to the old folks! Eventually got home to put the washing on, and hang it out, and then it rained! So it had to go in the dryer anyway! Oh well! I picked up Ben and we had dinner and another chilled out evening inside as it was raining again! There was an Oprah Special on, the reunion of The Sound of Music Cast, which was great! Ben knew how excited I was, so sat through it, bless him! They showed behind the scenes clips and all the children were there grown up, as well as Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer! It was great!

That Friday Feeling

Posted by Sarah O'Neill , Saturday 4 December 2010 23:47

This week has been a bit differnt with both Ben and I working! Ben has two jobs on the horizon, the first is in a place called Moorayfield, north of Brisbane, and the second is back near Runaway Bay. He phoned the place in Runaway Bay to find out where it was and if he needed to come in and meet anyone, as we are up in Moorayfield working right up until the day before he starts at Runaway Bay, and it was lucky he did as they asked him to come in and he ended up being there for 3 days! He was so pleased he had rung ahead, as he had a lot to learn as the equipment is different and he had to get to grips with the billing system! So, he went to work and so did I! I managed 7 bookings in the week which I am so pleased about! I'm waiting to see if I get my commission on the five, as they have to keep the apointment, so fingers crossed! I also got a couple of spins on the alcohol wheel, which won me a 6 pack of beer for the boys and a bottle of white wine for the girls!

Friday was our last night at Kelly and Sam's, so we had a BBQ with their friends Steph and Nick, which was great fun! I got home from work and there was a mountain of meat! We all had a few drinks and played some games! There were a lot of laughs when we played the Charades game with 3 rounds! Also played Taboo, Ben and I need to work on our Taboo communications! It was so good to spend time with Kelly and Sam before we left, it was a fantastic evening!

On Saturday morning we had to get up early and pack our bags up, feeling a little bit worse for wear! We packed up Gunther and said our goodbyes! We had arranged to pop in and see a couple called Alan and Clarice who are friends of Jan and John at home. Clarice is Australian, however, married Alan and moved to England, and had their family there, and then moved out in 1995 and have been here ever since. Jan and John told us we must visit them while we out here, so off we went as it was on our way to Moorayfield!

We had a wonderful time with them, they have an amazing home, it is huge! They were so welcoming and we enjoyed a cup of tea and homemade cakes outside! Unfortunately the weather was terrible! It did begin to clear up, but we were fine under their veranda. Their daughter Wibby and her children Charlie and Sahara came to visit too! Alan and Clarice took us all out to dinner at a lovely vineyard which was so nice! The food was delicious and it was such a treat! We said goodbye to Wibby and the girls there, and Alan and Clarice took us in the car to show us a few local places of interest, including where some of the new Narnia film, Voyage of the dawn treader, was filmed! When we got back we had to get going to make it to the campsite we'd booked before dark, so we gave them bigs hugs that we are taking back with us for Jan and John! We are hoping to see them again before we go to far as we didn't get a picture for Jan and John!

We found the campsite fine, but after a day of rain the grass was pretty boggy and the thought of spending all eveing in Gunther was not appealing! We so enjoyed out campervan trip in Western Australia, but of course it was sooo sunny all the time, you could live outside! The reality of a rainy time with only two front seats and a bed was beginning to sink in! We had a drive around to get our bearings, but unfortuately all the food shops were shut! We did however, find a cinema, so we decided to watch the new Narnia film, which was especially fitting seeing as we'd seen where it was filmed earlier in the day! The film was great and it was nice to chill out at the cinema rather than be stuck in Gunther all evening!

We spent our first night in Gunther and it has to be said it was a very comfortable night! However, it was very warm come the morning, and there aren't any windows that open, so I was going to open the door to get some fresh air in, but couldn't, as there are no door handles on the inside of the back! That was a bit different to the Wicked Van! I guess you just assume there will be handles! So, went to the back door, had to move a lot of stuff to get to the lock, and found that we couldn't get that to open either!!!!! So, it's boiling hot, getting hotter as we get more flustered about not being able to get out, and the only option left was for me to climb through the gap in the wire grid that separates the front and back of the van, which was no easy feat! Managed it and opened the front passenger door and could finally open the back to get some air in! The ground was even worse as it had rained all night! We tredged through the boggyness for our showers and it began to rain some more! We headed out to the shopping centre to get a cup of tea and talk about our options. There were cabins available at the campsite (just like a static caravan) and the older ones were a cheaper weekly rate, so we decided that this would be the best option for us as we are going to be here for two and a half weeks, and if the rain continues (as it looks set to!) long days and nights in the van were not apealing! We have been given a $250 allowance for accomodation for the job, so we're only having to top it up by $100 which is good, however, in the van we would have obviously saved money, but perhaps lost our sanity! We now have a settee, TV and our own bathroom, and we can walk around, yay!!! We got in some shopping for the week and headed back to our new home to watch the cricket, but it had been rained off! Found some brochures for things to do around here and looks like we will be heading to Australia Zoo at the weekend! Enjoyed an evening in front of the TV with a chilled glass of wine, not too late to bed as Ben begins his job tomorrow!
Sarah x

Another week has flown by!

Posted by Sarah O'Neill , Saturday 27 November 2010 20:58

Well, it's Sunday and another week has flown by us! Last weekend we had a great time at SeaWorld! We saw Polar Bears, which neither of us had ever seen before except for in pictures and on TV! They were brilliant! The enclosure had land and water, and you could watch them from above, or below under the water. It was open air, and we wondered how the bears weren't over-heating in the Australian Summer, but we read the info and the bears enjoy the Artic Summer and don't like it too cold! There have cold steam areas for them, and the water temperature is controlled, but overall, it suits them well! One of the bears was really active when we got there, and I could have watched him all day! He was jumping in the water, swimming up to the glass viewing area, swimming with his front pushed up against it, and then as he got to the top, pushing off with his feet and then flopping back into the water with a big splash, it was amazing to watch, especially while he was under the water. They are very good swimmers, and he had really human like qualities! When he would surface he would lie on his back with his arms and legs pointing up out of the water, and he would wipe his eyes with his front paws, it was so interesting to watch! I am glad we saw them when we did, as when we went back later in the day, it was different bears (they rotate them) and they weren't doing anything at all! We would have thought they were really boring if that's all we'd seen.

We also enjoyed a great dolphin show, which I loved! There are a few rides there too, so we went on a rollercoaster and a log flume! Ben's favourite bit was the sharks! There are two underwater viewing areas, one is a 'reef', full of all the colourful stuff we have seen when we have dived, which was very relaxing to watch, and the other is the 'predatory' tank! It is full of lots of sharks, and is not colourful at all, just grey sharks and fish swimming around, apart from one little Dory fish who seemed a bit lost! She had obviously swum through the divide from the other side and was lost in true Dory fashion! There is a glass box in the tank, that you can go in and feed the sharks from which Ben was really keen to do, but it was booked up for ages, so we couldn't! The sharks were amazing to watch, they were pretty big and dangerous looking!

We saw lots of other things, including a funny sea-lion show! There were the usual fair ground type stalls there with giant cuddly toys as prizes, and was trying to get Ben to have a go to win us a mascot for Gunther, but he was not up for it at all! The game had a giant bin, and you had three balls, if you got one in you got a small prize, two in a medium and three in a giant prize. The catch was, most people's balls bounced right out! We didn't see anyone get close, so Ben was reluctant, but eventually I egged him on enough to have a go! He managed two out of three so we picked a rather large Nemo cuddly which now proudly sits in Gunther with the two of us!

On Sunday the weather was terrible, so instead of staying in all day we went to the cinema and watched the new Harry Potter. It was good, but slow and long, and not as 'actiony' as the previous ones, but we enjoyed it. I always feel a bit naughty going to the cinema in the daytime! When you come out you still have an eveing left which is always funny to me! Ben did another great BBQ for tea, I don't think he'll ever get tired of them!

The rest of the week the weather was pretty poor in the mornings, and then just as I set off to work to start at 2pm, it would brighten up and be all sunny, which sucked a bit! But the weather should be getting as it is now Summertime here! I didn't do very well at work, only one booking all week, which meant no commission, but at least I get paid by the hour as well!

We had another weekend without Kelly and Sam as Kelly had a job interview on Monday 6 hours away, so they made sa weekend of it. I am sad Kelly and I haven't had much girly time together as she's at work all day, and then I'm at work in the evenings, and the last two weekends they've been away, which is a shame. Ben and I went to the beach at Burleigh Heads for the day on Saturday which was lovely! I read my book all afternoon while Ben was refining his body surfing technique! The waves on this coast are massive and quite scary, so I was also watching him most of the time in case he got into trouble, not that I would be able to do anything, but could at least alert the lifeguard!

On Sunday we went up Tambourine Mountain and found a 'market', which turned out to be half market, half carboot sale! It was fun poking around, and the whole town seemed to be there! We also found another little shopping area where there was a cheese factory and beer distillery. Ben had the 'taster tray' of four beers and was happy as larry watching the cricket! I also found a fudge shop and was also a happy bunny!

The rest of the week has been a bit of a whirlwind, getting Gunther ready for staying in, working and also fitting in another trip to Wet & Wild! Ben has a job starting on Monday, north of Brisbane, so we will be heading that way on Saturday and staying in Gunther at a campsite for the duration! It's until 22nd December, then we are heading back to Runaway Bay for him to start work here on 23rd!

Anyway, I am off to work in a bit, so had better be off!

The rest of the week!

Posted by Sarah O'Neill , Friday 19 November 2010 04:43

So, we have been super busy this week, and I have only just sat down to write the blog and it's late on Friday evening! Lots has happened, and I was going to try and write about each day, but in typical Sarah fashion I can't actually remember what happened each day, so here's an overview!

On Tuesday we took Gunther to Sam's mechanic friend for one last ditch attempt at sorting him out, and we were thinking about investing a bit more into him, so asked about the options of sorting the engine out etc. We left the van and got given an old banger as a 'loaner' to get us around! We went to the beach for the afternoon, the part that has a swimming area, netted off for sharks! I read my book, while Ben and Sam played in the water. We met a very crazy guy who asked Ben what frequency he was on! Got a phone call from the mechanic who was a great guy, he sorted the spark plugs, but was honest enough to tell us that it wasn't worth us getting the engine sorted, and it would be very pricey, considering we only needed him for a few months. So we decided to look into other options and sell Gunther for whatever we could get. We both felt really uncomfortable driving him, the steering was so heavy, the amount of smoke was getting worse and we were worried we were going to break down all the time, so didn't really want to be travelling all over like we planned. So we arranged to see another van the next day, a similar one, but much more nicely maintained and clean! However, there was a tiny bit of white smoke coming out of the exhaust! The guy was asking $3400 which we didn't want to pay, he said he had another offer in the table, so we played hardball a bit and offered him $3000 and left, asking him to call us if his other offer fell through.

We went to pick up Gunther from the mechanic and he said one last ditch attempt might be to do anothe oil change (the one we had in when we had it serviced probably made things worse as they put in a cheapy thin oil) and to use a very thick oil and another bottle of 'stop smoking', we already owed him $110 for the spark plugs, and he said he could do the rest and total it to £250, so we thought we might as well have one last go - and boy are we glad we did! So far, so good! Obviously it has not fixed the problem and its not a permanent solution, but the smoking is now minimal and it's like driving a different van! We got the tyres pumped up and now we are good to go! So, at the moment, Gunther lives! The guy with the other van sent us a message saying his other offer fell through so he could go ahead, but we've said no for now, as we're hoping to hold onto Gunter!

Other new this week is that I got a job! I am an 'appointment setter', working in a call centre. I saw the job online on a job site and emailed my CV with my call centre experience. I got a phone call on Tuesday night inviting me for interview and then started on Wednesday! I work 2 - 8pm and get paid $19 per hour as well as good commision if I make appointments. I have to make 2 appointments a week, and I get an extra $100 for each other appoinment I make on top in that week, so it could work out to be good money! It is certainly achievable, I have spoken to all the staff and they all seem to make at least an extra $100-200 a week. The last two weeks they have been running a competition on top of the commision, to win a 50"plasma TV! Theres only about 25 staff, so the odds are good! The runner up prize is a Wii! I had training on Thursday and a bit more tonight, and then got on the phones. Unfortunately I didn't make any appointments, but fingers crossed for next week! The appointments are for a financial advisor type person to visit their house and talk about investment opportunities, particularly in propety, however, they have to be earning a certain amount, be under 57 and have $110K in equity in their home, so not everyone qualifies, but hope to get some appointments on Monday! The office closes on 3rd December for 4 weeks for Christmas, so hopefully in the next two weeks I can hit the ground running!

On Thursday morning we went to another theme park with our special tickets, this time it was Wet & Wild - an amazing water park! It was amazing! We went straight for their newest ride, which is called Aqua Loop, where you stand up on a tunnel type booth, and there is a trap door beneath your feet which gives way and you shoot down and do a loop-the-loop in a water tunnel ride! There are four that go at the same time, so it's like a race, it counts down 3,2,1 and then all the trap doors go at once! There was no queue and we just went straight for it, so at the top I suddenly felt really nervous, and was very scared, I think even Ben was a little nervous when we got into the booth! I was absolutely petrified!!!! But it was brilliant! We got straight off and went back on again! Had loads of fun on all the other rides, but the Aqua Loop was by far the best! Google it to see what it's like!

So, I think that's the highlights of this week! Kelly and Sam have gone to his Uncles to dog sit for the weekend, and have kidly let us stay here, which is so good of them. We are off to SeaWorld tomorrow for the day and I don't have work which is nice, so we can spend the whole day chilling out, and then the plan is to get a takeway, which we haven't done in months!
Sarah x

Sunday, Monday Happy Days!

Posted by Sarah O'Neill , Monday 15 November 2010 17:08

We all had a bit of a lie in today, except for Kelly who went for her usual Sunday morning walk, she is so dedicated! We headed for 'The Spit', which is a long pier at the beach, where the boys could fish. Off they set down to the end while Kelly and I found a nice spot on the beach. We had a lovely lazy afternoon, reading, chatting and even snoozing on the beach! The boys were fishing for a couple of hours, but again, only managed to catch one fish! I don't think they're cut out for this fishing malarchy!

We all headed back and showered ready for dinner. As we were all getting ready Ben gave me a present, an anniversary gift of gorgeous earrings! He gave me the pressie a day early so I could wear them out to dinner! Tomorrow we will have been together for ten years! They are beautiful! Nick and his girlfriend Steph met us at "Outback Jacks". Ben had found an online voucher for us all to have a free starter, and then we both had a big lump of steak! After a lovely meal we headed home, via McDonalds for a soft serve of course!

On Monday I got up nice and early to Skype with Mum. We had set the time a few days ago, so there I was at 8am (10pm her time) waiting with the computer. After ten mins I decided she had probably forgotten, so I text her and Emma. But then I realised that she probably wouldn't have her phone with her, and Emma's phone has terrible reception, so I sent a message to the house phone, where a nice robot lady reads it out to them! Got a text back saying they were just getting online! Was greeted by Mum, Dad and Emma, and told that Mum had forgotten! It's nice to feel so loved, haha, only joking Mum, we know how crap your memory is, I half expected it anyway!!! Had a great catch up with them, it was so nice to speak to them and catch up properly! I love modern technology!

Ben and I had decided to go to 'Warner Brothers Movie World" for a day of fun! We had a great time, and got our passes to return as many times as we like, and also for access to SeaWorld and Whit Water World!!! Gunther got us there ok, all be it with a lot of smoke! When we arrived, we decided to go straight for the Superman rollercoaster, which we queued for a little bit for. I wasn't sure what to expect as we hadn't really looked at it before we got in the queue! It was fantastic! It goes from 0-100km p/h in 2 seconds, even Ben made a funny noise when that happened! I found it difficult to get out at the end of the ride as I was in such shock, I was a bit like you Mum when you went on Space Mountain at DisneyLand! We had a great day enjoying the rides and hanging out together! Gunther got us back home again, however, we are now thinking we either need to sell him and get a different van, or invest some money into him, with the hope of being able to sell him for more than we bought if he's in working order. We both feel that we need a reliable van if we are going to do any distance, and at the moment, we don't feel particularly confident when we start a journey that we will finish it!

Ben and I went out for the evening, we went to the cinema and as an anniversary treat we went 'Gold Class'! You get to go in a posh lounge before the showing, the cinema only seats about 24 people and the chairs are massive armchairs, lazyboy style, with a little table for any food that you order! We got complimentary popcorn and a drink (they don't do sweet popcorn here, shame), and we ordered a trio of dips platter, which gets bought to you about twenty mins into the movie! It was brilliant! I completely felt like we were at home, not in a cinema at all! The film we watch was called Red, and neither of us really knew what the film was about, so we were both pleasantly surprised! It was a great movie for guys and gals, we both really enjoyed it!

Saturday 13th November

Posted by Sarah O'Neill , Sunday 14 November 2010 03:42

Got up this morning to get ready for my interview! Walked the five minutes it takes to get to Runaway Bay shopping centre, and introduced myself to the manager. He was very apologetic and asked me to come back in twenty minutes as there was only him and one other staff member in at that moment. Went to MaccyDs and grabbed an orange juice to kill some time! When I returned he explained that this was the first year they had done this system of interviews, where they just tell you to pop in to see the manager anytime within 7 days for an interview, and he said it was proving a bit difficult! It took him a while to find my name, as he had a list that was 5 pages long! He had another interviewee waiting for him when I was done, so I think he's going to be busy! The interview was short and sweet, he didn't ask me anything too taxing, and I think I answered well! He said it was a small store and they didn't have as many hours to offer as the bigger store further out, so not sure if I am successful whether I can ask to be put in a particular store, we shall see! I also don't know if he will only say yes to the amount of people he can take on, or send back the names of all the people who were suitable to HR and then they chose, I will have to wait and see.

When I got back Ben and Sam were heading out to get new tyres for Gunther, and for Sam to hand out some CVs to various shops. They also took a trip to BCF (Boating Camping Fishing) and Ben came home with a fishing rod, tackle box and a 'fishing hat'!!! While they were gone Kelly and I topped up our tans by the pool and gossiped all afternoon, it was lovely! Kelly and Sam's apartment block looks out onto a a canal that joins the sea, with pontoons for boats in their garden area. Ben and Sam set up some chairs and spent the late afternoon / evening fishing and drinking! Ben managed to catch one fish, but that was it! Sam's friend Nick came and joined them, but they had no more luck with the fish! The boys came in and we had a barbie and a few drinks, it was a great evening. The boys stayed up to watch the rugby, this time they had the right channel! All in all, a great day!

Gunther Troubles!

Posted by Sarah O'Neill , Friday 12 November 2010 17:34

The day after buying Gunther we decided to get him checked out, and booked a service. Luckily they could fit us in that day, so off we trundled. Left him there for a couple of hours and then got the call to pick him up, saying there were a 'few issues', which was not unexpected! They had carried out the service and changed the oil and filters and stuff, but found A LOT wrong with him! They basically told us that we needed a new engine, ahhh! When we asked about just replacing the pistons (like the girls had told us) they said it would be almost as expensive as getting a new engine, so that was a bit crap! They told us about some stuff you can buy called 'stop smkoing', that you add to the oil, and said that might help as a temporary fix.

We decided to drive out to a Mitsubishi wrecking place to see how much we could get an engine for. After driving up and down the road a couple of times trying to find the place, we eventually pulled in and saw we had a flat tyre! It was as flat as a pancake, with a ma-hoo-sive nail sticking out of it! I talked to a very helpful man who came to look at the van and told us we could try and pick up an engine for $1800, but that didn't include fitting it, and he didn't have any, and apparently our van is the hardest to find them for, ha! Or we could get a reconditioned one for $3000, wowza! He mentioned the 'stop smoking' stuff too, so we decided we ought to try that!But before we could go anywhere, we had the small issue of the flat tyre! We did have a spare, so the guy told Ben to jack it up, and he went to get an electronic thing to get the nuts off. The van was jacked up as far as it would go, got the old wheel off, but couldn't get the new one on, the van was too low! The VERY helpful man said he'd get his forklift truck to lift it up if we didn't mind, WE DIDN'T MIND! He lift the whole front of the van up, got the wheel on and whizzed the nuts back on, what a life saver!!!! So, although no luck with the engine, we were certainly in the right place at the right time with regards to the flat! After our encounter with the lovely man, we headed to get some 'stop smoking', and chugged the whole bottle in!

Headed back to Kelly and Sam's and had some dinner. I had an email to invite me to interview at 'City Beach', a surfy type shop 5 mins walk away, which is ace! It just says to pop in anytime and speak to the manager, so will be doing that tomorrow! Kelly and Sam took us to the night markets at Surfer's Paradise, which were great! It is really touristy there, and the markets had some lovely stuff, and we felt like real tourists looking around! I bought a headband, Gunther does not have aircon, so you have to have the windows right down, the hair is wild and in my eyes, so that should solve that! We moseyed around the shops and all had a 'soft serve' icecream, (Mr Whippy from McDonalds!), which Ben loves! Came home and Kelly lent me a nice jacket to wear with my dress, and little shoes for the interview! Fingers crossed!

Campervan Day!

Posted by Sarah O'Neill , Thursday 11 November 2010 17:19

So, on Wednesday night we saw an advert on Gumtree for a campervan that was being sold about 15 minutes away, for only $1000 and thought we ought to at least check it out! It had everything we'd need with it, cooking equipment, chairs, table, bed etc, so emailed and went to bed. On Thursday morning we had a reply and arranged to meet them, so headed off to the hostel they were staying at.

It was two young American girls selling it. When we arrived they told us that it had been sat on the drive way for 2 months and wouldn't start!!!! They had a battery jump lead pack and managed to start the engine, however, when it was turned off it wouldn't start again! Used the
battery jumpe leads again and Ben and Sam took it for a test drive! They also told us that it had black smoke coming out of the exhaust, but they had taken it to a mechanic who said it was piston ring that needed replacing, maximum cost $350, and that they had dropped the price in last few days because of this, and that they needed to sell it by Sunday!

We tried offering them $800, but they said $900, so we went half way and threw in our Thailand guide books which we happened to have with us as we were taking them to the second hand book shop. This was great as the girls were going to Thailand next! They accepted $850 + books, and we had oursleves a deal! Started her up again, with the jump leads, and off we went!

The smoke out of the exhaust was pretty bad and smelt so we decided we would get it looked at soon. When we pulled up at Kelly and Sam's we were hoping that having driven it for a while the battery might have charged up a bit, but unfortunately when we turned it off, it would not start again! We knew this might happen! So, we decided to bite the bullet and go and buy a new battery. Sam took us, and then Ben fitted it! We all held our breath and waited for Sam to turn the key, ... nothing, just a little clicky noise!

Luckily, with the van came breakdown cover, so just phoned them and they were on their way! Sam and I went to pick up some lunch while Ben waited with the van, who is called Gunther by the way (they named it!). The RAC man came and said it was the wrong battery (even though we'd asked the sales people!) and the new battery was apparently dead! So, after lunch by the beach, off we went back to the battery place. Got the right one no problem, and Ben fitted it! We all held our breath again, ... nothing again, just the same clicky noise!

Called the RAC back out, and the same man came! He looked at it, and noticed a wire that was not connected. Once he connected it, we had lift off!!! We wonder if we needed a new battery at all, as that wire had not been connected to the old one, so that could have been the problem all along! Oh well, can't hurt to have a new battery!

Finally we were on the road! Ben and Sam went for a little drive, and tested out the sound system! It is hooked up with massive speakers and a rather good CD player, and the volume is deafening!! They also left us all their copied CDs in a CD sleve which is great! We set about finding out exactly what came with it! So, we have a camping stove, chairs, table etc. A big box full of cooking stuff and plates etc, a box full of other random stuff, like matches, dustpan and brush, electrical tape and touch up paint, and all sorts of stuff! There is a football, a rugby ball, and some snorkel gear! Most of the stuff is pretty grubby, and needs a good wash, so I will be cleaning it all ready for when we get on the road!

Had a lovely evening, Kelly and I went to the cinema to watch 'Life as we know it', it was so nice to go and see a chick flick and have some girly time! We got home and the boys had been playing Fifa11 all evening, what a suprise!!!

Saturday 6th November

Posted by Sarah O'Neill , Saturday 6 November 2010 03:13

On Saturday Kelly went to Zumba while the rest of us were far lazier! I would like to try out this Zumba malarchy but have not got any sports wear at the moment! I am hoping to go with Kelly to Aqua Zumba on Thursday as I have the right outfit for that!!!

We all went to Main Beach today, and walked all the way along it to Surfer's Paradise, which is a beach and shopping area. Had a look around and found some shop windows advertising jobs so will be dropping my CV (or Resume as they say here!) in tomorrow! Had lunch in an Irish Bar and then headed back to the beach. Ben and Sam were very brave and went in the sea, it was a bit nippy, but they said it wasn't cold once you got used to it. However, the waves were huge and messy! There were lifeguard warnings everywhere about how 'unstable' the swimming conditions were, it was nuts! The boys had fun body surfing the waves and getting bowled over by them!

Had a nice BBQ for dinner, Sam has a very impressive BBQ on the balcony, I think Ben might have a bit of BBQ envy! Had a chilled out evening and then Kelly and I went to bed while the boys stayed up for the Rugby on TV. Found out this morning that they didn't actually get to watch it as the TV channel was showing a different game, whoops!

Western Australia!

Posted by Sarah O'Neill , 01:25

Well, it's certainly been a while since I have done this! I did startwriting the blog on Word while we were away a few times but we had to be really scrimpy with the laptop battery and so gave up, and wrote in my journal. So the whole trip is written in my diary, which anyone can borrow when we're back!

We had an amazing trip, driving around 3500km in all! We drove up to Exmouth, and Cape Range National Park, stopping at some amazing places on the way, and then headed back to Perth stopping at some different amazing places! It was really good fun and we both had a brilliant time! Some days were a lot of driving and fun in the van, while others we spent time in different beauty spots and snorkelled and sunbathed. Our favourite place was definately the Cape Range National Park which we stayed in for 2 nights, it has the most amazing beaches and snorkelling and was a really spectacular place to stay! We met loads of interesting people on our way and saw some amazing sights! I cannot possibly write about it all, I would be here all day! After 3 days on the road we still hadn't seen a kangaroo, then we saw one, but sadly it was dead by the side of the road, which became a common sight. We did see lots of live ones while staying in the National Park and they came quite close! On our way back from Exmoth we counted over 160 dead kangaroos on the roadside, one of the reasons we didn't drive at night!

Offline for a few days!

Posted by Sarah O'Neill , Thursday 21 October 2010 18:54

We have been super busy the last few days, and I have had no time to blog at all! Arrived in Singapore on Monday early morning, and had a full on day! Two more long and packed days followed, and I will write a full acount of them eventually! Flew to perth yesterday and slept at the YMCA! Got up early today to pick up our Campervan and we're heading off for a 13 day roadtrip!!! Going up the West coast to a place called Exmouth and back, some amazing stuff to see! Not sure we will have much, if any access to the internet for the next two weeks, so will write the blogs offline and post when we can! Must dash, got to pick up our ride!
Sarah x

Diving in Pulua Weh

Posted by Sarah O'Neill , Saturday 16 October 2010 03:24

The reason we are here is because our Dive Master in Koh Lanta told us he thought this place had some of the best diving. Today we found out he was right! The dive sites are a lot more difficult than those on Koh Tao, and Koh Lanta. There is a LOT more current to contend with, and sometimes some sites cannot be dived at all, so you have to go to plan b. This worried me slightly! However, current = fish, so dug deep for the bravery I have been cultivating and got on with it! Here the dive boat is a lot smaller, and the regular dive boat was full, so a group of us were taken out on an even smaller boat. A new skill for me to learn, getting into the water by sitting on the edge and falling backwards! We had always been on big boats and done a ‘giant stride entry’, basically as it sounds, a big step into the sea! This was a whole different scenario! Managed it fine, and the dive was good. The corals are really good and there are certainly a lot more fish here! When we came up we found out that one group had seen a turtle, and another group had seen a shark! Ben was gutted, as he is desperate to see a shark!

Got back for lunch and then went out on the bigger boat (it’s still small in comparison) for our second dive, still had to enter the water by falling backwards in! The diving was good, like being in ‘fish soup’! But again, we did not see anything big! We saw a trumpet fish which was pretty cool, and a very long moray eel out and about which is unusual!

The next day was Friday and there is a rule, no snorkelling or diving, we think it’s to do with the fishermen. So we used to the time to research and book a place for Singapore. We’re flying back to KL on Sunday, and then hoping to get the night train down to Singapore, as long as we can get tickets on the day! Booked a cheap (cheap for Singapore, which is a very expensive place!) hotel and grabbed some lunch.

This dive was at their ‘most illusive dive site’, where two seas meet and there can be lots of current, so the diving is always ‘conditions permitting’. As we headed out on the boat the waves got bigger and bigger and we were rolling up and down! Got nearer and nearer, and then it was decided that we could not dive there today, so turned around for a different site. The diving there was good again, and our Dive Master gestured that there was a shark ahead, one of the guys at the front saw it, but when we got there it was gone! Ben was gutted! The smaller boat went somewhere different and one group saw 5 sharks!!!!

Had a nice evening and chatted to a Scottish couple who dive in the UK. I think Ben will probably be wanting to take up diving when we get home, and we were talking all about how much kit costs, and how to clean and store it! I think we’ll need a house with a garage and a hose pipe before I can cope with it all, they said their flat is a dump for days after diving, washing and drying out equipment on any available surface!!! We were both surprised to hear how much they enjoyed diving in the UK, however, it is VERY cold!

On Saturday morning we went for my final dive and Ben’s second to last one. We were heading to a different site that was also ‘conditions permitting’, so not certain that we would make it. The waves were pretty high, but it seemed that we were going in! In these places it’s important to descend as quickly as you can to the bottom as the current is less strong there. After a few seconds on decending upright the guide nose dived and I followed suit. I happened to be looking at him as he made the sign for shark, looked ahead into the blue, and there it was! It was like a picture from a postcard, just a dark shark shape ahead in the blue sea! I looked back to get Ben’s attention, but as soon as I turned back around it was gone! I was gutted for Ben, and wished he could have seen it rather than me! We had a great dive, my favourite so far, the dive site was amazing and packed with fish! We saw a lot of big tuna, and a gigantic fish called a Napoleon Wrasse! Getting back on the boat was really difficult and I kept slamming against the side while I was trying to get my equipment off, but managed eventually. Ben lost a wetsuit shoe in the process, really hoping it’s not too much to replace!

After lunch Ben went off for his final dive hoping to see a shark! Unfortunately he did not! It wasn’t the right site for it, but he did get to see an octopus and a new type of anemone and anemone fish that no one had seen before!

Hoping to Skype with my Grandma, Mum and Emma soon which will be great, however, the internet connection here is awful, hence no photos uploaded, so we will see. Really hope it works out!

Leaving on a 7am bus tomorrow, then ferry, taxi, and plane back to KL, then another and hopefully the night train if we can get a ticket, it’s going to be a LONG day!

Sarah x

Pulau Weh

Posted by Sarah O'Neill , 03:20

We got up at the crack of dawn and it was still dark! In a taxi by 7am heading for the bus station. Got our bus to the airport, and were there with plenty of time! Lots of waiting around, but I was pleased as had a coffee in Starbucks, which Ben also did! His first Caramel Macchiato, and he enjoyed it! Our flight was delayed by about 30 minutes, so after even more waiting around, we were finally on our way! Our flight landed at around 1.30pm and we then had to make our way through immigration, as we had left Malaysia and were now in Indonesia. As this part of our trip was unexpected we were not as prepared as usual, and didn’t have ‘the book’! The dive centre we had booked with had been very helpful with lots of information and we knew that Indonesia had recently started issuing visas on arrival. However, we did not know that they cost $25 US dollars, and we had neither dollars or Indonesian Rupiah! The cashpoints were after immigration! They were fine about it, and kept Ben’s passport while he went and got some cash, and then we were able to proceed! In Indonesia we are millionaires! The money here is too crazy and I don’t like it! £1 is 14000 rupiah! As we were the last through immigration they were quite chatty, and when we said where we were diving, he said the man before us was also diving there. We hoped to get a taxi with him to the ferry, but he had already gone.

We got to the ferry and had loads more waiting around to do! There was nothing there to eat and we were getting rather hungry, having only eaten a muffin for breakfast! It left at four, and was a very choppy ride! Got to watch Evan Almighty on the way though, which was fun! We found the guy diving at LumbaLumba and another guy also heading that way and all got a taxi together, which saved us a lot as it was an hour away, and taxi is the only way to get there! I didn’t realise how remote our new location was going to be! The jeep type taxi struggled up massive hills, then back down the, having to avoid cows, goats, monkey and even geese on the roads! Got to the Dive Centre ( called LumbaLumba) which is right on the beach. We were shown to our room, which is a very spacious and new chalet type thing. Found out the hard way that it had a cold shower! Apparently all but one have cold showers! Fans as well, not air con, so a pretty hot time! Signed up for two dives the next day and eventually went for dinner at 7.30pm, we were starving! Hadn’t eaten since breakfast, and we were warned that here the food takes about 45 minutes to an hour to come out! There are about 4 little shacks on the beach all serving similar food. Some of it is available, some of it, we found out, has to be ordered at lunchtime! Things here work a little differently; we literally are in the middle of nowhere!

Day 2 in KL

Posted by Sarah O'Neill , 03:20

We decided not to get up early for the Petronas Towers Tickets, preferring to view the outside of the towers, than the view from them, and also preferring to stay in bed past 6am! Got out and about around 9.30, and used the monorail and underground to get to the City Centre. The Petronas Towers are awesome to look at, and Ben took some good pictures!

We spent the day in the area, the City Centre Park is right outside the towers, and is a really nice place to hang out and take some good photos. It’s really nicely landscaped, with a rubberised running track (we even saw crazy people using it, in the impossible heat!), lots of places to sit, and even a kids swimming pool! We really wanted to dip our feet in the pool, which looked like so much fun, more like the Pavillions Pool than your bog standard outside rectangular pool, but there were two lady security guards with whistles, and they weren’t afraid to use them! We didn’t get whistled at, thank goodness, but several people did!

We went to the cinema (in the mall) before dinner and watched ‘Dinner for Schmucks’, which was funny, but not what I was expecting! The cinema was absolutely freezing! They seemed to have gone a bit mad with the air-con, and I sat through the whole thing shivering! When we stepped out of the screen the temperature was so much warmer, and then once we got out to the mall, it was even warmer, even though it was still exactly the same temperature as before when it had been refreshingly cool, but in comparison to the screen, it was hot! Going outside was funny, it was absolutely boiling! We had dinner, and then headed outside to see the view of the towers at night. That was an awesome sight! Ben spent about 45 minutes trying to get the perfect picture, and got some good ones! We headed back to the hotel around 9.30 and packed our bags for an early start!

Kuala Lumpur!

Posted by Sarah O'Neill , Monday 11 October 2010 07:43

Got up and packed or bags (again!) today! I am getting to be a pro at packing my bag now, but I have had a lot of practise! It was short taxi ride to the airport, and then the usual waiting around! Flew Air Asia again which is a budget airline, they are waiting for their 100th Million customer, which we figured we might well be as we are flying a few times with them, but then you win 100 free flights, which won't be much good to us as we're leaving Asia soon!

The flight was fine, less than an hour before we touched down in KL! We were going to get a taxi as it seemed like the easiest option, but it was £15, when we found out we could get a bus to the centre and then a much shorter taxi ride all for £6, which worked out great! The hotel is very well situated in KL for the monorail and subway stations, and was cheap and cheerful. We found it on lastminute.com, and checked out the tripadvisor reviews which were all fine. Ben realised that it is the first room we have stayed in that has carpet, first in five weeks! We are really starting to notice the little things after being away so long!

We literally dumped our bags and headed out for an explore. We walked towards the monorail station that goes to the Petronas Towers, (The world's 3rd Tallest Buildings at present), and a large mall that is at the base. We could already see the towers, and after a while of walking we decided to just continue walking as we seemed so close. Got there eventually, it seemed deceptively close being so tall! The towers are amazing, and look very cool. The sun was shining, and they looked magnificent! There is a skybridge between the two towers on the 41st floor (they are 88 floors), and you can get free tickets to go up it if you queue up at 7am. We are deciding whether to or not, as have read a few reviews that say it's not worth the 3 hour wait for tickets as you only get 15 mins! So might go to the KL Tower which you can go to the top of, and that has a great view of the Petronas Towers!

We then explored the mall, and ended up spending the rest of the day there! Each floor is much bigger than Plymouth malls 2 floors, and it has 6 floors! It starts off with the very posh shops like Chanel, Fendi, etc etc, and then gets more towards our kind of shops with Roxy and Quiksilver! There was even a Marks and Sparks! In the M&S was a small food section, and it made me a little crazy! I got so excited to see all the familiar and delicious food that I love! There were all the biscuits and sweets, and they were M&S ones, so looked especially tempting! I must admit, as we walked around I was fantasising about eating it all, I think when we return home I will have to exercise great caution on my first supermarket visit, if this is what I'm like after 5 weeks!

We walked around every floor and had a great time exploring! We will go back tomorrow, if we take our passports with us we can get a tourist privilege card that will get us a discount in some shops. Although we cannot buy anything, our bags are rammed, but Ben needs to replace a pair of flip flops!

We had dinner in Nando's which was also in the mall. I cannot believe that Ben and I had our first EVER Nando's in Malaysia! It was yummy, and the whole meal only came to £9, crazy!

We decided to get a taxi back to our hotel, as it was dark and we weren't sure of the way! There was a sign saying use the taxi rank with metered taxis not taxi men loitering around. So we headed to the rank and found a taxi, however he told us it would be the equivalent of £8 (it is only a five minute drive!) when we had paid £5 to get all the way accross town earlier in the day, crazy! We aksed him what about the meter, and he said no. Moved onto another one, asked him for a metred taxi ride, and he asked where to, when we told him, he wasn't interested! The crazy thing is, that on the side of every taxi there is a sign saying "This is a metred taxi, no haggling, ask for your receipt". They seem to take no notice of this. When the next guy said the same thing, I asked him about the sign on the door, and he sped off so quickly that his wheels screeched and the door was still open! Crazy! We were just about to give up when I found a nice taxi man who seemed to abide by the laws! He was really lovely, talked to us the whole way and was a really nice guy! He restored my faith in KL taxi drivers!

Off to bed now, not sure what tomorrow will bring!
Sarah x

Ben got eaten by catfish and Sarah ate lots of chocolate!

Posted by Sarah O'Neill , Sunday 10 October 2010 00:39

Got up early today and went 'island hopping', we thought it might be a nice way to see more of Langkawi and the surrounding islands. We were picked up at 9.15 and taken to meet the boat. There were lots and lots of people there! Lots of people were taken to their boats, not very big ones, and about 20 people were on each boat. When we were called to ours, it was a nicer boat, still small, but there were only six of us! Much nicer than the crammed ones, weren't we lucky!

It was a very fast boat, and was great fun zipping through the waves, and getting a bit splashed! It seemed all the boats were heading in the same direction. The boat driver stopped the boat and pointed to the view, which is called the island of the pregnant maiden. You can see from the photo the outline which looks like a pregnant lady lying down! We were then taken to the pier of the island and told we had one hour here. We were greeted by many monkeys! After walking up a hill and then down the other side (I was reminded of the trek and thankful not to be doing that again!), we came to a fresh water lake. Included in our ticket price was a 30 minute ride on a pedalo or canoe. Ben had been keen to get a canoe, but they said they were broken, so we had to have a pedalo!

Before we began our pedalo ride, there was a pool that you could dip your feet into for a 'cat fish massage'!! Ben got right in there and had a go, I was happy to take the pics from the side! There were hundreds of cat fish sucking on his feet and nibbling at his dead skin and cleaning any wounds. He made me try it, and I was quite reluctant to say the least! They have these huge antenae things and look so gross and there were so many of them! You can see from the photo that I did put my feet in, but not for very long! It was disgusting, all tickly and I couldn't keep them in! I don't know how Ben left his feet in there as long as he did! Ben laughed that I have done all sorts of scary (for me!) things lately, and I couldn't keep my feet in the water with the cat fish!

We enjoyed our pedalo ride, and the lake was pretty and cool, compared to the heat of the beach! It was very noisy where all the other people were swimming in an area of the lake, but much quieter when we made our way over to the other side! The scenery was pretty. It was interesting to see that the Muslim women here went into the water fully clothed, including their headcoverings. I'm not sure what they did when they got out, but I can't imagine they were allowed to change behind a towel or anything! It has been quite interesting and strange to us to see couples on the beach, the man wearing standard swim shorts and no t-shirt, and the woman wearing clothes that cover her to her ankles and a headcovering, even a few with a full burka, and the man half naked next to her. Can you imagine that in this heat! The culture here is very different. It makes me realise what freedoms I have and I am grateful for them.

We saw lots more monkeys, and a couple with babies which was fun to watch! I was amazed looking at their hands and the way they use them, it is so human like, no wonder we find them so endearing! Next we were taken on another exhilerating boat ride to another island. We stayed on the boat and saw loads of eagles circling above us. There were a few other boats that had got there before us, and they chuck out bread to attract the fish, and then the eagles swoop down and catch the fish. There were so many, it was quite an awesome sight! Our boat driver chucked his bread out, and soon they were swooping down around us too! Ben got some good pictures but was sad that he didn't have his bigger zoom lense with him.

Our next journey on the boat took us to a lovely looking beach, however, when all the boatloads of people descended on it, it got a bit manic! We relaxed and read our books. Ben got a shock when the tide came in on his feet, and it reminded me of those times at Polzeath as a child when the tide would come in so fast, we'd scramble to get all the stuff before it got washed away! It wasn't nearly as dramatic as that though!

After an hour we went back to the boat and sped back towards Langkawi. When we got there we found a lovely souvenir waiting for us! They had taken a picture of us just before we'd got onto the boat, infact I only just realised they were taking it as she did, they didn't even tell us or ask us to pose! They had put the picture on a melamine plate for us! haha, it was tacky and fun, and only £2 so we bought it! I had only been saying to Ben earlier that we had no photos of the two of us together, so now we do!

After we got back and had had some lunch we went to a place called 'chocoffee', which was almost next door to our guest house. It said on the front that you could have a free taster, so we thought we'd have a look and get some free chocolate! It was set out like a normal shop, with shelves each with the different boxes of chocolates on, and a lady greeted us, and showed us around. She opened a little tupaware from the shelf and gave us a taster, and told us what it was, and then moved onto the next type of chocolate, and produced another tupaware with chopped up bits of the various chocolates in. I thought after three when we got to the end of the shelf that that would be it, but no, it continued! All the way around the shop! We think we tasted over 15 different chocolates! She just kept dishing them out! Then we got free coffee tasters too! It was great! I probably would have bought something if we were heading home soon, but since it's super hot and we're away for 9 more months, we decided against it! Left empty handed, but bellies were full!

Tomorrow we will have been away for 5 weeks! We can't quite believe it! We are flying to Kuala Lumpur tomorrow, I am looking forward to being in a big city again, it will be fun! We will only spend 2 nights there, before moving onto Pulau Weh where we will be doing some more diving!

Sarah x

Friday!

Posted by Sarah O'Neill , Friday 8 October 2010 19:03

So we got up around 9am, loving not having to get up for work, it makes me so lazy! Then packed up our stuff and got in a taxi to move on to the next beach resort! Got to Zachry Guest House and they had details of our booking etc, but said we couldn't check in until 12, and it was only 10am! Left our luggage there and had an explore. The sun was shining, and it was a super hot and sunny day! The place has a common area with a TV, DVD player, chairs, sofas, and free tea and coffee! It was great to chill out and have a cup of tea before setting off to explore! They had beach mats we could just take and return, and they opperate an honesty box system of you want sodas or beers from the fridge. I think we have found a little gem!

Thursday - travelling day!

Posted by Sarah O'Neill , 18:59

Got up early and we were ready and waiting for the bus at 7.30am! At quarter to eight we were starting to wonder where it was, and Ben was starting to panic! I was sure it would turn up, and sure enough it did, rather late at 8am! Oh well! It was another mini-van, and I really think these mini-van drivers expect us to have no luggage! It was a bit of a squash getting it all on, but eventually he slammed the boot shut and it was in, thankfully not on the roof again! Next we had to squash into the van, no joke! It seemed that there was one other couple on the bus and the rest were local’s hitching a lift, so were far too many on the bus! At final count there were 16 people for 11 seats! However, they did make sure the paying customers had their own seats, but needless to say it was hot and overcrowded! The other couple were Dutch, the second Dutch couple we have met so far, the first being on our jungle trek. They were really nice, and were not at all impressed with the mini-van situation, especially when we realised it was going to be for the whole 3 hour journey to Trang! They were talking to us about many things, one of them being the political situation in Holland, which is very interesting and worrying. Funnily enough we saw some news about it on BBC World today! After 3 hours we got to Trang, where we were shown to our taxi that was taking us to the ferry port. We were on the 4pm ferry, but there was one at 1.30, so we asked if we could get on that. They said if we got there on time, so we were really hoping we would! It was a very hot journey, no air con, so windows down, which offered little relief and felt a bit like turning a hair dryer on in your face, for 2 hours! We pulled up at 1.25pm and ran in to see if we had made it, and luckily it seemed we were on the 1.30 ferry! Had to get our passports stamped as we were leaving Thailand and entering Malaysia! The ferry crossing was fine, just an hour and we were there! We knew we had to get to a cash point before we headed to the town we were staying in, as no cash points there, so needed to get plenty of cash for whole visit. The cash point said not enough funds, which was worrying! We then tried a different cash point, and then a different card, and still the same! We were worried we had had our bank account emptied by fraudsters! Saw a Starbucks with free wifi, so sat there to have a look at online banking! Panic over, money all still there, and plenty of it! But worrying that we had no way of getting cash, and we needed some! Had a little, from changing our left over Bahts, but not enough! I tried my other cards, and Ben tried all his, and nothing! Ben was getting super stressed and worried! I was more calm, saying we can’t be the only people who’ve turned up and had a problem getting cash out, so asked the Starbucks guys where the bank was. Unfortunately it was a 20 minute taxi ride away! I had one last attempt at the cash point and tried a lower amount, and hey presto, it worked!!!! Hooray! Suddenly realised we had been trying to take out more than the withdrawal limit! Silly Billies! Panic over, got more cash out and we were on our way!

Got a taxi to the Palms Guest House where we’d tried to call, and she was fully booked! Gutted! As we walked towards her next recommendation we saw a sign hanging on a wall, a room with TV, fridge, air con & hot shower, only £12 a night, so asked to have a look. It was strange, as it was a bit like a flat, a lounge area, a bedroom and bathroom, but it was pretty grotty. The bathroom was awful, and the toilet had obviously not been cleaned in months. It was a basic place and if it had been clean it would have been fine, but it was filthy. Decided to look at the other recommendation, but they were fully booked also. Had to go back to the gross place! 

We went out to explore and walked along the beach at sunset, it was beautiful. Quite busy with lots and lots of people around, and many bars and cafes, yay! Not a ghost town like Koh Lanta. We had a drink and watched the sunset, and then headed to a sea food restaurant we had seen on the way. They had regular set menu food, and then also sea food you could buy per 100g, Lobster, huge tiger prawns etc, so we decided to have chicken satay and spring rolls for starters, and then four of the massive tiger prawns with some rice and chicken with cashews. Ben went up to pick the tiger prawns, and came back looking a little sheepish! The tiger prawns had cost nearly £20! We both laughed and hoped they were good!!!! They were absolutely huge, about the size of my forearm, no joke! They were also REALLY delicious! We needn’t have ordered the other food, as there was so much meat on them! It was a really good meal and we enjoyed it! The whole meal including drinks was only £30, all that other food and drink was only £10!

Went back to the grotty place, and got online and skyped for a bit with Carol which was nice, although internet connection was a bit dodgy! We then had a look at other budget accommodation, and decided to move down to the next beach, where there was an excellent guest house in the book, with a great website where we could book online! It was still just a basic looking place, but you know that the ones listed in the book will be well kept and clean. Made our reservation, and slept better knowing we’d be leaving the grot!

Sarah