The tropical north: Part 1

The beginning of Phase 3.
We don't have a lot of time but want to give some brief updates for our faithful following.
Thursday morning, after saying goodbye to Jeni and Brisbane, we flew up north to Cairns where we rented our "Spaceship" campervan called Ground Control.  We love it - fully equipped with all we could ever need in a campervan.

We spent the rest of Thursday and all of Friday up in Cape Trib, which is in the middle of the Daintree Rainforest in Northern Queensland - absolutely stunning.  While our weather was not the greatest, we were able to go bushwalking through the most intense hiking conditions either of us have ever experienced.  The experience was amazing although our view at the end was fog followed by more fog.  We have seen crocs up here, eels, turtles, lots of birds, and a couple of wallabies.  Still no cassawaries, snakes or roos.

Yesterday (Saturday), we visited several beautiful waterfalls throughout the Atherton Tablelands along with quaint towns on the way.  We're getting a bit of a sense of rural farmlife with sugar cane, banana trees and other exotic fruit trees lining every road.  The bush everywhere is thick and our campervan has proven resilient no matter the road conditions (we have only needed our battery jumped twice so far).

Last night we stayed at Paronella Park upon a friend's suggestion, and it was a beautiful experience.  The place is worth seeing and the story is worth hearing.  We'll save this for another time.

Today (Sunday), we woke up, were a bit discouraged by another rainy day, and so decided to cover some ground on our way down to Airlie Beach (where we go tomorrow).  With some stops along the way, we made it to Townsville this evening, where we have been able to relax, stretch our legs, take a dip in the ocean and have a nice meal together.

On Tuesday, we head out on our biggest excursion, heading on a large cattamaran to the Whitsunday Islands for three days (back on Friday). We will see one of the top five beaches in the world as well as dive a few times down to the Great Barrier Reef.  We will be excited to share with you more upon our return.

Until then, with the promise of pictures to come, we love you all. 

Byron.

Phase two.  It was the first time all trip that we felt like three among many tourists here.  Our short trip down the coast to Byron Bay was a lot of fun as we joined the masses towards the (arguably) most beautiful coastline in the world.  The Gold Coast is just south of Brisbane and our first day we stopped to enjoy the beach on Surfer's Paradise.  It didn't feel homey, mostly commercial, but the beach was gorgeous.

We stopped for lunch at a unique seafood spot where you pick your own fresh fish to fry or grill with fries.  We sat out in the beautiful sun to enjoy!

Then we found a patch of beach and enjoyed the sun for an hour, even though it was cool and slightly windy.  Jon braved the water... such beautiful ocean!

Jeni and I reading and playing Sudoku at Surfer's Paradise.

As we rolled into Byron Bay we realized that there was a lot to learn here.  

What is a good deal for a night's stay?  Four-share, six-share or eight-share rooms?  Tour or no tour?  Where are you from?  How do we get up to the lighthouse?  How do you stay warm at night?

We got the sense that Byron hosts a fair deal of backpackers, yoga practicers, hair weavers, artists and outdoor-enthusiasts (especially surfers).  We found a hostel that was more quiet than others and that allowed the three of us to be in a three-bed dorm room.  We enjoyed meeting new people as we cooked our meals in the communal kitchen, most from Canada (especially West Coast) or Europe.  Tuesday, our only full day in Byron, consisted of biking, hiking, beaching and finishing with a movie back at the hostel.  It was a highlight for all of us.

The other highlight from Byron was Wednesday morning, waking up early to jump on a whale-watching boat.  We followed a three-whale pod all the way up the coast from Brunswick Heads to the next point.  The humpbacks gave us quite a show and breached several times.  They were on the surface for almost a full hour and a half, dancing and splashing from time to time.  It was a great adventure for us and we learned a lot from the staff.  Did you know that humpbacks (males) sing to each other the exact same 20-minute song on a given coast but that this song changes slightly from year to year?  These graceful creatures are incredible.

Jon and I have changed our plans and are headed out to Cairns tomorrow morning via plane.  We will there pick up our campervan and start the trek south, down the whole of the East coast of Australia.  Stay tuned as we start phase three of this adventure!

phase one/wedding phase complete.

Nothing like finishing a great day in Brisbane by blogging accompanied with a glass of wine, while kangaroo is being stir-fried.

First off, I (Jon) am here and am loving Australia.  It has been great for Aimee and I to be together, and we're both now really excited for our weeks here.  Since I arrived Friday morning, so much has happened.  Friday was spent getting to know a lot of the people (Aimee had already been getting to know a bunch) who surround Beth and Luke and were a part of their wedding.  We had great times with people, we had times to just be with each other, I drove on the left side of the road for a first time, and we helped with set up for the wedding the next day.  Saturday was a wonderful day - the wedding day. The day was such a beautiful celebration of Beth and Luke - a really unique wedding, with afternoon tea being served before the ceremony, watching the proceedings sitting on hay bails with a beer in hand, and a beautiful reception on Brisbane river.  It was wonderful.  We each spent time with great people - Aimee with some wonderful girls she has grown close with over the past week, and me with so many great people I was just meeting.  Today (Sunday), finally, has been a day to relax and come down from the busy wedding weekend.  This morning, Aimee, Jeni, our new friend and host Nathan and I grabbed coffee on the West End and then found a Canada Day celebration in a park where we met some great Canadians who each had their own stories for how they have ended up here. Beth and Luke also decided to stay for the day before heading out on their honeymoon and wanted time to hang out with their friends, and so we all got together at Beth and Luke's place (where we are currently staying) for the afternoon, relaxed together, sharing stories and enjoying the rich community of friends they have here.  This evening was then church, where Aimee and I both felt that we already were part of the community as so many people we have met are part of this church here, called Life Point.  We were both blessed to be there tonight.  It is always remarkable and powerful getting a picture of the universality of the gospel when you see the message of Christ and his grace being preached and lived out in a place halfway around the world.

And now we are finished this phase. Along with the surrounding beauty of this place, we have deeply enjoyed the people we have met here - if this is a fair representation of Australian culture and community, Australians are incredibly kind, hospitable, relaxed and warm people.  We have been really well hosted.

Next up, we start phase 2 (I'm just naming these phases as we go...who knows how many phases we'll have), where we head down south a bit, with Jeni, to Byron Bay and surrounding areas tomorrow morning, where we'll stay through Wednesday.  Byron Bay is supposed to be a beautiful spot that is a "must-see" here. We'll keep you posted with what we find there.  And then, Jeni flies home and who knows what is next...

Some pictures from our weekend...

Nice to finally be here. A view from around Kangaroo Point.

Not a great shot, but the view of the bride and groom and wedding party.

 All of the lovely bridesmaids and Beth, accomplishing Beth's dream well of having nothing match.

Happy Canada Day!

Oh Brisbane.

While travelling up to the Sunshine Coast yesterday, the woman in the tourist information office informed us - ever so excitedly - that if we had only been here the last three weeks, it had been uncharacteristically warm and beautiful in the area.  Great.  Thanks, Lady.  Later on I learned that this is the worst weather for the season that Brisbane has seen in 10 years.  Awesome.

It's a good thing I'm not just here for Australia.

Beth and Jeni and I have had some really great times together, mostly in the car as we drive somewhere fun only to return because of the weather.  We don't mind.

Today we will be more fully in the throws of wedding crunch.  We went out for dinner last night to a delicious Indian restaurant to celebrate the last night of just the three of us hanging out.  Amazingly, I felt we ate for a reasonable price.  Food here is more expensive than in Canada... going out for coffee is always between $3-5 a cup (small cups).  A breakfast sandwich is around $5-6.  Small individual yogurt tubs in the grocery store are around $2 each.  Needless to say, last night when I got out having paid about $10 for a delicious meal, I was pleasantly surprised.  Beth reminded me that there is no expectation for tipping at a restaurant and there is no tax - it's all included in the price.

I wish I had more pictures to show but it would be all fog and rain.  I'm hoping to have another go at the Sunshine Coast when Jon and I travel north to Cairns.  The hinterlands we drove through seemed as though they would be gorgeous... the glimpses I had through the fog were breathtaking.

Anyway, there is a lot to look forward to today.  Maybe I'll find a good puddle to take a picture in.  *shiver*

The view of the Glass House Mountains in good weather.  I'll be back...

Jeni, Myself and Beth out to our last dinner

I forgot to mention that I had a meeting with the head music therapist at the Royal Children's Hospital here in Brisbane.  It was an interesting meeting, hearing all about the work that the 5 music therapists do in the hospital and hearing about the climate of music therapy in Australia.  It's different from Canada, that's for sure.  Could be a good contact for future research endeavours....

Beth and Luke's sign.  Cathy, the wedding planner, is really talented.  If anyone is getting married in Brisbane area, I would recommend her!

Cathy, Jeni and Beth in Cathy's garage, squished in with the wedding decor.

It's going to be so beautiful!!!

Colours.

Standing in the cold.  Feeling the rush of energy.  Being aware that I am one in a crowd.  Feeling cold.  Sensing the novelty.  Walking around and around to establish a memory.  Feeling cold.  Wondering about each stand as I pass.  Stopping only to linger in thought.  Thinking about what is different about this place.  Singing along with the music.  Relaying my findings to my friends.  Wandering contentedly.

This was the Brisbane market on Saturday morning at 7:30 am.

Such beautiful sights and sounds.
We did have an agenda, as Beth needed to find her flowers for next weekend and she wanted us bridesmaids to gain ideas for our own.

This was just one outing of many the past couple of days.
This morning, Sunday, we went to Hillsong Brisbane for church.  Another experience in itself.
Today we also went to the Gold Coast... saw Surfer's Paradise.  Gorgeous beach, chilly weather.

Through all the novelty, I am very much enjoying being with Beth and Jeni.  We are reconnecting, as we do each time we see each other after long sabbaticals.  I am finally in Beth's world, the beautiful world down under.

I'm getting used to wearing sweaters and housecoats and Uggs (which make SO much more sense here... as slippers!) as soon as I get inside the house.  Lots of great conversations happen in this house, with richness of thought and frequent bursts of laughter.  It is refreshing.

Five more days until Jon can join me here in this beautiful Brisbane.  I cannot wait to continue to discover what is this diverse continent!

Aimee

At the Brisbane Flower Market

Such different-looking bouquets...

Gorgeous exotic-looking flowers were everywhere!

Lush green, even in winter.

Not sure what kind of bird this is, but it walks around freely.

Beth's little house (for a few more days) in Red Hill

PS> I did drive today and made it pretty well if I do say so myself.  Beth's car is manual (translation: the clutch is on the same side (L) but the actual stick shifter is on the left and the light signal is on the right).  The hills in Brisbane are something else.  Had to use the old e-brake trick at the lights on a massive hill, and my Dad would have been proud!

Arrived - safe and sound

I'm here!!!

Wow what a wild start!  Not wild in the sense of out-of-control, but more that I've never experienced air-travel for that long in a consecutive sequence.  In short, the flight to L.A. was delayed, but I got to meet up with my friend Jeni (also from YWAM) once I got there, around 10pm L.A. time.  We boarded our flight to Brisbane together and sat through 14 hours... I had a much better time than I had anticipated.  The in-flight entertainment, food and service was excellent aboard Quantas.  And I probably managed about 6-7 hours of sleep, on and off throughout.  So we arrived, with sore bums and heavy eyelids.

When we got to Brisbane, around 6:30am Brisbane time, I got a wave of energy and was so excited to finally see Beth on her own turf.  It was so great to reunite and for the three of us to be together again (hasn't happened since YWAM in 2007).  Beth brought us to her home on top of a hill in a suburb called Red Hill - a very cute place that, like most homes here, doesn't have insulation.  I think when we landed it was around 9 degrees Celcius, so by mid-morning, unless you were in the sun, it was quite chilly.

All day we've enjoyed catching up.  Jen and I were pretty determined to stay awake as long as possible so we pressed on through different little car-rides around the city.  We saw Kangaroo Point, Beth's university, Beth's new home (where her fiance Luke is living now) and the supermarket where she shops.  We visited with one of Beth's close friends, Debbie, and enjoyed getting to know her.  For dinner, we made kangaroo stir-fry, complete with Tim-Tams for dessert.  A true Aussie experience!

I've attached some photos, but frankly I'm not going to write too much more cause I need to get to bed.  It's been a great first day and I can't wait to wake up tomorrow to be able to take more in of this beautiful place!  Well, maybe I can wait at least 8 hours... at least...

and she's off

for those who are interested (and largely for ourselves), we will be keeping a blog of our trip to australia this summer. feel free to follow as much or as little as you would like.

aimee is currently boarding her flight as i write this, heading first to LA before the 14 hr trek to brisbane. i will follow her next week wednesday when my work here is finished. from now until then, we will be making some semblance of plans for our trip while aimee also spends some great time with beth before her wedding.

our plan as we know so far:
aimee spends first week and a half with beth helping get ready for wedding, while jon slaves away at home marking exams.
i (jon) show up on june 29th, the night before beth's wedding. after the wedding, we'll spend the next 4 or so days around brisbane with jeni (aimee's friend from ywam).
the campervan roadie then begins (will probably be around july 4th), where we're going to work our way up the east coast to cairns over the next three weeks.
by around july 25th, we will likely fly down to sydney, where we'll then travel along the great ocean road between there and melbourne before we fly out to come home from melbourne on august 2nd.

other than that, we have little plans, only possibilities, excitement, and hope for the trip.

more to come.