Boats, Island, and Surf

What a ride! Its been 10 days since we left on our sailing trip around the Whitsunday Islands, we've done loads of things in that time so I'd better get started.

THE WHITSUNDAYS WERE AWESOME!!

I've wanted to do this trip since the moment we booked our flight to Australia, actually since the first time I heard about it 6 years ago. You can imagine we were all pretty excited when we arrived in Airlie Beach for our 3 day, 3 night adventure. Once there, Nicole, Kendra and I were joined by our old travel buddies Karl and Petra, and we all headed to meet our crew and see our boat, the Anaconda III.

What a boat! A mega yacht over 100 ft, one of the biggest ones we saw on the trip. This is an important point as for some strange reason we had trouble finding the damn thing in the marina. Anyway, once we were on board, the crew quickly showed us our triple share cabin at the front of the boat and gave us a celebratory glass of champagne. We were introduced to the crew and our fellow passengers by Pablo, the first mate, who happens to be Irish...go figure. Our fellow passengers numbered 29 with not a single other Canadian but plenty of Germans, "Guten Tag".

We boarded the boat just after sunset and immediately made our way out to the Whitsundays. The Whitsundays, as part of the Great Barrier Reef, are a group of 74 islands surrounded by beautiful beaches and coral reefs. We were scheduled to visit some of these islands and beaches and then head out to the outer reef for some diving and snorkeling. Only a few boats are legally allowed to make it out to the reef which is one of the reasons we picked Anaconda III.


Karl, Petra, Kendra, Me and Nicole on the Anaconda III.


Kendra and I basking in the sun on deck.


A view of the islands from the boat, not bad at all.


The forward cabins on the boat. We were the one at the end on the left.

That first night was a bit tough, the seas were a little rough and it became dark soon after we left the marina. Neither of these things helped with sea sickness as several people found themselves hugging toilets, or hanging over the deck. Luckily Kendra, Nicole and I avoided any intimate porcelin adventures and were able to enjoy our first time out on the sea. I'm not sure why but the crew didn't pull out the sails that night (probably to help the seasickness victims), so unfortunately we went to our first stop under engine power. We anchored for the night in a sheltered bay after the 2 hour ride from Airlie, you could hear several sighs of relief once the boat was stopped.

Early on the next day we discovered that despite what we had signed up for back on land, our itinary would be determined based on the Captains interpretation of weather forecasts, tide reports, years of experience on the open ocean, his parrot "mini-me" and the aching in his wooden leg. OK, he didn't have a wooden leg but besides that and the lack of an eye patch this guy looked the part of a sea captain. Not sure how someone so obviously meant for hard work at sea ended up working on a tourist boat, but he was a great guy with lots of stories as would be expected from an old sea hand (maybe thats why he got the job).

Our first stop was Whitehaven Beach. An amazing white sand beach with crystal clear waters. While we were there everybody who had never tried SCUBA before was offered a free introductory SCUBA dive in shallow water. Nicole decided that it was an offer she couldn't refuse and took the plunge along with Karl. She did well, especially considering that not only was this the first time that she had tried SCUBA but also the first time she had been in the ocean...impressive. Good on ya Nicole! Meanwhile Kendra and I lost a sand castle competition and wouldn't get 2 free beers that night...crap. Karl said we should have won but then he said something in German to Petra that made her laugh...a little suspicious I would say.


Whitehaven Beach from the boat.

After the beach and a great lunch by the on board chef, Michelle, we finally got underway with the sails. Karl and I helped pull up the main sail with calls of 2, 6, heave from the first mate. It felt great to be working on a sail boat and it wasn't long before we were running to starboard to check out the dolphins, sunbathing on the bow, drinking in the stern, and diving from the tender...just like real sailors! I have to admit though that the captain never did turn the engine off and have us strictly under wind power, not sure why, I was going to ask him but he glared at me with his glass eye so I went back to watching the dolphins. Anyway, it was a bit disapointing.


Raising the Sail!


The Sail we raised!

On that note, I might as well get the disapointing stuff out of the way all in one go. First, Kendra wasn't allowed to dive as she fearlessly admitted that she had a minor asthma problem which checked out in Thailand but didn't check out on the boat. We were both pretty upset as we obviously were looking forward to diving together again. I would be diving without my dive buddy! Second, despite a valiant 1 hour attempt at getting to the outer reef, our captain turned us around back to the islands due to poor conditions. Major bummer! Nobody would get to see the reef on this trip! Of course us land lovers had to respect the captains decision as, after Karl tried to take over the helm, they cut off his right middle finger and fed it to the sharks...terrible. The attempt was pretty exciting though as we were out in 2.3m (thats what Pablo said) swells, a great ride.

OK, so we didn't get out to the reef, instead we spent more time on the islands. We spent an afternoon at Luncheon Bay where everybody got to snorkel and dive. Nicole, Kendra, and Petra, never missed an opportunity to snorkel, and Karl and I never missed an opportunity to dive. The sea life was amazing. Compared to Thailand the coral itself was way more colorful, bright blues, yellows, greens, purple, pink, and every other colour you could imagine. The fish were equally beautiful, Kendra and I were both impressed. We were also impressed with Nicole who took to the ocean like another fish, she spent as much time as she could snorkeling around the corals showing not the slightest discomfort in being surrounded by fish, corals, deadly sharks, jellyfish, stingrays, and fearsome turtles (OK, just fish and corals, there was a stingray though).

So despite a few disapointments, oh, and the Bed Bugs (thats a whole other story) the sailing trip lived up to expectations. I am now in total love with the ocean and sail boats.

OK, OK, I can't hold back any longer, speaking of LOVE, on Thursday after a beautiful time at the Sydney Opera House (I'll get into that later), I asked Kendra to marry me and she said "YES!". Thats right, we are engaged! and both very excited. I found it next to impossible to get a ring without Kendra knowing about it, so I proposed without one and we went to look for one in downtown Sydney right after she said yes. It worked out great and we've picked out a ring that Kendra and I both love...OK, have a look.



Wow, don't stop reading yet, I have to get back to our story. As I said, the Whitsundays was amazing but when we got off the boat on the 20th there was no time to rest, the three of us had 5 days to drive 2000km, take some surfing lessons, and check out the famous Sydney Harbour. So we got in the ABBA van and headed south. We made it to Brisbane where we had enough time for Nicole to spend some time with an old Australian friend she was roomates with in Calgary, and for Kendra and I to have another great visit with Debbie, Dom, Ron, and Donna, our Australian home away from home.

Our next stop was Byron Bay, famous for its surfing and laid back atmosphere. Byron welcomed us with a perfect day for the surf. Kendra and Nicole signed up for their very first lesson and I rented a board to join them in the ocean. What a morning we had. I forgot how fun surfing was, even though I was falling left right and center I couldn't get enough. As for Nicole and Kendra, well check out the photos.


A picture is worth a thousand words!


A great shot of Nicole enjoying the ride. Don't worry she was up and surfing on many occasions, this picture just seemed to capture the moment.


Heading out to the surf.


A short break before another session.

Too bad we didn't get the photo when Kendra faked getting hurt so she could flirt with the instructor, feeling a little guilty now aren't ya Kendra (just kidding... of course I know she'll always be a flirt...haha...kidding again...oh, when does it stop).

After surfing we found that Byron wasn't completely done with us yet. We went out to the lighthouse viewpoint over Cape Byron and the most easterly point on the Australian mainland. The views were amazing, and much to our suprise we spotted two Humpback whales heading south in their yearly migration (confirmed by a local watching alongside us), beautiful.


The Cape Byron lighthouse.

And finally we made it to Sydney where more great things were to happen. With Nicole we spent a day exploring Sydney Harbour and Manly Beach. We took a guided tour of the Opera House (we tried but failed to get tickets to the current Opera), walked through the botanical gardens and explored downtown and Darling Harbour before taking in a movie and heading back to the hostel. And just like that after a 16 day whirlwind tour of Australia, on Thursday morning we had to say goodbye to Nicole. We had a great time with her and couldn't have been happier that she joined us for her vacation. (Oh and thanks for the boats...wink).


Do I have to explain this one?

Warning: For those of you who can't stand cheesy love stuff you should skip the next paragraph. For those of you who don't mind a bit of cheesy love stuff here's how it went.

Once again Kendra and I were alone. Luckily we had managed to get tickets to the Sydney Symphony Orchestra matinee show of Tchaikovsky's 4th Symphony at the Opera House. We couldn't have been happier as we strolled up the steps with our tickets, elegantly dressed in cargo pants (Me) and flip flops (Kendra) ( in fairness she wore her nice dress), and took our seats directly behind the french horns (the only seats left were behind the orchestra). We spent 2 hours mesmerized by the beautiful sounds and setting of the Opera House. When the performance was over we stepped outside where I worked up the courage to ask her to marry me. Most of you probably aren't very suprised, but somehow in the moment Kendra was (she new I didn't have a ring yet). It was great to watch the question register on her face before she could say yes...what a moment. Afterwards we picked out a ring together and went out for a great dinner forgeting, for a while, that we were supposed to be travelling on a budget.


Our view from our seats at the Symphony.

And now its Friday, and while we're still a little high on the moment we're back to travelling again. We've booked our flight to New Zealand and have two weeks to go back up the coast and get in some surfing. See you next time.

Mike and Kendra (Hand)

Here and back again - A tale by Kendra

After a final, harrowing, two-day driving frenzy from Mt. Isa, the landscape dramatically changed from barren, arid, tumble weed blow outback to lush fields with dairy cows, windmills, and sloping hills. Green! We reached the coast with eagerness. Cairns was a treat. A quaint beach town resort with a beautiful esplanade, a marina for Mike to drool over the sail boats, pubs and a great energy. We treated ourselves to a movie (The Devil Wear's Prada - Mike begged me to see it!) and the next day we were treated to the final game of AFL (Aussie Football League). We spent the afternoon in an Irish pub cheering on the underdogs, who won by one point.


Nothing better than a pint, a big burger and a game of footie to watch! (Okay maybe a beach...)

Next stop was a mini trip up the coast to a rain forest World Heritage Site called Daintree National Park. I swear Australia has the most NP's in the world and Mike and I have seen them all! Not quite, but we've seen a lot of parks! After a small ferry ride, we arrived at Cape Tribulation and went to a Discovery Centre to walk along canopy trails and learn about the flora of the rainforest. The entrance fee was a whopping $25 each, so we tried to maximize our stay and read every piece of info on the bugs, animals and plants cohabiting in the park. We were also on the lookout for a bird called the Cassowary - the third largest bird in the world, endemic to the northern coast of Oz. However, after 3 hours the Cassowary had eluded us so with grumbling tummy we succumbed to our defeat and left the centre for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. After we headed to a boardwalk with an outlook of a beautiful beach. Prior to the boardwalk, an urgent call of our own nature drove us to the loo, when all of a sudden, blocking our path was the weirdest looking creature I have ever seen. Part bird, part wooly mammoth, this 2 meter monstrosity stared boldly at us before deeming us harmless, walked slowly by while Mike frantically tried to get a picture of it. We had met the infamous cassowary! A definate highlight of the Daintree day.


The Cassowary.


Some of the flora we saw at the Daintree NP. This is a fan palm only found in this region.

Slowly, for the next week, we made our way down the eastern coast, trying to catch some beach action. The ABBA van was still holding strong and our routine was perfected. The evening life was a little lackluster, but games of cribbage filled the hours accompanied by frequent shouts of frustration as Mike lost another game. We still attemped to stay in free rest areas, which meant using free showers (i.e. COLD showers), whenever possible. About every 5th day I would break and want a camp ground with hot showers. A couple of times Mike and I risked the tap on our window in the middle of the night by the police and would park on the side of the coast or at Noosa Beach, beside an abandoned store.

Highlights of this week included sun baking on Mission Beach, Bundaburg Rum Distillary Tour (did you know Alberta is one of the 4 places that Bundy rum is exported to), doing 9 holes of golf at Bundaburg Golf & Country Club (scores: 68 K, 60 M.... I think we're improving!), eating Barra & Chip, and stopping in Airlie Beach to book our Fraser Island tour and Whitsunday liveaboard trips. A low light included an impromtu hair cut from a woman driving a purple bus with a sign in her window reading Call Roz for a haircut, Only $10. After blowing off a salon appointment to finish watching the AFL game (can't you just hear Mike saying "That's my girl"), my hair was in dire need of a trim. Thinking that Roz's Barney coloured van was a sign, I approached with glee. Once she sat me down in her camp chair, told me I had the finest hair she ever cut, further mentioned that she was a truck driver, and then continued to cut my hair as a wild wind blew around us, I knew I was in trouble. I wouldn't call it exactly butchered... well yes I would. Guess that's what you get for $10.


After the Bundy Tour is over, we got complementary free drinks at their bar.


Watch out for this bus, and definately do not "Ring Roz"!

On October 9, after 5 weeks, 11,850 km, over $2200 in gas, and 27 rest stops, we returned to Brisbane. Debbie once again welcomed us with open arms and we were further greated by her parents, Mike's Uncle Ron and Aunt Donna who were visiting from Calgary. Another Hand clan member was due the next day. Mike's sister, Nicole had decided to join us in Australia for a 2 week vacation. We were pumped and had planned an intense itinerary.


Sibling love. Great to have you here Nicole!

Upon Nicole's arrival to Brisbane, we spent an evening visiting with the family, slept in our first Aussie hostel and were off the next day to Steve Irwin's Australia zoo just north of Brisvegas. The zoo is incredible with excellent habitats for the animals. We got to pet koalas and actually saw some running around on the ground and jumping trees. We watched in awe as trainers held food and waited without fear as crocs charged them. We walked around roos in an open park area and even saw some beautiful siberian tigers (with trainers again in their habitat "playing" with them). Surprisingly, Mike and I had realized that we have seen the majority of the animals living at the zoo, in the wild on our trip. The memorial to Steve, the Crocidile Hunter, was heart breaking.


Crikey! Croc live at the Aussie Zoo


Mike getting friendly with the Koala's. Step away from the marsupial Mike.

The second item on Mini Travel Itinary for Nicole was a 3 day, 2 night safari self-drive adventure to Fraser Island. Fraser Island is the largest sand island in the world and boasts crystal clear fresh water lakes, gorgeous white sand beaches, and a lovely ocean surf. With places like "Champagne Pools" and "Wabby Sand Dunes", you know it's going to be great. Our group consisted of 11 people, mostly Canuks, English and one Frenchie. Our 4 wheel drive jeep was a beast of a machine, with a heavy top and touchy cluch and gears. There were 2 benches in the back where the majority of the group received the frequent bruises from the bumps in the roads. The roads on the island were definatley interesting; sandy one laned bitches that took all the driver's strength and constant awareness to navigate. We narrowly escaped the jeep tipping over, got bogged twice and one time all the guys had to push the jeep up a steep, sandy hill. Fun times! I won't mention that both times we bogged, Mike was driving - oh I guess I just did - but in all fairness, he was the man and it was the toughest part of the tracks and everyone trusted him to drive. Once we got out of the interior, we were free to drive up and down the beach coast which was a total blast. Basic road rules applied, with the only difference being we had to yield to planes landing. No kidding! We camped for 2 nights on the beach. So much fun the first night drinking 2 boxes (yes boxes) of wine, 3 flats of beer and 2 bottles of rum - yes the Greese tunes came out, plus a little limbo action, and a round of Waltzing Matilda. We peed in the ocean (don't tell the ranger!) and Mike introduced everyone to Bio Luminescence. During the day, we visited sand dunes, beautiful lakes, look out points and avoided dingos. All in all a gorgeous island. The only crappy part was the tides were out only during the early morning, so every day we were up and at 'em by 5am. Our group was so much fun and lively. Everyone pitched in with chores and no one grumbled about the early hour of rising. We were sad to board the ferry on the third day to return to the mainland. On a last humourous note, 2 girls on the trip confided to me that they called Mike the "Father Figure" because he drove the jeep, cooked the meat and could fix the cameras. Who knew?!


The "A" team's 4x4 jeep


The "A" Team: Ollie, Mike, Chris, Pat, Jess, Mo, Nicole, Me!, Kathy, William & Sam in front.


Our first stop on Fraser Island - Mackenzie Lake.


Chris, Mike, Sam and Pat strutting their stuff before jumping down the sand dune at Wabby Lake


View from Indian Head lookout. Priceless.


Birthday sparklers for Sam!

Tonight is phase three of Nicole's itinary. We are finally boarding a boat for our Whitsundays sailing tour. It's going to be a blast - I can't wait. Althought hopefully the cloudy, windy, rainy weather will dissapear NOW! And a good piece of news... we are keeping the ABBA van for the rest of the time we are in OZ!!! We got a wicked deal and in a funny way it is home now, so we are really happy.

Fair Dinkem!

Kendra & Mike