Back in NC

Well I don't think anyone is checking my blog anymore since I'm back :p but if you are I should be putting up all the pictures from my trip in the next couple weeks. Just need to find the time. Me and Eddie had a great time, really the trip of a lifetime can't believe its already behind me after all that planning, tear, so sad. Well I can always look at my credit card statement and remember all the good times :) So thanks for reading and see ya round.

Last Day in Australia

Well this is it folks, last night in Australia. Tomorrow will be the longest Tuesday of my life. We leave Cairns at 11:45am and leave Auckland at 9:55 pm and get to LA at 3:00pm. The Tuesday that will never end. Anyhoo we had a blast in Cairns sorry I can't upload pictures. We went whitewater rafting in the Tully river. Then today we went to the Great Barrier Reef. Right now we are off to dinner to celebrate our last night of the trip. So i'll see ya'll soon. No worries. Cheers!

Uluru and Kata Tjuta

So we went to the red center yesterday. Very cool! Our tour guides were funny, Mick and Tic. They kept us well fed all day I was so stuffed but the bbq dinner was delish. Uluru (Ayers Rock) is very impressive. Our tour guides told us all these stories about it and what the Aborigines believe. So I'm sure you are dying for some pics so here they are, here we are walking to a watering hole at Uluru. It has water year round and was a gathering place for Aborigines. Here's Eddie trying to avoid all those wot flies (I was talking to him and one flew right down my throat, yucky!).

And here you go, Uluru at sunset, que lindo! Now we are off to Cairns. Cya soon!

In Alice Springs at Last!

Well we got delayed in Sydney an extra day. We missed our flight (boo!) So anyhoo made the best of it. We went whale watching in the afternoon. I don't have any pictures of the whales on my digital camera I took them all with my cannon. Got a lot of their sides and their tales, they didn't do any breaching :( Then after that we went to the world's largest IMAX and saw Spiderman 3, its actually better in IMAX cause you can follow the action instead of just seeing a blur (but I still like 2 better). So we are officially in the outback red desert everywhere. Just what I imagined. We aren't in a one horse town but not quite a two horse town, por ejemplo here's a picture of the main drag

Bustling area of activity. We also tried kangaroo today. We ate it on a pizza, reminds me of beef jerky. Here's a picture of Eddie taking a nice big bite

Tomorrow I should have some really good pictures to show you guys. We are taking a tour out to Ayers Rock and the Olgas, also included is a champagne bbq dinner, yeah!! The weather has been pretty good like in the upper 60's low 70's during the day. But now since we are in the desert at night over here its supposed to be around mid-30's, brrr. I'll be in touch. Cheers!

G'day from Sydney

So this is our last morning in Sydney. In a couple of hours we are flying to Alice Springs and see the Outback, yeah!! Me and Eddie didn't do much yesterday. We walked over to the bridge and took pics from up there and stopped by Luna Park but it was closed. Then did some souvenir shopping and walking through the town. We went to the meeting last night. The Kingdom Hall was really pretty but the brothers weren't that friendly, oh well. So we are going to go a meeting in Alice Springs and hopefully they'll be friendlier there. I promised you pictures so here are some of the highlights :)
We were on the bridge when Eddie took this pic

Here's one of the zillion pics I took of the bridge

and here's us at Bondi Beach, very pretty
Alright gotta go just realized we are bout to miss our flight. Bye!

Day 2 in Sydney

So me and Eddie have been two busy ppl today in Sydney. We started off our day looking for the Kingdom Hall. The girl in the hostel said it was close, 30 minutes later we found it. So excited we are going to the meeting tomorrow night. Yeah!! After that took the bus over to the Opera House that was awesome and we took the inside tour, very interesting about how it was built and see all the different theaters. Sorry I can't upload pictures I didn't bring my USB cable so next time I log in I'll put the pictures up. Then we hopped on a sightseeing double decker bus. Took it over to Bondi Beach that was sooooo pretty. We kicked around there for a bit then took the bus back to the Sydney Aquarium very impressive. Saw alot of the fish we'll be seeing at the Barrier Reef (and sharks too!). We had drinks and dessert on the harbor and now are walking back to the hostel (an hour walk). We passed an Internet cafe that was open so Eddie said to stop so I could give everyone an update. I probably won't be able to write tomorrow since we'll be going to the meeting but I'll fill ya'll in on Wednesday morning. Reporting from fabulous Sydney, this is Vanessa.

In Oz land!

Okay I love and I mean I love Sydney. Its just awesome and we've only been here for 6 hours. Me and Eddie just wandered around on foot today. We went to the Royal Botanic Gardens, I guess it could be likened to Central Park. And there were bats everywhere it was freaking me out. They are either called grey foxes are flying foxes. I took pictures but with my cannon so you'll have to wait till I get back to see them. Here are some pics I took with my digital camera today. So now you can see how far we are from everyone :)

Me and Eddie got in a little culture as well at the Art Gallery of New South Wales (noses in the air)

Tomorrow we are going to take the bus hopper and go see all the sites, like the aquarium, the Opera House (which I'm dying to see), the bridge and go over to Bondi Beach. So stay tuned, until next time...

New Zealand the land of ...

sheep and coffee! Everyone knows there are 10 sheep to one person in new zealand or is it a hundred. But there is also an abundance of cafes and most excellent coffee. For example,Every where you go the coffee is delicious and looks just like this (the one in front is a mochaccino and the one in back is a chai latte). So this is our last night in NZ. But I think we have seen enough of green so we are ready for Australia. Here is a parting picture, I took it this morning when the sun was coming up over Wellington.
So next time I talk to you I'll be reporting from Sydney. Cheers!

Ro-toe-roo-ra

So we have been in Rotorua for 2 days now. It was raining cats and dogs yesterday. Didn't stop us from going to Hobbiton though (for those of you who don't know that's where they filmed part of the Lord of the Rings). Today we walked all over 2 different parks. Wai-ta-Pau and Waimangu. The first park had lots of different craters and funky colored water. The second park was formed after an explosion in 1886 that was larger than any other explosion in the past several hundred years. Here are some pictures for your viewing pleasure.














Tomorrow me and Eddie are off to Wellington to do some fast 1/2 day sightseeing before heading back up to Auckland. I'll catch up with ya later :)

In Auckland!!

So we are here after 13 hours we made it in safely and without incident. We went to Bethel first thing in the morning. Its a very nice branch, small of course. They showed us they oversee not just New Zealand but the Cook Islands and several small islands in the area. Here's a picture of me and Eddie in front of some famous steps. Let's see if you can figure out where you've seen them. Afterwards we went to Auckland city center because the sister Jane recommended going to the sky tower. We also decided to take a tour of the harbor on a ferry. Sky tower was pretty neat it gives you awesome views of the city. It's also the tallest building in the southern hemisphere (I think). Here's a nifty pic I took. Anyhoo that's all for today folks. Tomorrow we are off to Rotura for some fun. And hopefully we'll get some rest tonight since we are both walking around like zombies with bloodshot eyes. Talk to ya later mate!

Itinerary for Trip

For those of you who would like to know, this is my itinerary for New Zealand and Australia.

• May 20 - Fly out of LA
• May 22 - Land in Auckland, NZ
• May 23, 24 - Rotura, NZ
• May 25 - Wellington, NZ
• May 26 - Back in Auckland
• May 27-30 - Sydney, Australia
• May 31- June 2 - Alice Springs, Australia
• June 3-5 - Cairns, Australia
• June 5 - Fly back to LA

I'm Leaving in 2 Days!!

So this is it. I got 2 more days here in the states then I'm off to New Zealand and Australia. I tell you seems like yesterday when I was just "talking" about this trip. Now I feel soooo not ready. But I know me and Eddie are going to have a blast. So I'm going to try to write to my blog every couple of days while I'm out there, just to keep everyone updated as to what's going on. So check back and see where I am :) Have a good day mate!

Australia & New Zealand

So its official I'm really going Down Under. Me and Eddie bought the tickets 2 weeks ago. There's no turning back now. We fly out May 20 and land in Auckland, NZ on May 22. So 5 days in the land of the Lord of the Rings. Then flying out to Sydney and see the famous Opera House. From there we go to Alice Springs and get to see the famous Ayers Rock. Then last but not least Cairns and the Barrier Reef for some fun in the sun. I'm thinking to keep everyone posted when I'm gone I'll write to the blog to give updates and photos. I know its 3 months away but time flys and it'll be here before we know it.

Year of the Boda

So it seems that everybody and their mama is either engaged or getting married this year. Must be something in the air or maybe its the time of the end. Who knows. A quick rundown of engagements and weddings that I know about:
January - Neyra & Mr. Italy
March - Kentia & Pedro
Annie & Mr. Bean
May - Shiloh & Sally Jane
August - Some random girl I forgot name of and amber won't tell me
September - Adriana & Lester
Amber & Bruno
November - Amber & Jonathan

So I am sure there are more but these are the ones that I can think of off the top of my head.

Roxbury Dance

This dance has been stuck in my head for a week now. I was doing it in the car the other day and my friends looked at me like i was crazy. Guess I'm the only one who remembers *sigh* but to share the joy here it is