Whirlwind Tour!!

I can't believe I'm leaving Oz today.

Talk about time flying! Looks like it's gonna be another speedy year!

I'm knackered and my shoulders are insanely caning but I've had a wicked week going on a whirlwind tour up the east coast. I seriously lucked out with the weather - every place I went to everyone was telling me how it had been pouring with rain fo days on end. Looks like I took the sunshine with me - lol!

The bus ride to Byron Bay was noway near as bad as I thought it was going to be. I got to change seats and have a double to myself and we ended up getting in a couple of hours early. When I got there it had been raining and was so grey and overcast that I felt so...bleurgh!! I couldn't check in, so I went on a 2.5 hour walk along the hinterland which was absolutely stunning! As the day progressed it got so hot that I was super chuffed I decided to do that walk when I did - there's no way I would've done it otherwise.

Byron is definitely where I met the coolest people on my travels. I spent the day with a couple of seriously wicked girls. I love sharing travel stories and meeting new people and these girls were so interesting and we just had such a blast hanging out on the beach. They took me to some local joints in the evening which I would never have known about if it wasn't for them. Byron is such a laid back hippy joint but in that way that absolutely anyone can enjoy themselves there - whether you're spiritual or not. I absolutely loved it and of course I wished I could've spent more time there - as everyone I met told me! Having said that, I like being somewhere, having a blast and then moving on before it has the chance to get boring. Fantastic place and definitely up there with the highlights.

Surfers Paradise (Gold Coast) is like a seriouly, SERIOUSLY tacky attempt at Miami - failing miserably. I don't wanna sit here and slag it off, because it's a really popular destination - with kids!! It's the kind of place that I would've absolutely loved when I was 18. You know when you finish high school and then go on holiday with your friends? That's the kind of place Surfers is. I was so exhausted when I got there. I just went and chilled at the quiet end of the beach. It's so funny coz this guy that I met in Bryron drove all the way up to Surfers just to take me to dinner. I thought it was crazy and he could'nt understand why I couldn't get my head around it. He even offered to drive me to Bribane and while I would've loved to have travelled in a bit more comfort, at the end of the day when I go somewhere and meet people, most of the time I just wanna leave them behind and move on. I want the chance to meet new people in each place I go and you can't do that if someone that you met is dragging along with you. Sorry! LOL!

I automatically fell in love with Brisbane. It's hard to explain, but it had this certain feel that just made me feel instantly comfortable and made me smile. It's a really upcoming, modern city and I just went on a mammoth walk around, taking in the beautiful parklands and the cute mini beach and pool. I made my way to the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary and FINALLY saw and petted those gorgeously, impossibly cute marsupials!! I could've paid an extortionate amount to have my picture taken with one but hey, I was tall enough to reach over and stroke them myself!! So adorable and there was this guy there who was leading a group of Korean children. Not only was he GORGEOUS but he gave me a one-on-one guide of the sanctuary and explained about the animals to me in a way that wasn't boring. He knew when to give me space to just observe which was really nice. Really loved the city centre in Brisbane as well and found myself doing a TINY spot of shopping! ;-)

I was debating for hours about cancelling my ticket to Noosa. I was just exhausted and was wondering if it was worth it. In the end I decided to go and even though it was a close call back to Brisbane airport, I'm glad I did. Noosa is a really cute little seaside town. It's beautiful but the first thing that you notice is that it's mainly for families, older people and young teenage locals. I didn't meet (or really see) anyone even close to my own age which made the day a little boring as I didn't meet anyone new. Very unlike me!! I was gonna spend the day on the beach but seeing how I was already as black as I could possibly go and wouldn't be able to take a shower before boarding the plane, I opted for strolling around the cute boutique shops instead. I stumbled across a hair dresser and figured that dying my hair would be a perfect way to pass the time! Yep - I'm back to seriously dark brown and I love it!!

Getting back to Brisbane airport was a bit of a panic. I'm sure you've heard the news about the horrendous floods up north (you could still see that the water was a little brown in Noosa) and this led to the bus being an hour late. When we got back to Brisbane, I'd missed my shuttles to the airport and the driver took me there on the bus! LOL - nice taxi service!! Felt a bit weird though, being the only one on such a huge bus. I was actually really impressed with Virgin Blue. Super efficient check in, flight leaving on time and after landing at Sydney, I was back in my friend's house within 40 mins. How awesome is that?!

So yah, I leave today and I just have this horrible sinking feeling in my stomach. Even though I'm so tired, I would love to spend more time here with my friends and with the new friends that I have made. I know that it's never been a destination that I have wanted to come to but I have LOVED it and it's definitely the people that you meet along the way that make your trip.

Back to Japan....and the cold. Not looking forward to it but I get to go back with a seriously KILLER tan. It's been years since I've reached my optimum blackness and with my new darker hair, I'm looking more Amazonian than ever! Fully braced for the Japanese comments that I'm too dark - bring it on!

xoxo