Hello from Byron Bay everyone!

First of all, thanks for all the messages on my message board everyone! And also that I have since travelled up from Victoria area where the bush fires are, and I am fine. I am actually heading up now towards the flooding areas! SO not sure if we're going to be lucky with the weather up the east coast or not, as its the wet season now.

So anyway, back to the blog.. had a great time in Melbourne, really liked it there, the australian open, centre court on australia day was awesome. Then on Saturday 31st Jan we had our "ultimate" neighbours tour. I was really sad and bought the $10 neighbours annual, which was actually from 2005!! lol but it's so cool! after I've read it, I shall be sending it home for mum jess hannah and sally to read! I managed to catch an episode of neighbours the other day, it's zeeke's memorial service....but he aint dead!!! shock horror!!! anyway....there was nothing ultimate about the neighbours tour really! it was so so cool to be down the street, but it is amazing what cameras can do, the street is sooo small. And they are actual houses with people living in them, they only use the outside of the houses to film, all the insides are sets, which are based somewhere else. The people that live in the houses are paid a generous amount I'd imagine, for the use of the outside of their houses, and 2 days a week when they film, the residents have to get out through a back door, so as not to interrupt filming! so we had fun looking at the houses and having out photos taken with the ramsey street sign. We went to the tv studios where some of the sets are. We saw go go boys! lassiters, jared rebechys solicititors, charlies bar, the veterinary practise, the lassiters lake and kerry mangles grave! which ricky picked up and moved!! We were then taken to the school quickyl before heading back to st kilda, where it looked so dodgey, we pulled up into the doorway of this theatre, and out of a car jumped the actress who played jannelle timmins (stingrays mum) it was so akward, we had our photos taken and she signed my neighnours book for me, next to her photo lol! nobody knew what to say really, I asked her what she is up to these days, she said writing and doing laundry! so basically sod all and living off these dodgey looking meet ups I'd say! There was a really funny moment when this asian bloke in a turban came inbetween the WHOLE group and asked janelle some directions, it was so weird, like none of us where there, he must of assumed she was a tour guide, he had no idea who she was, so our tour guide said would you like a photo with her? he said yes ok, got his wife to stand with her....they didnt even have a friggin' camera!!! we were all laughing, thinking how embarassing for her! It was slightly dissapointing, but was good to go to ramsay street though. In the evening, Ricky went out with the boys and me and Rach headed into central Melbourne to find a rock club called back in the day. WELL, this was one of my funniest nights so far, it was like stepping back in time to young bon jovi days. Everyone had band t shirts on like MEGADEATH RRRRAAAAAAWWW! lol, weird clothes, huuuuge hair like otto from the simpsons, and was just standing around head banging, or bashing into eachother moshing on the dancefloor. I was just sitting there staring at all of them with my mouth open and rach was laughing at me. She loved it, I could not understand, it all sounded old and the same! I knew none of the songs apart from a few aerosmith and bon jovi songs. But it was a good experience, and like stepping back in time! We chilled out on the sunday, At this stage in Melbourne they were having one of the biggest heat waves ever, it got up to 46 degrees one day, they werent selling meat in supermarkets because it was just too hot, and not safe. It really was unbearable, and uncomfortable.

Monday 2nd Feb, this was the evening of neighbours night!! me and rach were sooo excited. Ricky and I hopped on the tram from our hostel to st kilda, a few stops down, I realised I didnt have the tickets! so we got off the tram, got on another on going in the other direction, then rach said as long as I had ID it should be fine, so got back on the other direction again, nearly into central I realise I dont have ID on me!!! Rach is now wetting herslef on the end of the phone thinking she might not get to see dr.k!!! I managed to get us in with my bank card. SO there we were in the elephant and wheelbarrow in st kilda, it was really busy there were no seats, we stole the quiz sheet and pen from a reserved table, got some drinks and met up with my mate stu. Soon enough the stars came out, we met steve parker, who is quite hot for an older guy, we asked him if he was in the matrix with ada nicodemu from home and away, and he said yes, so jessie you were right about that! he was a lovely guy. then we met skye mangle, who was sweet, shes currently campervanning and travelling with her boyfriend. THen the biggest star of the eveing,....DR.KARL KENNEDY, whose real name is FLETCH! We called our team for the quiz, D.K.A.P (the dr k appreciation society) and no...we didnt win anything!! hahaha. It was a brilliant night, when DR>K got up with his band the waiting room, they were really good! they did some brilliant covers, it was so good. Then things got a bit weird and dramatic!!...I got myself in a state due to alcohol and seeing Ricky a bit too close for my liking with a girl the whole night, so Me and Rach went back to my hostel, I packed my bag up, stripped my bed and checked out!, before throwing a litre bottle of water over rickys bed. We went back to rach's hostel and I top and tailed with her in her bed and decided I was going to travel with the girls. Then I realised I had Rickys tickets, and then we had a 4 hour txt conversation. We met up the next day at the bus station, to travel to avalon airport and fly to sydney. It felt a little awkward, and Ricky looked really upset. We had a little chat and he said that It really hit him me not being there, and basically asked me out, because the casual thing would not work because its confusing and we are travelling together. SO...after Rach having a chat with him aswell, bless her she is really concerned for me all the time, I decided to accept his offer, and I felt so bad about Rach because she's like my best mate out here, and I'd love to travel with her, or all of us together, but she is wanting to travel quickly and go home, where as I am not. But I have seen her in Byron Bay, and will see a lot of her in Brisbane. Everywhere we go people say are we sisters LOL, WE HAVE THE SAME HAIR!! THATS IT REALLY! lol SO me and Ricky arrived in Sydney Tues 3rd Feb and checked into our hostel which was close to hyde park, but close to kings cross, which can only be a bad thing lol, as you opened the door to the hostel (the wood duck inn) it smelt like warm sweets piss and cabbage we decided! I saw a few stinkers of cockroaches everywhere!! So we had our first night's sweaty sleep in this minging hostel as a couple awwwww - in seperate beds though, it was unbearably hot. Weds 4th feb, we went to Bondi beach for the day, had some dinner. In the evening we went to kings cross, saw a trannie show with some slaaaaags from the audience in a competition. Saw a few prostitutes but it was pretty quiet because it was a week night. We ended up at pie face, the 24 hour pie shop, then were dragging our heels back to the minging hostel, its the first one we genuinely do not look forward to going back to. Thursday 5th feb we had a wander around central sydney, bought more clothes!! naughty us! I decided against buying a new backpack, as mine has a medium sized rip on the front, ricky assures me it will be fine, and we can just get some gaffa tape if it rips anymore...so if it busts, its now his fault LOL. we had some dinner in my old home the side bar underneath wake up - i miss that place!! lol I popped to the boots alternative here (priceline) to get some toiletries, and cougy syrup (I have now had a really bad chesty cough and cold symptoms for a month nearly! We had a funny moment in the que here! There was a woman in front of us, who turned around looked at me and kept rising her eyebrows and looking at what I was buying, and making some weird gurning faces at me,so I immediately thought right it's either another weirdo I have attracted to add to my list, or she is disabled or something, so I gestured to her as if to say yeah! look what I've got, good aint it?! then turned round to look at Ricky, who had to go outside- I have never seen him belly laugh so much, he was wetting himself, he said I thought you were talking to her, I was like No! she just started gurning at me!! He said jesus christ amy, you really do just attract them dont you. what can i do???! hahaha then we headed back, fell asleep like tramps in hyde park for 2 hours, then played some pool and had some drinks in a pub next to the hostel, we desperately didnt want to go back to the room! lol oh well last night there! thank god. SO.... 5.45am we were all packed up on Fri 6th Feb, and had a half hour walk into central sydney with out backpacks on to the oz experience office. Had some brekky before starting the journey to our first stop (or so we thought!) to coffs harbour! me and ricky and one other girl were the only ones stopping off at coffs harbour, everyone else on the bus was going straight to surf camp. Which was ringing alarm bells in our heads thinking what the hell is this place, because the girls only stayed one night and said there was nothing to do. We stayed at Aussietel backpackers, it was warm, with only fans in the room, but quite a cool hostel really. Had a little pool. We had a walk around the little town, which was really sweet and went to jetty beach, which was really nice, ricky went in the sea, and I was crab hunting in the rocks! we walked down a bit further, and found a little lake made by the sea, of warm water, so we had a float and messed about in that for a bit. We decided we only wanted to stay for the one night, as its a lovely area for families, but not much to do if your in your 20s. We went for a drink in the evening, after finally sorting out the bus for the next day to go to syrf camp, which was a nightmare, oz experience thought we were already at surf camp! long story!! lol SO at the bar I asked for a disaronno and coke, I saw it at the bar, and the guy looked at me as if i was off another planet and shook his head, I would still like to know what the problem was there!! lol SO Sat 7th feb we got the oz experience bus to surf camp! our bunk beds were in little shaks, it was pretty weird, the beach was amazing though, I watched the sunset and the moon rise in front and behind me, it was gorgeous. We basically had some dinner and then partied around the camp fire. Ricky wernt too well so went to bed early, I met some nice people and got groped a few times by an old drunk and stoned surfer that must have been 50-odd lol. there seems to be loads of them!! I got to bed around 2am, and had to be up for 6am for our surfing lesson! the surf was too much for me! the waves were too often, I was just getting taken out and my surfboars was smacking me on the head all the time, I was so breathless from my chesty cough, after an hour or so, I sat out and was cheering ricky when he was standing up, he did really well. We have a cd of all the photos, got some good ones of us standing up, so I will add them on here soon! After surfing we got washed and got back on the bus to head to byron bay, after a well deserved slushy and ice lolly!!

So here we are! Have been in Byron bay since sun 8th feb, staying at the holiday village, which is a cool hostel, have extended our stay, so we are leaving on sun 15th feb to catch the bus to surfers paradise, where it is raining at the mo! wooo lol. It was overcast yesterday, me and ricky fell asleep on the beach, and for the first time in 2 months i got burnt!! ricky got it worse than me, but serves me right, i didnt have any cream on. whoopsy. byron bay is very nice, like a little holiday village, the beach is gorgeous. Since being here, we did a day trip to a place called Nimbin, which is the strangest trip so far! its well knows as being a drug city, theres drug shops and dodgey looking people everywhere. SO ofcourse!! we bought some "cookies" I took them and they did nothing, they said not to have more than half. so ....I had 1 and a half! haha, by the time we had a tour of a crazy man's hous in the middle of the jungle, they were taking effect, me and ceri and paula were wetting ourselves over absolutely nothing!! we were in tears. Then the next minute youd go all sleepy. i started laughing on the bus home saying that a song was saying raaaachel in it, when it was in fact not, and found this so funny, I was just sitting there laughing to myself. It didnt work for ricky, which i was quite dissapointed by! I wanted to see him a bit stoned, that would have been funny. It was a good trip, and well worth the $35. The other trip the girls are telling us to do is kayaking in the deep sea with dolphins, but I am really nervous about this, and dont know if i could do it. we'll see. Anyway I best be off, We have to go eat. Hope everyone is well and not too cold!! LOL ;-)

I'll report back when i have more to tell! having a great time, probably talk to you next from brisbane saying "there's no jobs!! we're moving on! lol" love to you all xxxxxxxxxxx amy