Hello everyone!!!
Sorry havent updated for a few days. Since i last blogged, Lee and i left Brisbane, and got on the train as far as the line would take us, not knowing where we were heading for. we got off the train and just had a look at where we could get the bus to, and ended up in Surfers Paradise. I had heard a lot of bad things about it, that it wasnt that nice, but actually we kind of liked it. it was too cold and rainy to go in the sea or surf, but the beach was nice and it was a bit more developed, so there was a bit more to see than some of theplaces we have been (or as lee calls them 'bumf***nowherevilles' (sorry)). We were sharing a dorm with a few nice people as wel so that was cool. I discovered that Lee has never been on a rollercoaster (i know)!! so we decided to go to a theme park called Dreamworld for the day yesterday. It turns out that he has never been on them before for a good reason, he doesnt like rollercoasters, but he did well and we went on quite a few of them and we also went to a water park in the same place (yes it was really freezing), but fun.
So today we got on the bus and arrived in Byron Bay, a really beautiful little town, where i would have liked to have spent a few more days, but we have booked onto a surf camp for tomorrow!!! It is raining anyway here at the moment so there isnt that much to do. so we leave at 7am tomorrow and have surfing lessons over the next five days, whilst at the same time heading down to sydney. we stay in dorms with other people doing the same and so we get all out food and accomodation provided as well as our travel down to sydney for $585, so not bad. Am dreading getting in the cold water, but think it should be fun and a good opportunity to meet more people. Not sure what my internet access will be like over the next five days, but will try and update when i can.
Amgoing to try and book some flights for the rest of my journey now, am looking forward to NZ (still over a month away) as still not enjoying Oz as much as i thought i would, but trying to make the most of it.
So in my some of my previous blogs i have talked about funny things i have noticed about the local culture, but because things here are so similar to home i havnet thought to do it about australia, but i thought i would list a few things so that i dont forget them when i get back (this blog is for me to remember what i did when i get back as much as letting you guys know what i am up to, hence why i ramble somuch, sorry). so here goes:
1. they dont have 1 or 2 cent coins here, the smallest is 5c. so if things cost $1.98 they just round it up! all a bit of a scam if you ask me.
2. they have cadburys chocolate but its not as good as home because they put chemicals in it to stop it melting.
3. their chocolate bars and bottles of drink are massive! often double the size of what we have back home. a can is about 500ml, mars bars are double the size.
4. food in supermarkets is more expensive than home. the best supermarket is Woolworths, although this is differnt out here, it is a supermarket not like woolworths back home.
5. peppers are called capsicum. took me ages of looking puzzled at menus before I figured that one out.
6. queensland is full of sugar cane and sugar cane trains. along with bananas and mangoes.
7.TV is CRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP. really, the worse i have ever seen. i would rather watch vietnamese tv that i dont understand it is that bad. they have advert breaks every few minutes that last FOREVER, plus they have shows that are equivilant to 'This Morning' back at home, apart from practically every feature is trying to advertise one companies funeral insurance or non stick pans whilst doing the cooking feature. they also mostly have american rubbish and hardly any australian shows. Plus those lengthy info-mercials whcih make you think 'yes, i do need an all-in-one vacum-mop-toothbrush-copstick and tin opener, sign me up!' Painful.
8. vegemite is not as good as marmite, despite what any australian tells you.
9. they eat baramundi instead of cod. its nice.
10. you get fined if you dont park in the same direction of the traffic. very weird. we didnt find this out until after we handed the van back, but luckily never got caught.
11. puplic parks have free gas powered barbeques in them which anyone can use to cook their dinner, which is quite cool.
12. they think british people like to stab each other alot.
13. rather than off licences, they have bottle shops, which you drive through. so you drive in to the shop in your car tell them what you want and they load it in foryou, then you drive out. weird.
Cant think of anything else. Learning to surf tomorrow, so expecting to spend most of the time being bashed in the face by waves.
Speak soon!!!