Verdict: Australia kicks ass.. gotta go back again for much longer….

Met up with Dad and toured ’round Singapore. I was a bit fearful at first since chewing gum will get you caned, etc but it proved to be a very nice place. We visited a bunch of temples and gorged ourselves on pepper crab and more.

Ok, off to Ho Chi Minh city…..

Wow, Byron Bay is great, why am I only here for 3 days? I started off in the Rainforest Resort, but ditched that hostel, as it’s a 40 min walk/$10 cab home. Now I’m at this place called the Arts Factory, and it’s great. I got a free didge lesson and am a much better player now… almost got the circular breathing too!

The beach here is just fantastic…possibly the best I’ve ever seen… certainly the finest sand. Walked the beach with my didge till sunset, then wandered back into town where I found a bunch of hippies playin drums, so I played along wth them while another fella I met played guitar.

Now it’s about time to go get some dinner and some beers… Tomorrow I go back to Sydney, and then I’m off to meet Dad in Singapore!!!

CHEERS
-S

Oh, it’s so nice here in Airlie Beach! I got here a few days ago, and left on a boat for a 3 day, 3 night SCUBA trip around the outer Great Barrier Reef & Whitsundy Islands. Some great diving: 10 in 3 days. Even better, we were on a big comfy catamaran with nice hot showers where we were fed great food by our cook, Dan.

Today was spent wandering around Arlie, where I met some folks who I hung out with and played diggerido with on the beach while they played drums.

In a few minutes I catch a bus to Byron Bay…

So I skipped Cairns and went right to Townsville to dive the Yongala wreck. (sunk 1911) It was amazing how much life had already grown on that thing… it was more reef than shipwreck. Very cool. I finally got to try out the underwater casing for my camera, and it held up just fine, producing some nice shots.

Tomorrow I head to Airlie Beach for a 3 day 3 night dive trip to the great barrier reef…

Greetings from Sydney, mates. This place is great. I’ve done the walk around town, wandered over the bridge, and taken the obligatory zillion photos of the opera house. I bought a didgeridoo from a neat lil gallery (not a shitty souvenir shop) and I love it. Very cool: a small tree hollowed out by termites, and fixed up by an aborigine artisan. I can make some neat sounds with it, but nothing resembling music yet….and the whole circular breathing thing just baffles me…

I’ve been here a few days & parked in Kings Cross, which is Sydney’s red light district. Some great people watching in this area… and a pretty neat club across the street. I’m staying at “the Funk House”, which is quite fun, and full of backpackers from all around the world. The other day I went to the Blue Mountains with Dan, my Canadian roomate. We hiked and saw the “Three Sisters”.

Tomorrow I head to Cairns, at which point I’ll hit various SCUBA attractions as my bus my way down to Byron Bay….

Well, today’s my last day in Queenstown… what a great place. I was fortunate enough to show up during the winter festival, and last night was Mardi Gras… Multiple stages with musical performances, performers and street vendors everywhere, and so many people it made navigating the streets difficult. sweet.

off to Christchurch and then Sydney….

Holy crap, skydiving RULES!!!!! You jump outta the plane, and it’s just unreal! Once your brain gets past the “holy shit I’m 12,000 feet in the air and falling fast” part, it’s all about pure thrill of flying and an AMAZING view. We jumped near “The Remarkables”, a mountain range that is very unique as it spans true north/south. (Minas Tirith for you LOTR fans) just awesome… wow… gotta do that again sometime…

Later that night I met some very friendly Aussies and regaled them with stories of falling from great heights, and showed them the video I took while doing so. Then the rest o the night was all about drinkin with the brits I met at my hostal.

CHEERS

Yesterday I flew into Queenstown, which is much cooler than Aukland. (Now don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with Aukland, but it’s just another big city)… Queenstown is a nice ski town on the south island, surrounded by snow covered mountains. (Absolutely gorgeous sight to fly into)

Today I took a trip into Milford Sound and it was quite rainy but really beautiful anyway. Middle Earth is pretty nice…

“When do I turn purple?!” -quote from a dude at the world bar who was alternating between giggling and muttering to himself before he blurted out said line and left…

After 16 or so hours in the air, I’m finally in New Zealand! Passed right over June 24th… left the 23rd and landed the 25th… funky… Not the most comfortable flight, but I’m here now…

Yay, got my visa to go to Vietnam today… or at least applied for it.
Boy it’s hot today, think I’ll go outside n play with the doggies…