BarefootBessie

The truth about the East Coast – part 1

The East Coast of Australia is the main tourist destination in Australia. Think long beaches with white sand, plenty of tropical fish, and of course, the crocs and creepy crawlies. The main route starts in Sydney and ends in Cairns. Of course, the direction you go in completely depends on the weather and the time of year, but I always liked the idea of going up the coast. So far I’ve made it pretty much half way, and am currently writing this sat on the coach from Noosa.

I’ve already talked about Sydney so I’ll miss that part out, but I just wanted to add one thing… you save so much money to go travelling, and normally do lots of planning before you arrive (not in my case though – oops!) but all in all I’m rather annoyed that I spent circa $2500 on a week in Sydney and a week in Brisbane. I’m not a city girl at all, so this really bugged me, especially as this was roughly the cost of my vouchers to tour the whole East Coast. However, since talking to people once I’ve left those places, it turns out there was a lot more to do than I realised, having known that I probably wouldn’t be so bitter about it… Research more next time Bessie!!

I went from Sydney on a 14 hour coach journey to Byron Bay, which reminded me a lot of Perranporth so I felt totally at home. The only differences were obviously, the heat, and the sheer mass of hippies that seem to congregate there. We were going to stay at Arts Factory – for anyone who has seen The Inbetweeners movie, this is where it was filmed! The hostel was pretty cool but rather on the strange side. It was obvious as soon as we got there that we didn’t fit in or belong there, but it’s all about the experience I suppose. Dreadlocks, hula hoops, people meditating by the lakes and digeridoo making classes were one thing, but our “dorm” was on a completely different level! We were staying in a wagon in the jungle which was fine, and to tell the truth I was really looking forward to staying there… until one of my friends saw a Huntsman spider, and despite them being known as harmless “pest control” here, her sister freaked…. Sooooo we packed our bags and had to walk 15 minutes in to town to find somewhere else to stay. Although I was looking forward to staying there, it was a bit of a shock coming from Sydney and I really didn’t want to stay on my own… Maybe I’ll stay there with my friend when he comes to visit later in the year 🙂

All in all, Byron was great. We actually had a chance to chill out and sunbathe after the madness of Sydney, and even took the monster walk in 40 degree heat to the postcard lighthouse to watch the sunset. Unfortunately, there was no sunset, but the picnic dinner and wine at the top made it all worth it!

From there we went to Surfers Paradise a.k.a Miami. It was good to see and experience, as it was so strange being on the beach playing volleyball, swimming and sunbathing with huge skyscrapers right behind you. The next stop was Brisbane, which to be honest I’m not going to write about as I personally didn’t enjoy it, next was far more exciting… two hours on to Noosa!

Noosa is a pretty small place so we were only advised to stay for a couple of days, but the reason we were there was to go kayaking in the Everglades. This was just incredible, and totally exceeded my expectations, I would definitely recommend it! We went with a company called Kanu Kapers who hire you the equipment, show you how to use it, provide you with an esky of food and a map, and send you on your way. The first section through open water was tough but hilarious, we were all soaked within 10 minutes! Once you were past the rough water you went through a mass of lily pads and wildlife… Pelicans, fish jumping out of the water, I even saw a kingfisher for the first time ever! It was simply stunning. There was a spot to eat your lunch, then through to the River of Mirrors… the name isn’t even exaggerated! The only down side is that after 6 hours of kayaking the rough water makes it a rough trip back, but we made it with no casualties, and no one falling in! Result!

Unfortunately I wasn’t aware that you could kayak the whole route, camp for one or two nights, then kayak back… maybe this is another thing I could add to the list when I travel back down the coast with my friend later on in the year! The list seems to be building…!

In summary of the first half of the East Coast, my favourite two days have been when we visited the Blue Mountains just outside of Sydney, and kayaking in the everglades. I’m now an hour away from Rainbow Beach, the base just off Fraser Island. This is where the adventure really starts.

February 3, 2017 0

Flying the nest

“Travel can be one of the most rewarding forms of introspection” – Lawrence Durrell

I’ve been quizzed quite a bit by various people about travelling… the main question I have been asked is why Australia? To be completely honest I have NEVER been interested in going to Aus. It’s just where everyone goes on their gap yaaah to find themselves, but there’s not really a lot of point because the culture is pretty damn similar to our own, and besides, the set of Neighbours never looked that exciting! Basically, it’s easy to go to Aus… it’s safe, you can earn good money there, the culture is so similar that it wouldn’t be TOO much to deal with as well as the fear of the unknown and being half way across the world from home – you see not only am I a home bird, an INCREDIBLY proud Cornish Maid, but those close to me will know that I really do not cope well with change, even having weeks A & B in secondary school was a struggle!

Another question I have been asked, is why are you going…? This is probably the most important question, and one which has caused my dear mum a lot of trauma, she cried every day for three weeks when I said I was going because she thought I was going for the wrong reasons. But before I answer this question, I am going to explain WHY I am answering it. Most of my closest friends are aware that I’m not exactly an open book when it comes to my emotions. A few months ago I met someone who actually turned out to be pretty awesome, and I opened up to them too late and I wish I had done it sooner. Not only did it make us closer (despite both of our conscious efforts to keep distanced) but I learned so much about myself as we explored different aspects and times of my life together. Surprisingly the longest section on my bucket list was not adventure or even dancing, but personal development. That included exploring my past, keeping a travel journal, and being emotionally open…. So why not be open with the world! Orrrrr just my friends who actually care enough to read what I’m up to! And seeing as I can’t exactly do some of the other things on my bucket list right now (like enter my first dance comp or eat some form of genitalia – yes, you read that correctly!) I may as well crack on and do a bit of writing while I enjoy my pizza! 🙂

So, back to why I am going… A few of the girls I have spoken to from the tour are going because a relationship break up. That’s why my mum was so troubled, because she feared I was running away from my problems seeing as my marriage had failed before it had even begun. In fact since that relationship had ended I just felt free of both worry and free as a person. In the run up to the break up I had started climbing with the girls, I was going dancing a LOT more, sometimes 2-4 times a week, and I was just having the best time! I debated travelling a few years ago, but obviously when I got engaged my priorities changed… I had a house to think of, I was happy in my relationship and managed to land an awesome job in one of the best children’s charities (in my opinion, of course!). I found my escape through dancing, although I had done it for a year I really found it a great distraction to throw myself in to it, and eventually my dance teacher asked me to go to Ceroc HQ to audition to be a dance teacher. The thought was TERRIFYING. There is so much more to it than just dancing, you have to know exact scripts and footwork for each move, be able to talk and dance at the same time, and take on the leads and followers (normally male and female) roles all in front of a panel of 5 of the country’s greatest professional dancer teachers. Just the memory of audition makes me feel ill, but somehow I passed, but it wasn’t until I thought of signing a two year contract that I realised I didn’t want to be here anymore…

I don’t have any children, no mortgage, no husband, basically no responsibilities other than my car insurance and phone bill. There is ALWAYS going to be a reason to not go travelling, but screw it! I’m as free as I’ll ever be 🙂

January 18, 2017 0

How I survived my first week in Sydney

Don’t worry about the world coming to an end today, it’s already tomorrow in Australia – Charles M Schulz

I had an amazing few days in Manly with Sarah and Joe, celebrating both New Years Eve and Sarah’s birthday, but I wasn’t too sure what to expect when I left them to join my OzIntro group in Sydney. It’s pretty daunting when you rock up to a hostel not knowing anyone, with not even wifi for comfort. We were staying at Base in Kent Street (everyone I know who has travelled Sydney has stayed here!) which has the added bonus of Scary Canary’s next door. The group arrived from the airport (a few of us just decided to meet at the hostel) and we went straight down to the harbour to go jet boating… this is so so different to just going on a speedboat, by the time we got off the boat we all looked as though we had been dunked in the sea! Safe to say that this is a pretty good way of breaking the ice…

I decided to have a week long OzIntro tour for a few of the obvious reasons… I was going to a country where I didn’t know anyone else who was travelling, so obviously meeting people and making friends (cringe!) were a massive factor, plus they would know the best places to go for a standard Sydney bar crawl. We did so much in one week including stroking a koala and a kangaroo, ate crocodile, went surfing, visited the Blue Mountains (the size of Switzerland, so big that it holds 7 national parks inside it!), walked from Bondi to a smaller beach for a BBQ where we played volleyball, had a bar crawl where we probably ruined a few of the greatest songs of all time in a karaoke bar… and there’s no way I would have known about all of these amazing places without having to do hoursssss of research.

SAMSUNG CSC

All of the fun stuff aside, pretty much everyone who knows me knows how much of a failure I am at normal human being activities… our lovely OzIntro leader Becca sorted us out with everything we needed…

Medicare – you think you don’t need it, but with one person swelling their ankle to the size of their face and another one with a suspected chest infection in one week it’s pretty obvious you need it, especially as it’s circa $100 for a few days worth of antibiotics, and $70 to even speak to a doctor!
Tax number so we don’t have to pay 50% tax
Help finding a job – it’s amazing how many people struggle to get a job out here despite there being loads around. Not only do they sit there and help with your cv, but they offer support the whole time you’re in Aus… they don’t just bin you when your week is over!
Help setting up our Aussie bank accounts so that we can get paid when we eventually get a job!
Claiming back our tax from our work in the UK – an extra few dingo dollars to spend on your travels
Help setting up our Australian pension funds – this is basically free money from your employers, as they contribute in to it and you can claim it all when you leave the country. Just make sure you do it with someone like the Commonwealth bank so all of your pensions are in one place 🙂

To top it all off Becca did a huge presentation showing us our options for touring the east coast, and then spent hours with us individually and in groups helping us piece together our plan, meaning that I am now set to leave on Friday to head up the east coast with a couple of lovely girls I met this week… BIG UP THE BECCA!

This has been such an incredible experience that I’m going to book on to BaliIntro and ThaiIntro… it really helps to set you up and meet new people when you get to a new country, anyone who is thinking about travelling (especially if you’re going solo or are a complete country bumpkin like me who has no idea about what actually happens in the world) should look them up!

OzIntro.com

I cannot actually put in to words how excited I am for the next few months… even a week in I keep having these moments when I realise I am half way across the world! I don’t have a clue what day it is here, or what time in the day it is back home, and even though I have a rough plan I still don’t know if I’m going to stick to it… I guess that’s part of the fun 🙂

January 11, 2017 0

The first blog – eek!

“It is only in adventure that some people succeed in knowing themselves – in finding themselves” – André Gide

Never did I think I would want to write about my experiences. More than that, I did not feel my story was worth reading. My teenage years were somewhat mediocre and the years thereafter followed the same pattern. I wouldn’t say I’ve always been adventurous. A bit bonkers maybe, but not adventurous. I’ve always lived a safe, comfortable life… a 24 year old accountant, living with my parents in my childhood home, due to marry young – Yup. In June 2017 I was due to become Mrs H. Truth be told, 2016 was both the best and worst year of my life. Fast forward to 29^th December 2016 and I have said “see ya later” to my friends and family, packed in my dream job and put myself on a plane on a one way ticket to Australia!

My life has completely flipped 180, it almost makes me feel dizzy with excitement at my recklessness. Of course it goes without saying that the fiancé is no more. Not dead, just separated, and luckily we managed to part on good terms with peace, forgiveness and fondness. Anyway, I didn’t want to write about that, I wanted to write about my journey as I explore this new chapter in my life. I want to write about how I have grown as a person, how my perspective on life has changed, all of the mistakes I make and all of the fun shit I get up to in the meantime – sorry mum!

Not all of my blog posts will feature beach parties, hiking up mountains and sky dives – again, sorry mum! I’m looking forward to using my blog as a kind of journal, to reflect on my past, discover what I want in my future and general observations of what is going on around me. I’m also hoping that by posting my ever-growing bucket list publically I will be compelled (or bullied!) in to completing it! Why a bucket list? I had never thought of doing one before, I guess it was a good way of making sure I did not miss out on something I would have wanted to do had I thought of it (major FOMO!) and therefore waste this opportunity.

And so I have a plan for the first fortnight – I flew out with my gorgeous school friend Sarah and her scouse fella who live out there now (we told her to take one for the team and bag a hunky Aussie for us, but I guess he looks like a tanned Aus though and is actually a wonderful guy, so he will do!) and I’ve been staying with them for four days before I head off on a week-long tour around Sydney tomorrow morning before I work for a while (I’m not made of money!) and then who knows!!

New Years Eve was spent at Luna Park opposite the Sydney Opera House and it was fab! The tv definitely doesn’t do the fireworks justice and it’s safe to say that dancing around a theme park until 5am doesn’t help with the whole jetlag situation….