Preparation

So ... I got my tickets today .... well. ... my slip of paper that says I have an Eticket ready ... 2 weeks after I paid for it.

I went to this travel agent (despite having sworn to never go to another one after a disasterous California booking, trip was awsome though) who specializes in Australia and Asia Pacific on the recommendation of a friend. My first experience with them, I had to fight to get the flight I wanted. I just want to do Australia this time thanks, not Singappore, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Vietnam or anything. Just Australia. And I want to fly into Sydney and out of Melbourne. An hour later, I walked out with those flights reserved. (1 hr!! God only knows why I still booked) So I bought those tickets, and set up my air port transfers accordingly.

So ... 2 weeks after I paid (and more than a week after they were supposedly mailed) I got the E-ticket. And its wrong (Sob!) Not only is my "year long" ticket 4 months short on durration, but its also going out of the wrong city! In the Wrong territory! On the Wrong coast! Sigh. So much for specialists.

I'll give the company the benefit of the doubt and say it was just the individual agent that I dealt with. I'll let you know how that turns out tomorrow. /rant off

On a side note, Only 1 more day of work left! I am sooooo excited. I love my co-workers, mostly, but my job is the pits. I certainly wont be missing that while I soak up the Sydney sun.

I think its just now starting to really sink in that, yes, I am leaving my life behind me for a whole year. I only have 2 more Teusdays left in Canada, and thats starting to make me worry. But in a good way. Although, I did just catch the Pirates of the Carribean 3 trailer ... and I'm going to miss the release date! To those reading who are going on opening night, I demand photos of all the people dressed like Pirates. Hell, I'll probably know most of them, though I dont know if thats a good thing to admit to or not....

Anyway, since I still have one night left, that means one more night of going to bed early, so ciao!

Del

Well, its been a while since I updated this...

I finally got my tickets booked after much undue drama. First it was not being able to get enough credit or bank withdrawl to be able to pay for the ticket on my own. Thank God my dear ol' mum bailed me out on that by letting me use her credit card for the remainder of the ticket.
Then it was finding out that we couldnt split the tickets, so the whole amount went on her card. Sigh.

In other news, I've found the cell phone I want to go to Oz with! Woopee its the same phone they used in Casino Royale ... so now I can tell everyone I use the same phone as James Bond. My gawd I'm so pathetic I almost weep for my exsistance.

In other news, with Oz intro booked I am all set with a bank account, tax file number, and SIM card, as well as having my first week's accomidation booked. Looks like we are staying at Coogee beach Surfside Backpackers. Its about 100 feet to the beach (litterally across the street) and its got an awsome location. The only down side was the gut wrenchingly cheesy intro video! If you have the time, go take a look. its on their website and loaded on to Youtube I believe. It was so bad it was great!

No now I get to play the waiting game. I'm going nuts at work. I have only 8 more working days, and I am sooo psyched!
I finally bought all the supplies I need (I hope) including my shiney silk sleeping sheet. Turns out that cotton sheets are a bad idea in humid countries. When I went shopping for the last of the items I needed, I asked the clerk at MEC about which sleeping sheets would be better. Since Cotton was only $17 and Silk was more like $52 ... I wanted to save as much as I could. However, my frugal nature was stopped short upon recieving a discription of what would happen with my sheets. Sticky and wet = yuck! I rationalized the extra $35 by thinking that I would be cheaping out on accomidations I could at least have the luxury of a comfy and sticky free sleep, so at least my conscience is soothed.

When I first started planning a trip to Oz, I was really set on cage diving with a Great White. I've started reading alot of websites and science journals lately (since I have nothing else to do) and its really turned me away from that particular adventure sport. Not so much because its not safe, but more for ethical reasons. I'm still hoping to swim with a whale shark, but I dont really want to support the chumming industry of cage diving.

Well, for now I'm off to go and see about buying that cell phone that I really want! Ciao for now, I might update this again in April before I leave, but not too sure.

Del

Yahoo! I finally got in to see the travel agent and after much deliberating, decided on a flight path.

Looks like I'll be leaving here, flying for a quick stop over in LAX, before headed on Quantas straight to Sydney. Thats a relief since the original ticket she wanted to book me with had a multitude of stops, which, while they were all in great places, I wouldnt want to stay on my own. Things like Singappore, Tokyo, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. I'll do those on an Asia trip I think. But for now, being my first trip I just want simple . That also means less chance for my bag to go missing.

So, arriving in Sydney on April 16th for Oz intro, and then I'm going to be booking with Ozexperience (sister company for ummm Adventure Tours) for their independant tour of the East Coast up to Cairns. That means I can go at my own pace, stop at all the cities along the way if I like.

I think I'll be stopping at Surfers Paradise, and of course Brisbane for a while. Then it'll be off to Hervey Bay to learn to Scuba Dive (its cheaper there apparently) and maybe a quick jaunt to Fraser Island before continuing up to Airlie Beach and touring the Whitsundays.

Once I eventually reach Cairns, it'll be a nice 2 day min excursion up to Cape Tribulation for a stay in the Rainforest and a tour out on the Great Barrier reef.

And then! its the Grey Hound for Western Australia. Heading up to Darwin, taking some time to head down to Alice Springs and Uluru of course before going back up and hitting the West coast down to Broome. I'm really looking forward to this part of the trip since I know very little about it, it should be very exciting!

Once I eventually reach Perth, its the Indian Pacific to Adelaide. I havent really decided on what to do about Uluru, since I can either go there from Darwin, or Adelaide with the Greyhound pass ... so I'll have to decide which time of year will be better.

In Adelaide, there will be the mandatory stop at Kangaroo Island before possibly heading inland to visit a few interior cities in Victoria before ending in Melbourne, hopefully for Christmas / New years. (Sydney is a possibility here too) then its down to the beautiful and supposedly unmissable Tasmania / Hobart, before heading back to Melbourne where my flight is leaving from in April again.

Oh my god! There is going to be sooo much to do! and I havent really got any dates in mind as to where I'm going to be when, but it should be alot of fun.

Looks like my travel agent thinks that the VIP back packers card is the best, though I think I'm still going to get the YHA one just incase. Its not very much money, and it will be nice if there arent any VIP hostels available.

Wow this is a long blog post. I think its time to cut it off before I really go nuts!

Del

ugg I gotta retype this whole post.

Sigh.

Anyway, so I was flipping through my travel guide (Lonely planets Shoestring series) and this wonderful savior of a piece of loose leaf falls out. And on it? Behold! The glory of my planning! ... except I dont remember what the notes meant... annndd there is no apparent order to what I wrote down.... and its not very long.

my favorite part is the drawing at the bottom >.< Sigh. well at least it sort of gives me an idea .... like... Dont go to Darwin in the middle of the summer. great.

So looks like the West Coast is going to be alot of fun ... the only problem being, from a first glance at the maps again, there really doesnt appear to be much there.

I'm not sure what things cost, but the sites look beautiful! and I'm really looking forward to expersiencing the "real" Australia. I couldnt justify a trip over there without hitting though out back at least once.

Time get ahold of a travel agent today. A friend of my mom's is going through Downunder-Travel here in Calgary, and she has had nothing but good reviews for it. So here's hoping for some good results.

Del

Well then

I'm a first time blogger, but I figured I should get used to this sort of thing before leaving.

So lets start off with a little info on where exactly I'll be going, since people are always asking me that. I say, Australia. and they say where? <shrug> your guess is as good as mine. I know some spots I want to visit, but where and when? who knows.

I'm not only a first time blogger you see, but also a first time backpacker. As such, my planning went in stages like this.

1. pick a place. - Australia. ok

2. Pick a date - Some time in April ... for a year ok.

3. .... shit its December and I havent decided anything!

Annnnd now, its February and I still dont have much of a plan. I got a backpack, a nice big one, with some really awsome supports. So I guess I'm good on that front.

Clothing, shoes, hats, etc. ... not so good on. Destinations a plenty, routes? again not so good, and we wont even start on travel companions, since my original buddy ditched on me.

In short, I now have 9 weeks until my last day of work, and until I should, theoretically, be on a plane to either Melbourne, or Sydney. But I am all on my own, with no clear destination in mind.

So feel free to join me as I explore the assorted possibilities and travel agents available in my area in a vain attempt to plan at least my first week of a year long voyage down under.

Oh yeah, and any and all travel tips are more than welcome.

Ciao!