Now I've been a very Bad Buddha. Last blog update was before the tour, but then that shows i've had a good time right? So much has happened these past two weeks I'm afraid I cant really put it all into order for you day by day. So I'll literally just bullet crystal clear memories for you...
Hugging a koala at Karanda. Grabbing green ants of the trees and eating them. Sailing over whitsundays drinking goon with the crew and playing games. Literally having my breath taken away at Whitehaven Beach. Having my first scuba dive at the Great Barrier Reef. Goat Mustering at Kroombit park, lasooing a goat and failing miserably at it, toga party and skinny dipping in the sea fearing for my life that i'd get eaten by sharks. Have an American boy literally and unexpectedly take my breath away. :) learn to surf at surfaris and pulling muscles I never knew existed in my body. Watch the sunset over Fraser Island whilst drinking Makers Mark on ice. Singing karoake and being terrible at it and just generally opening to the possibility of the impossible. I love the fact that we've just arrived in Sydney, we've done SO much yet this is literally just the beginning of our adventure. Walking about the harbour bridge, Opera house and Botanic Gardens today I just thought. "Hell YES, this is gonna be my life for the forseeable future!" Its a sure sign I'm meant to be here as we all looked up into the sky today and some airplane spelt out Marry Me Jen. I was amazed! So Sydney proposed, and I said Yes, of course ;)
Sorry for the blunt blogs but well, I'm too busy having the time of my life. Obviously!
Friday, 23 March 2012
Friday, 9 March 2012
And so the Essex girl did the inevitable, and jumped out of a plane...
Evening all! (Or to you morning, whateves)
So I thought I'd try doing the impossible and describe what 99% of Cairns describe as the "most indescrible experience of their lives" and thats Skydiving over the Great Barrier Reef.
Yes ladies and gentleman, the girl who you knew that left Essex, the one that wouldn't set foot into a room if a spider was there, the same girl who would also run away scared shitless from a slow moving cow in a field...jumped 14,000 feet out of an airplane.
I brought my travelling companion with me as moral support, but the bloody cow made me more nervous than i intended to be lol. She just kept looking at me like it was the last time she'd ever see me again and kept repeating "I'm so nervous for you..." great help!
The night before the inevitable dive we had a few bevvys in gilligans, which turned into 6 and staying up till silly o clock with a bunch of good natured lads. At least it helped me sleep, for all of...3 hours. I woke up dead at 5am and could not for the life of me get back to help. I kept thinking to myself "I'm not nervous though am i?" But my body was clearly telling me a different story. Mind over Matter as it goes! I got up at 7 and just sat on the balcony wishing for the time to go quicker, I just literally wanted it over and done with. Not in a negative way mind you, but not exactly in a I CANNOT WAIT way either. My whole body felt heightened, like it didnt want to keep still. I kept on jumping up and down in the kitchen to try and well...what exactly I dont know. Shakes off my nerves? As I said I was convinced I wasnt nervous. The type of nerves Im use to is the dip in the stomach, you know when you realise something and you feel like your bellys just flopped 10 feet? But I didnt have that feeling at all. I guess probably looking back on it all it was just pure adrenalin.
After waiting in the skydive office for what seems like hours (probably about an hour and a half, which didnt help either) some stocky dude with stubble and an army fishermans hat comes bowling up to me and announces I'll be taking the plunge with him today. My first initial thought is "Do i trust a man who wears a ridiculous hat to save me from falling to my plunging death?" But then he introduces me to Jeremy, our cameraman and I am instantly at ease. The guy has the most ridiculously good looking pair of eyes that I thought "Well least I can smile at him whilst I'm plunging to my death..."
So they seperate my travelling buddy and I and i bid her farewell, trying not to look at the state of panic on her face as i leave in the mini bus. When we get there and the guys harnassing me what I can only describe as the most unflattering nappy of all time they ask where I'm from. "Near london"..."Oh yeah where about's?"..."Essex?" ...."Ohhhhhh an ESSEX girl...." I sigh. This happens a lot on my travels, not so much in Asia but now were in western civilisation people tend to here the reputation. "Dont Essex girls have an attitude problem?" He asks. "Depends if you drop me from the plane without a parachute I might!"
The jokes contuinue on as we board the plane., I snuggle up into my parachute man, as he straps me in tighter and tighter as we go up into the sky. He makes me check his watch to see 10 minutes into the journey were only up 5000, I look down. 5000 feet my arse it is A LONG WAY DOWN. Surely by now the nerves should start kicking in, but then I catch a glimpse of the Great Barrier Reef and I am stunned. I literally cannot speak. Everything before my eyes was pure natural beauty. "Isnt she a beauty?" the typical aussie question pops out and I could not nothing but literally nod my head. Then it suddenly hits me. Not nerves, but a massive smile creeps upon my face as a realise the firm belief in my mind: I cannot wait to do this! Who'd of thought it aye? He informs me were 2nd to go. I'm pretty grateful for this, I dreaded going last in fear that I'd see people go off once by one and think "I CAN NOT DO THIS" but luckily enough I'm not even given enough time to think.
Red lights flash infront of me to inform me to pop on my safety goggles (another very attractive apparatus to wear and no doubt severely dampened my chances of ever getting the cameramans phone number) yellow lights indicate for me to cross my arms infront of my body and he wiggles me down to the edge of the plane. I literally don't even have time to look down as you have to put your head so far back all i can see above me is clouds and one two three GO.
There was literally no time to scream.
The g force is so strong I open my mouth to let out noise and realise there is no point. I can only simply mouth curses because I have literally lost my voice, or maybe I was screaming but I couldnt hear it myself cause the blistering wind just shrills through my ears. He taps my arms to remind me to get into freefall position and I uncross my arms and open them up wide. I think looking back the only thoughts going through my mind were "Oh cool, were about to go through a cloud.." and remembering the cool wet wisps of white against my cheeks as we dropped through it.
Once we were through the cloud the parachute was up and the deafening winds came to a complete stop. I suddenly remembering to breath but before I did all I could do was laugh. I was literally laughing with insane happiness. "Y'alright jennnneeyyy?" he asks, and I still keep laughing. All I could think was "fuck me, I DID IT!" I'm in the air, watching my legs dangle from a harness, seeing nothing but pure greenery rainforest and hills with the deepest blue sea beneath me. I am literally overcome with pure giddyness and all I can manage to keep repeating is..."WOW."
The next thing hes asking me is if I like rollercoasters and then decisevly grabs my hand to take hold of the parachute reigns and gives the right hand side a good hard tug, were spinning so fast Im instantly regretting I said yes lol.
As the ground gets clearer and clearer to me I spot my travelling buddy in the distance and give her a good hard wave like a proper Japs tourist. She later describe to me how she couldnt make out it was me until she noticed me waving like a bloody moron. I look back on her iphone as she filmed us all coming down, like tiny dots from the cloud we appear to take our time coming down when in reality we were only in the sky for a matter of minutes. I land onto the grass with a good hard thump, with grass ending up in my underwear my cameraman comes runnings up to me and asks "How do you feel?"
Again. All I could do was laugh and manage a thumbs up. My legs literally are like jelly as my body fights to gain normality again, and I'm left feeling like I've just dreamt the whole experience. Even whenI returned back to the hostel and took a well deserved shock induced nap I woke up and asked Sian..."Did I really just do that?"
So my pals that was my mini Cairns thrill induced adventure. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed doing it. I'm yet to see the dvd and pictures I got out of it so it still hasnt quite sunk in what I've actually just dont. But rest assured you'll be the first cretins to see it.
Now were have a chilled evening before we meet out Topdeck tourgroup bright and breezy tomorrow! xxx
So I thought I'd try doing the impossible and describe what 99% of Cairns describe as the "most indescrible experience of their lives" and thats Skydiving over the Great Barrier Reef.
Yes ladies and gentleman, the girl who you knew that left Essex, the one that wouldn't set foot into a room if a spider was there, the same girl who would also run away scared shitless from a slow moving cow in a field...jumped 14,000 feet out of an airplane.
I brought my travelling companion with me as moral support, but the bloody cow made me more nervous than i intended to be lol. She just kept looking at me like it was the last time she'd ever see me again and kept repeating "I'm so nervous for you..." great help!
The night before the inevitable dive we had a few bevvys in gilligans, which turned into 6 and staying up till silly o clock with a bunch of good natured lads. At least it helped me sleep, for all of...3 hours. I woke up dead at 5am and could not for the life of me get back to help. I kept thinking to myself "I'm not nervous though am i?" But my body was clearly telling me a different story. Mind over Matter as it goes! I got up at 7 and just sat on the balcony wishing for the time to go quicker, I just literally wanted it over and done with. Not in a negative way mind you, but not exactly in a I CANNOT WAIT way either. My whole body felt heightened, like it didnt want to keep still. I kept on jumping up and down in the kitchen to try and well...what exactly I dont know. Shakes off my nerves? As I said I was convinced I wasnt nervous. The type of nerves Im use to is the dip in the stomach, you know when you realise something and you feel like your bellys just flopped 10 feet? But I didnt have that feeling at all. I guess probably looking back on it all it was just pure adrenalin.
After waiting in the skydive office for what seems like hours (probably about an hour and a half, which didnt help either) some stocky dude with stubble and an army fishermans hat comes bowling up to me and announces I'll be taking the plunge with him today. My first initial thought is "Do i trust a man who wears a ridiculous hat to save me from falling to my plunging death?" But then he introduces me to Jeremy, our cameraman and I am instantly at ease. The guy has the most ridiculously good looking pair of eyes that I thought "Well least I can smile at him whilst I'm plunging to my death..."
So they seperate my travelling buddy and I and i bid her farewell, trying not to look at the state of panic on her face as i leave in the mini bus. When we get there and the guys harnassing me what I can only describe as the most unflattering nappy of all time they ask where I'm from. "Near london"..."Oh yeah where about's?"..."Essex?" ...."Ohhhhhh an ESSEX girl...." I sigh. This happens a lot on my travels, not so much in Asia but now were in western civilisation people tend to here the reputation. "Dont Essex girls have an attitude problem?" He asks. "Depends if you drop me from the plane without a parachute I might!"
The jokes contuinue on as we board the plane., I snuggle up into my parachute man, as he straps me in tighter and tighter as we go up into the sky. He makes me check his watch to see 10 minutes into the journey were only up 5000, I look down. 5000 feet my arse it is A LONG WAY DOWN. Surely by now the nerves should start kicking in, but then I catch a glimpse of the Great Barrier Reef and I am stunned. I literally cannot speak. Everything before my eyes was pure natural beauty. "Isnt she a beauty?" the typical aussie question pops out and I could not nothing but literally nod my head. Then it suddenly hits me. Not nerves, but a massive smile creeps upon my face as a realise the firm belief in my mind: I cannot wait to do this! Who'd of thought it aye? He informs me were 2nd to go. I'm pretty grateful for this, I dreaded going last in fear that I'd see people go off once by one and think "I CAN NOT DO THIS" but luckily enough I'm not even given enough time to think.
Red lights flash infront of me to inform me to pop on my safety goggles (another very attractive apparatus to wear and no doubt severely dampened my chances of ever getting the cameramans phone number) yellow lights indicate for me to cross my arms infront of my body and he wiggles me down to the edge of the plane. I literally don't even have time to look down as you have to put your head so far back all i can see above me is clouds and one two three GO.
There was literally no time to scream.
The g force is so strong I open my mouth to let out noise and realise there is no point. I can only simply mouth curses because I have literally lost my voice, or maybe I was screaming but I couldnt hear it myself cause the blistering wind just shrills through my ears. He taps my arms to remind me to get into freefall position and I uncross my arms and open them up wide. I think looking back the only thoughts going through my mind were "Oh cool, were about to go through a cloud.." and remembering the cool wet wisps of white against my cheeks as we dropped through it.
Once we were through the cloud the parachute was up and the deafening winds came to a complete stop. I suddenly remembering to breath but before I did all I could do was laugh. I was literally laughing with insane happiness. "Y'alright jennnneeyyy?" he asks, and I still keep laughing. All I could think was "fuck me, I DID IT!" I'm in the air, watching my legs dangle from a harness, seeing nothing but pure greenery rainforest and hills with the deepest blue sea beneath me. I am literally overcome with pure giddyness and all I can manage to keep repeating is..."WOW."
The next thing hes asking me is if I like rollercoasters and then decisevly grabs my hand to take hold of the parachute reigns and gives the right hand side a good hard tug, were spinning so fast Im instantly regretting I said yes lol.
As the ground gets clearer and clearer to me I spot my travelling buddy in the distance and give her a good hard wave like a proper Japs tourist. She later describe to me how she couldnt make out it was me until she noticed me waving like a bloody moron. I look back on her iphone as she filmed us all coming down, like tiny dots from the cloud we appear to take our time coming down when in reality we were only in the sky for a matter of minutes. I land onto the grass with a good hard thump, with grass ending up in my underwear my cameraman comes runnings up to me and asks "How do you feel?"
Again. All I could do was laugh and manage a thumbs up. My legs literally are like jelly as my body fights to gain normality again, and I'm left feeling like I've just dreamt the whole experience. Even whenI returned back to the hostel and took a well deserved shock induced nap I woke up and asked Sian..."Did I really just do that?"
So my pals that was my mini Cairns thrill induced adventure. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed doing it. I'm yet to see the dvd and pictures I got out of it so it still hasnt quite sunk in what I've actually just dont. But rest assured you'll be the first cretins to see it.
Now were have a chilled evening before we meet out Topdeck tourgroup bright and breezy tomorrow! xxx
Sunday, 4 March 2012
G-DAAAYY MATTEEE!
Can you believe it? The wife and I have touched down in oz Vegas. But before i talk about that I'd just like to reflect on the past 60 days i've spent in asia...
Things I have seen done miss or all of the above...Joma Cafe, eating snake in Vietnam, eating tarantula Cambodia, eating wild boar in Vietnam, eating water buffalo in Laos, eating frog in Singapore, having the bangkok belly, watching ping pong shows and doing far to much tequila in Phuket, shouting at more sex tourists than i care to remember in thailand, seen more breathtaking islands than i care to remember, rode an elephant in laos, rode an elephant in samui, seen how cruely they treat monkeys at the monkey show in samui, took a jungle trek and swam in a scarily powerful waterfull in samui, wanting to turn vegetarian after the markets seen in Vietnam, fell in love with the streets of Hoi An, rode a bicycle to soak up the sights of laos and vietnam, took a junkboat stay at Halong Bay, trod in the same sand as Leo DiCaprio from The Beach, taking a shot of "fermented snake" and snakes blood then instantly regretting it, rode on the dodgiest of coaches to get to ko phangan, FULL. MOON. PARTY. being locked in a toilet by a crazy thai lady, tried durian fruit in kuala lumpur then instantly regretting it, wandered aimlessely around KL taking in the sights of the twin towers, been a true tourist and took in the sights of singapore on a hop on and off tourist bus, stayed at the nicest hostels in singapore and krabi, spent a week drinking pretty much day and night in Bali, met some of the nicest and douchiest guys all at the same time, realised there are still some decent guys out there and i'll bag one of them when im good and ready to, Bubba Gumps and winning the trivia quiz questions enough saidddd, seen breathtaking temples...Angor Wat and Tulan Lot being my complete favs, taking a trek by myself and standing on a tiny deserted island sitting there in complete silence, walking through the crashing waves of bali to get the best view of the sea temples away from the tourist and sitting there completly exhilarated, smiling by myself at what it before my eyes pretty much every day...and now Australia.
Its weird to be here, i think i feel more like a foreigner here than i do being surrounded by asians! we have a week here to chill out in Cairns before our tour starts, part of me is itching for it to be over so i can see the contiki lot once more and settled down into normal life, but part of me knows despite only having 3 weeks of travelling left, I havent even started yet :)
So thats all there is to say really. Oz is bloody expensive, just wondered around Woolworths seraching for the smart price brand of everything. Mum would be so proud...
toodles!
Things I have seen done miss or all of the above...Joma Cafe, eating snake in Vietnam, eating tarantula Cambodia, eating wild boar in Vietnam, eating water buffalo in Laos, eating frog in Singapore, having the bangkok belly, watching ping pong shows and doing far to much tequila in Phuket, shouting at more sex tourists than i care to remember in thailand, seen more breathtaking islands than i care to remember, rode an elephant in laos, rode an elephant in samui, seen how cruely they treat monkeys at the monkey show in samui, took a jungle trek and swam in a scarily powerful waterfull in samui, wanting to turn vegetarian after the markets seen in Vietnam, fell in love with the streets of Hoi An, rode a bicycle to soak up the sights of laos and vietnam, took a junkboat stay at Halong Bay, trod in the same sand as Leo DiCaprio from The Beach, taking a shot of "fermented snake" and snakes blood then instantly regretting it, rode on the dodgiest of coaches to get to ko phangan, FULL. MOON. PARTY. being locked in a toilet by a crazy thai lady, tried durian fruit in kuala lumpur then instantly regretting it, wandered aimlessely around KL taking in the sights of the twin towers, been a true tourist and took in the sights of singapore on a hop on and off tourist bus, stayed at the nicest hostels in singapore and krabi, spent a week drinking pretty much day and night in Bali, met some of the nicest and douchiest guys all at the same time, realised there are still some decent guys out there and i'll bag one of them when im good and ready to, Bubba Gumps and winning the trivia quiz questions enough saidddd, seen breathtaking temples...Angor Wat and Tulan Lot being my complete favs, taking a trek by myself and standing on a tiny deserted island sitting there in complete silence, walking through the crashing waves of bali to get the best view of the sea temples away from the tourist and sitting there completly exhilarated, smiling by myself at what it before my eyes pretty much every day...and now Australia.
Its weird to be here, i think i feel more like a foreigner here than i do being surrounded by asians! we have a week here to chill out in Cairns before our tour starts, part of me is itching for it to be over so i can see the contiki lot once more and settled down into normal life, but part of me knows despite only having 3 weeks of travelling left, I havent even started yet :)
So thats all there is to say really. Oz is bloody expensive, just wondered around Woolworths seraching for the smart price brand of everything. Mum would be so proud...
toodles!
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