Sydney

We couch surfed with a wonderful woman named Ann who lives with her 25 year old son, Brenden. She has 2 spare bedrooms, so Jayson and I had a really nice place to stay and it was perfect because we were a little tired by this time of our trip. We rented a car, which was interesting because they drive on the opposite side. So, Jayson and I worked together when he was driving. I would say, “Ok, Jayson you are turning left remember stay on the left side.” Which, most of you would think sounds annoying, but he appreciated it. Remember, we haven’t driven for over a year and here he is driving on the opposite side of the road.

So, the first day we arrived at Ann’s and she advised us to use the car to drive to the Blue Mountain and then return it because it is cheaper and easier to use public transportation. So, that is what we did. The Blue mountains were beautiful. At first we thought, we have mountains in California and wondered what could be so different. Once we got there we were speechless. We got there right before sunset and the view was breathtaking. We went out to Echo Point and saw the Three Sisters plateaus that stood above a valley of forest. The colorful layers of the surrounding plateaus were beautiful. So, we hiked around and waited for the sun to set.

The rest of our stay we traveled around Sydney. We went to Bondi Beach one day. The next day we took a ferry to Manly Beach and traveled past the Opera House and the Sydney Harbor Bridge. It was nice to relax at the beaches before the rain came at about 4 o’clock. We ate the most delicious Italian food in Darling Harbor. We did so much in Australia, but still no Kangaroos. So, on our last day we caved and bought tickets to the Sydney zoo. We were able to pet the koalas, see a crocodile feeding and observe Red Kangaroos. I guess it’s not safe to see those guys in the wild, but we were willing. And kangaroos don’t just hop around on the side of the street. Who knew?Australian laughed when we thought that.

By the last day, we were sad to leave and sad that our travels have come to an end. But, we have so much to look forward to at home.....

Cairns

Our Hotel was like a one bedroom flat with a small kitchen and a balcony overlooking the ocean. It rained every evening in Cairns, but we were happy to hang out in our room. We cooked our own food, which saved us a lot of money because Australia is SO EXPENSIVE! The fist day we booked an into dive in the Great Barrier Reef. Neither of us has been scuba diving before, so we were a little nervous but super excited. In the intro dive the teach you all the basics right off the boat in the reef. Then we link arms with our instructor and swim around the reef. It was amazing. I loved it. Jayson was a little worried about his breathing and I was at the end of the linked arms and had to swim on top of Jayson, so I wouldn’t hit the coral. But we saw the colorful reef and were surrounded by many fish. Unfortunately no sharks or turtles, but happy to make it out safe. We did see a big turtle when we were snorkeling around the reef. It was a great day. The next couple of days we just hung out and went to the beach. Our last day we took a tour to the Dain Tree forest and Port Douglas. The Dain Tree forest was really special. So many different types of trees. Not very many animals but we saw spiders the size of your hand and we were always looking out for a Cassowary. It was raining by the time we got to Port Douglas, but we were able to hang out at a cafe and walk around the shops. The next day we had an early flight to Sydney.

Melbourne

Melbourne is such a cute city. It’s where old meets new. The city has a lot of original old buildings mixed with creative high rises. There is a free tram that takes you around the city, so that is what we did the first night. During the ride there was descriptions of what we saw. The weather was beautiful, so it was nice to ride around. The next day we took a wine tour. We visited 3 wineries and ate a delicious tri tip lunch. I think it was the first taste of beef I have had in over a year. The wine was delicious and at one winery we were taught how to correctly taste wine. First you take your first sip to awaken your taste buds. The next sip you swish around your mouth and then swallow. And the third sip you tip your head forward and sort of gargle between your lips. It worked. We were able to identify many flavors. While we travel through the vineyards the bus driver/ tour guided talked to us about everything Australia. By the end of the tour we were use to their accent. In my opinion I think Australians in Melbourne has a heavier accent than the other cities we visited in Australia. That’s about all we did in Melbourne. We bought a few bottles of wine and enjoyed the food as well as walking around the city.

Kuala Lumpur

We only stayed 2 days in Kuala Lumpur, which was enough. There are a lot of things to see in Kuala Lumpur, but we only needed about 2 days to do it. If we had more time in Malaysia we would have traveled to Lankawi or Klang. Instead we stayed at the Citin Hotel which was right in the middle of Little India. So, in a way we experienced 2 cultures for the price of one:) We were surrounded by Indian restaurants and shops. I think I tasted the most spiciest thing in my life. I ordered the same thing I ordered in Bali (Mie Goreng), but I guess they add a lot more spices in Little India. Most women were clothed from head to toe and wearing the traditional Burqa. Kuala Lumpur even had a separate subway car for women only. I was was wearing shorts and a t-shirt. At times I felt a little uncomfortable, but also realized they understand I am a foreigner.

What did we do? We saw the Petronas Towers. They were very beautiful at night. We tried to visit a rain forest, but once we got there they wanted to charge us an arm and a leg for a guided tour. So, we snuck off for about 20 minutes and took some pictures and then headed back. We went to the Batu Caves. The caves are a limestone hill, which has many caves and temples. We hiked about 300 stairs to enter the caves. There were monkeys everywhere once we got up there. They were just waiting for tourist to drop food. They were fun to watch. The Batu caves has the world’s tallest statue of Murugan which is a Hindu deity. It was pretty big. That’s about all we did. If I were to go back to Malaysia I would travel to a beach spot and get out of the city

Bali

Oh Bali, where do I start. Let’s just say as soon as we got there we were trying to figure out a way to change our flight so we could stay longer. But it turned out to be too expensive, so I made Jayson promise me we would come back someday. I picture us old and retired living in Bali. One can dream. Anyway, Bali is humid, but it is a comfortable humid. Our hotel was shaped like a 3 story hut right on the beach. We spent the first day hanging out at the beach. We put on sunscreen and watched for redness. Everything looked good, but then after a few hours our bodies turned red. So, there was only one day on the beach for us.

The people are so kind in Bali and everything is so cheap. Local Mei Guang cost $3 and it included beef, chicken and prawns. We ate our hearts out! Jayson had his first steak in 13 months and it only cost him $9. I got a pedicure and a manicure for $12. Yes, we lived it up! The second day when we were on the beach there was a big offering ceremony. A few hundred Balinese dressed all in white were parading down the beach to their shrines. The taxi driver explained it was the start of a 3 day Hindu celebration similar to Christmas. If we were to stay on Saturday we would not be allowed to go out of our Hotel all day. On Saturday, March 5th the whole island of Bali shuts down. People don’t eat, there is not light and everyone stays at home with their family. There are no flights going in or out. The taxi driver told us that Bali is the only Hindu island on Indonesia, the rest are Muslim. So, this celebration only happens on the island of Bali and we got to witness a small part of it.

Pretty much all we did was cruise the beaches, ate and drank. But, I can’t wait to go back.

Singapore

All the information we read about Singapore said we don’t need to spend more that 24 hours in Singapore. So, we spent 32 hours. It was just enough. The first few hours were rough because we took a red eye flight from Seoul and we couldn’t check into our hotel until 2pm. So we were walking around like zombies checking things out. A lot of people speak English in Singapore and there is a heavy Muslim population. After we took a nap we were ready to roll. We took a night safari. IT WAS SO COOL! We saw a little animal show and Jayson was asked on stage to hold a python. It wrapped all around him and the head started going towards his leg. He said he wasn’t scared. Then we took a night safari which went through different animal habitats. There were no fences we saw everything from elephants, giraffes to lions. These animals are nocturnal, so that it why the safari was at night.

By the time we reached our hotel we were a little hungry and wanted to grab a beer, but everything was closed except for the local outside restaurants/cafeterias. We felt like a local. There were many people sitting in the open air restaurant with their coffee or beer watching the soccer game at 11pm. The next day we went to the Sans Marina Bay casino and hotel. Yes, we gambled and yes unfortunately we both lost. But we took many pictures of the building and we actually say we gambled there. That’s about it for Singapore:)

Saying Goodbye

We can’t believe our time in Korea has come to an end. This year has been the best time of our lives. When we were packing to leave for Korea we told each other to look at everything we have to come back for, so if this year is horrible we know we have so much to be thankful for waiting for us at home. We now laugh at ourselves for even thinking that, but I think it was a good way to approach an unknown adventure. We have gained so much from this experience. Living in another country and learning about their culture was the most rewarding. We also have benefited from the teaching experience and the many challenges Jayson and I faced as English teachers. We made so many new friends who became our little family in Korea. We were all there for the same purpose experiencing the same challenges which allowed us to bond. Then, of course, the traveling. When we return home we will have traveled to China, Thailand, Japan, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Australia. Yes, we are broke!

We see this year as our second honeymoon (that lasted a year). Yes, we worked hard, but as the saying goes we played hard too through traveling. So, the rest of this blog will be our travels home. So many mixed emotions. Sad to leave our friends, excited to travel, but anxious to be home again. Cape Diem!