Travel Tuesday: Koala Edition

Welcome to Travel Tuesday! Today I'm sharing the koala files from our Australian adventure. First visit was to the Koala Breeding Centre, which was near Port Macquarie. We met the man of the house and he was adorable. Also nearby is the Koala Hospital where injured koalas get rehabilitated. It's a tiny place and most of the koalas were not ready for visitors that day. Of course we saw koalas at the Australia Zoo. In fact I got to hold a baby for a photo! So cute! We were also fortunate to see a koala in the wild. He was sleeping in a tree, so we admired him from a distance. These furry creatures are adorable and sleepy. Their primary source of food (the eucalyptus) provides very little in the way of calories. That's why they sleep as much as19 hours a day. Oddly enough, that's about as much sleep as my cats get. Hahaha!

Please stay tuned for Weight Loss Wednesday with a special guest post from Halie from Penuins Pasta and Polka Dotsand a surprise!

Travel Tuesday

It's travel Tuesday and I am continuing the Australian adventure. The furthest north we drove was to Airlie Beach. It is south of Cairns by over 350 miles. While there, we went out on a boat past the Whit Sunday islands to The Great Barrier Reef. Here we dove of course and saw amazing fish in their natural habitat. There was a chance to go a second round, which I declined. When my husband went that second time, he saw a baby shark. I'm so glad I didn't go! I stayed near the top and snorkled which was tons of fun for me. Next up on Travel Tuesday is the Australia Zoo. Please stay tuned for Weight Loss Wednesday, where I will recap the 7 day cleanse.

Linking up with Helene In Between.

Travel Tuesday

On our adventure through Australia, we came across an adorable town called Port Macquarie. It was nice enough that we stayed a few days on our way north and south. There's a pancake restaurant that was definitely Australian pancakes, small and tiny, compared to what we are accustomed to. There's a marvelous fish shack that served fresh fish on newsprint. We also came across a place that sold chicken completed marinated and ready for the grill. Our camper van came with cooking supplies and that was a wonderful meal.

It was June, when we made the trip and at moments it was cold outside. Once we were far enough north, temperatures were not a problem. We spent three weeks there and I do have more adventures to share with you. Stay tuned for next week and weight loss Wednesday tomorrow.

Travel Tuesday

Our adventure began with extensive flights: Anchorage to Seattle, long 9 hour layover, Seattle to Los Angeles, Los Angeles to Sydney. That last flight was so long, two meals were served with multiple beverages (none adult to conserve money.) Once in Sydney, exhausted we found a taxi to take us to the camper van rental. We decided to immediately leave Sydney, which was confusing since our only map was the free tourist map from the camper van company. Our first stop was about an hour before sundown, perhaps 3 or 4 hours north of Sydney. Finding dinner was difficult because the camper site was away from civilization and one gas station selling snacks. We bought the best we could find for dinner and breakfast but it was a sparse couple of meals. Our site was a few steps away from a dock inside a little bay. The first morning was brisk but we felt refreshed after all that traveling.

Travel Tuesday

Adventure is my middle name and I'm game for a variety of things. We took a 3 week trip to the east coast of Australia. It was an amazing trip. We dived at the Great Barrier Reef, an absolute must and we visited the Australia Zoo. This is the zoo started by Steve Irwin and before he passed away. We rented a camper van and cruised at our own pace including getting lost multiple times. Once, we were so lost that I had to get out of the car to look at the street signs. The walk signals make funny noises and everyone was friendly. The other campers would ask us, "how ya goin?" It's kinda like saying how's it going but it took us a moment to understand. Isn't that strange since we speak the same language? We have had many adventures and we plan to have more lined up for the future. Please stay tuned for weight loss Wednesday.

Ps...I thought I had more photos of Australia on my iPhone. Since I don't, I'll continue this next week with more photos.

Top Pick Tuesday

One of the best trips we ever took was in Australia. We had rented a camper van for three weeks and we took our time exploring the east coast. We were always staying at campsites designed for campers and our fellow campers were very friendly. It was at camp that I learned the Australian phrase, " How ya going?" It took me a little bit to get what he was saying. This picture is from our fave spot, Port Macquarie (don't hold me to the spelling here.) The fish and chips were to die for but the pancakes were not what we expected (they were so tiny!) I am referring to two separate restaurants in the little town. If given the opportunity, I would visit again. It would be very cool to live in Australia for a time too.

This is one of my best photos, taken with a Canon Elph, when I didn't really know how to use the camera. I had just gotten it. All of my photos are copyrighted and you are welcome to ask me for a copy and attribute it to me.

Adventure

How's this for adventure...
Rent a campervan in a foreign country, don't buy a map, and drive around aimlessly for a few weeks.

Yes, that's what we did in Australia May 2004. It took awhile to find a grocery store. We went where ever we thought would be good. The map was very poor and had me all turned around as the navigator. Driving on the other side of the street was scary.  The trip was an epic blast!

In retrospect, I would do another wild adventure like this. However, I would pay the extra dollars to get a good GPS or map. I don't need the stress of being lost while on holiday.

Dear Lord, I pray for Your blessings on my next trip in September and all my future adventures. Amen!

Jus' thinkin'

I'm thinking that it would be great to be back in Australia. This photo was somewhere along the east coast of Australia in 2004.

I'm thinking that was a long time ago and my last international trip was January 2011. I love to travel and see the world. I'm getting back out there in September.

I'm thinking that we are overdue for a wild trip too. Fiji, Tahiti, Turkey, Nepal, Iceland. So many places that I need to visit.

I'm praying and thinking about my work. Hopefully my hunt will yield positive results.

I'm thinking that blogging is so much fun and I gotta get more consistent. I'm working my way towards more writing and posting my photos.

Since I'm still thinking about vacations, tell me about your best trip! I love a good story!