Enjoy the pictures of Melbourne and the Great Ocean Road :)!
Lots of love,
Florencia
PS. Uploading photos takes a lot of energy..
Friday, March 16, 2012
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Note
Sounds cliché, it actually really is, it really really is, but you should probably also know that I've fallen for someone here in Australia.
Yeah ha.. Haven't told you guys yet, but I just wanted to share that with you all.
Love,
Florencia
Yeah ha.. Haven't told you guys yet, but I just wanted to share that with you all.
Love,
Florencia
K'gari
I really need to tell you all about Fraser Island.. Pure magic.
So I'm back in Hervey Bay now, I came back from the island yesterday evening and man oh man.. That island is quite special. I've never seen anything as beautiful as the wonders of Fraser Island, that's for sure.
I arrived in Hervey Bay a couple of nights ago and went exploring the day after I'd arrived. I walked on the Great Sandy Strait, where you can watch the whales from July to November (too bad it's March, haha), birds were singing beautiful, peaceful melodies in the background. I love walking on this beach. And the sky.. Can't stop saying it, but oh how I love the sky here in Australia. I watched the sunset from one of the piers here the other day and that was truly magical. You had these long streams of clouds absorbing the beams of the sun, the ocean was reflecting the warm colours and the waves became stronger. The sky was slowly turning red and once it became dark, swarms of bats flew over me.
The next day my Fraser Island adventure was about to begin. We started off at Lake Mckenzie: unbelievable. The fresh water was so beautiful and so extremely clear that I had the feeling I was swimming in liquid glass. Picturesque surroundings with white sand and trees. I couldn't believe my eyes.
After that swim we headed to the Central Station, to Pile Valley, where we got the time to stroll in the rainforest (1.8 kilometres), the island's first national park, along the Wanggoolba creek with giant trees, ferns and other subtropical plants to be seen and lizards walking around us. The freshwater creek is a paradox really, because it was again crystal-clear, so the water was actually filtered through the sand! I can tell you that that takes quite some time.
After lunch we went to lake Wabby; we had to walk up a path that led to the lake which took about 45 minutes, but once you got there the dip in that cold water was more than rewarding. The lake was totally different from lake Mckenzie, but beautiful in its own way with its emerald-green water and small fishes and catfish (!) swimming around you. Then we went back to the resort and I slept like a baby.
The next morning I got up really early because I wanted to see the sunrise. But it was so worth it. Different layers of colour in the horizon, the sound of the ocean, above me still a few stars and behind me the moon was watching the sunrise as well. And then she came up, slowly rising above the ocean and then above that thin layer of clouds before she showed her powerful sunbeams. A few dingo footprints were to be seen, the warmth of the sun increased and the moon slowly started fading away.
We started the day off at Eli Creek, again a freshwater creek (you could drink the water!) and it was extremely refreshing again. And beautiful. On our way to the creek, while we were driving on the 75-mile Beach again, we spotted our first dingoes! Man, that was great, I had only seen their footprints so far, haha. And then, after our dip in the creek we saw even more! Snapped some photos and then saw them rush away, up the dunes. We went on to the Maheno shipwreck, which was truly impressive. The Maheno sank in 1935 and then stranded on the shore of Fraser Island. It made me think of Pirates of the Carribean really, haha. History on a beach. Awesome. When we just arrived the shipwreck, our fantastic tourguide Warren spotted a crocodile near the shipwreck! But it disappeared back into the ocean before anyone else got to see it. Too bad.. Ah well.
I actually thought that the Champagne Pools wasn't part of our tour, but we headed to the pools after Maheno. So I was glad to hear that, because it was a nice opportunity to swim in the ocean. At least a safe, secluded part of the ocean, since the waves are actually too strong and would probably drag you to the middle of the ocean and then you would drown before you get eaten by the sharks. Yeah..
The Champagne Pools were wonderful: each time the waves hit the rocks (which surrounded the pools), the water got in and the pool became all fizzy haha, which made it look like.. Well, champagne I guess. That was absolutely lovely.
Indian Head was next, the most easterly point on Fraser Island: the place is called Indian Head, because when Captain Cook got there in 1770 he saw coloured people standing on the top of the rocks and believed that they were Indians (while they really were the Aboriginal people). We had to climb some rocks, I was wearing my Havaianas again though, but they really rock! And then we walked up to the top of the headland, where we had this amazing view over the ocean and the beaches. Too bad we didn't get to see any sharks though, I would've loved that! But I guess you can't have everything ha..
We had lunch on the beach and I enjoyed watching the ocean. Shoot, five minutes left on my account. We went to The Pinnacles Coloured Sands after lunch, thousands of years old. Fantastic. We felt a little sticky though, after swimming in the Champagne Pools. But our lovely guide brought us back to Eli Creek again to wash all the salt off our bodies. Nice.. Floating down the stream of that refreshing creek was oh.. Goood.
We paid a second visit to Maheno, since it was on our way back and it looked even more impressive. Man, this whole trip to the island was impressive. And in the evening we left Fraser Island from Kingfisher Bay. I will never forget K'gari (paradise). I've seen paradise.
(Seen a couple of kangaroos from the bus back to the hostel by the way!)
Love from Australia,
Florencia
So I'm back in Hervey Bay now, I came back from the island yesterday evening and man oh man.. That island is quite special. I've never seen anything as beautiful as the wonders of Fraser Island, that's for sure.
I arrived in Hervey Bay a couple of nights ago and went exploring the day after I'd arrived. I walked on the Great Sandy Strait, where you can watch the whales from July to November (too bad it's March, haha), birds were singing beautiful, peaceful melodies in the background. I love walking on this beach. And the sky.. Can't stop saying it, but oh how I love the sky here in Australia. I watched the sunset from one of the piers here the other day and that was truly magical. You had these long streams of clouds absorbing the beams of the sun, the ocean was reflecting the warm colours and the waves became stronger. The sky was slowly turning red and once it became dark, swarms of bats flew over me.
The next day my Fraser Island adventure was about to begin. We started off at Lake Mckenzie: unbelievable. The fresh water was so beautiful and so extremely clear that I had the feeling I was swimming in liquid glass. Picturesque surroundings with white sand and trees. I couldn't believe my eyes.
After that swim we headed to the Central Station, to Pile Valley, where we got the time to stroll in the rainforest (1.8 kilometres), the island's first national park, along the Wanggoolba creek with giant trees, ferns and other subtropical plants to be seen and lizards walking around us. The freshwater creek is a paradox really, because it was again crystal-clear, so the water was actually filtered through the sand! I can tell you that that takes quite some time.
After lunch we went to lake Wabby; we had to walk up a path that led to the lake which took about 45 minutes, but once you got there the dip in that cold water was more than rewarding. The lake was totally different from lake Mckenzie, but beautiful in its own way with its emerald-green water and small fishes and catfish (!) swimming around you. Then we went back to the resort and I slept like a baby.
The next morning I got up really early because I wanted to see the sunrise. But it was so worth it. Different layers of colour in the horizon, the sound of the ocean, above me still a few stars and behind me the moon was watching the sunrise as well. And then she came up, slowly rising above the ocean and then above that thin layer of clouds before she showed her powerful sunbeams. A few dingo footprints were to be seen, the warmth of the sun increased and the moon slowly started fading away.
We started the day off at Eli Creek, again a freshwater creek (you could drink the water!) and it was extremely refreshing again. And beautiful. On our way to the creek, while we were driving on the 75-mile Beach again, we spotted our first dingoes! Man, that was great, I had only seen their footprints so far, haha. And then, after our dip in the creek we saw even more! Snapped some photos and then saw them rush away, up the dunes. We went on to the Maheno shipwreck, which was truly impressive. The Maheno sank in 1935 and then stranded on the shore of Fraser Island. It made me think of Pirates of the Carribean really, haha. History on a beach. Awesome. When we just arrived the shipwreck, our fantastic tourguide Warren spotted a crocodile near the shipwreck! But it disappeared back into the ocean before anyone else got to see it. Too bad.. Ah well.
I actually thought that the Champagne Pools wasn't part of our tour, but we headed to the pools after Maheno. So I was glad to hear that, because it was a nice opportunity to swim in the ocean. At least a safe, secluded part of the ocean, since the waves are actually too strong and would probably drag you to the middle of the ocean and then you would drown before you get eaten by the sharks. Yeah..
The Champagne Pools were wonderful: each time the waves hit the rocks (which surrounded the pools), the water got in and the pool became all fizzy haha, which made it look like.. Well, champagne I guess. That was absolutely lovely.
Indian Head was next, the most easterly point on Fraser Island: the place is called Indian Head, because when Captain Cook got there in 1770 he saw coloured people standing on the top of the rocks and believed that they were Indians (while they really were the Aboriginal people). We had to climb some rocks, I was wearing my Havaianas again though, but they really rock! And then we walked up to the top of the headland, where we had this amazing view over the ocean and the beaches. Too bad we didn't get to see any sharks though, I would've loved that! But I guess you can't have everything ha..
We had lunch on the beach and I enjoyed watching the ocean. Shoot, five minutes left on my account. We went to The Pinnacles Coloured Sands after lunch, thousands of years old. Fantastic. We felt a little sticky though, after swimming in the Champagne Pools. But our lovely guide brought us back to Eli Creek again to wash all the salt off our bodies. Nice.. Floating down the stream of that refreshing creek was oh.. Goood.
We paid a second visit to Maheno, since it was on our way back and it looked even more impressive. Man, this whole trip to the island was impressive. And in the evening we left Fraser Island from Kingfisher Bay. I will never forget K'gari (paradise). I've seen paradise.
(Seen a couple of kangaroos from the bus back to the hostel by the way!)
Love from Australia,
Florencia
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
G'day everyone!
Ok, so I figured that if I'm not going to post anything this very second, it's not going to happen any time soon. So here we go then, a very short update of what I've been through so far! Not everything is going to be mentioned though, because then I would run out of internet balance and this computer will automatically log out and then I would be seriously frustrated. So...
Man, so much has happened. Where to start? This is going to be a really messed up post haha, I'm so confused and I'm actually keeping a journal, but I left it upstairs. Yeah, I'm talking bull now. Let's get to business!
I'm in Sydney at the moment, everything is awesome! The city is huge, to get around you really have to take a bus. I didn't though, because I'm really trying to save some money. Took the bus once, to the beach! Yeah, if would have walked that distance, people would have to scrape me off the floor with a shovel. Went to the Congee beach.. Man, so beautiful. Packed with people (just as packed as Bondi was), but slightly less crowded. Loved it.. The water was so beautifully coloured, the sand so white, the weather was perfect and the seagulls were at their best behaviour haha. That was truly relaxing. So glad that the weather cleared up; it was pouring in the city for a couple of days.. Not really a warm welcome! But Sydney has made it up with me for sure. I've seen the Opera House ofcourse, which was great. Couldn't believe that I actually saw the Opera House, I even touched it, yoohoo! Really, everything around me feels so surreal. I'm seeing such beautiful things and am experiencing the most wonderful things. Australia really is such an amazing country. I mean I've expected great things to happen, but this is beyond. I don't want to go back guys..
Today I went to the Blue Mountains, which was absolutely awesome. The Three Sisters were astonishing, the Katoomba Falls and the Wenthworth Falls were spectacular and everything around it was just.. So nice.
I've touched a koala bear! Haha, and I've fed and pet some kangaroos and wallabies. Adorable. I love this sleepy stoned look these koala bears have.. Makes me want to take one home to snuggle with all day.
At the end of the day we went on a cruise across the Parramatta river: you could see the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge from the boat and it was even more spectacular in the warm light of the setting sun.
And Melbourne.. Ha, Melbourne oh Melbourne. My journey has taken some unexpected turns, that's for sure. I absolutely loved Melbourne and I think the city liked me too. The vibe hanging in the air was wonderful. Enjoying ''short macs'' in the mornings at Queen Victoria Market, chatting with amazing people, meeting amazing people, simply wondering around the streets, seeing fantastic graffiti in the alleys.. Melbourne was extremely charming and had so much character. Not that Sydney doesn't have character though, it's just that Melbourne.. Ah well, I'm starting to mumble again. I just loved it.
So I've also done the Great Ocean Road during my stay in Melbourne.. Man! No words can describe what I've seen. The Twelve Apostles.. Oh heavenly goodness! That was truly mesmerizing haha. I've taken a helicopter flight over those damn Apostles and that was just.. Damn.
Oh yeah, Bali! I promised to tell you all about Bali! Shoot, running out of time I see. So I've fallen in love with Bali too haha. I really envy the culture those beautiful people have. Praying with flowers, their clothes, this language of their own.. FIVE MINUTES! Ok, I'm going to have to do this some other time. Bali was great, sunset was magical, so were the people and everything on the island.
I love you all,
Florencia
Man, so much has happened. Where to start? This is going to be a really messed up post haha, I'm so confused and I'm actually keeping a journal, but I left it upstairs. Yeah, I'm talking bull now. Let's get to business!
I'm in Sydney at the moment, everything is awesome! The city is huge, to get around you really have to take a bus. I didn't though, because I'm really trying to save some money. Took the bus once, to the beach! Yeah, if would have walked that distance, people would have to scrape me off the floor with a shovel. Went to the Congee beach.. Man, so beautiful. Packed with people (just as packed as Bondi was), but slightly less crowded. Loved it.. The water was so beautifully coloured, the sand so white, the weather was perfect and the seagulls were at their best behaviour haha. That was truly relaxing. So glad that the weather cleared up; it was pouring in the city for a couple of days.. Not really a warm welcome! But Sydney has made it up with me for sure. I've seen the Opera House ofcourse, which was great. Couldn't believe that I actually saw the Opera House, I even touched it, yoohoo! Really, everything around me feels so surreal. I'm seeing such beautiful things and am experiencing the most wonderful things. Australia really is such an amazing country. I mean I've expected great things to happen, but this is beyond. I don't want to go back guys..
Today I went to the Blue Mountains, which was absolutely awesome. The Three Sisters were astonishing, the Katoomba Falls and the Wenthworth Falls were spectacular and everything around it was just.. So nice.
I've touched a koala bear! Haha, and I've fed and pet some kangaroos and wallabies. Adorable. I love this sleepy stoned look these koala bears have.. Makes me want to take one home to snuggle with all day.
At the end of the day we went on a cruise across the Parramatta river: you could see the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge from the boat and it was even more spectacular in the warm light of the setting sun.
And Melbourne.. Ha, Melbourne oh Melbourne. My journey has taken some unexpected turns, that's for sure. I absolutely loved Melbourne and I think the city liked me too. The vibe hanging in the air was wonderful. Enjoying ''short macs'' in the mornings at Queen Victoria Market, chatting with amazing people, meeting amazing people, simply wondering around the streets, seeing fantastic graffiti in the alleys.. Melbourne was extremely charming and had so much character. Not that Sydney doesn't have character though, it's just that Melbourne.. Ah well, I'm starting to mumble again. I just loved it.
So I've also done the Great Ocean Road during my stay in Melbourne.. Man! No words can describe what I've seen. The Twelve Apostles.. Oh heavenly goodness! That was truly mesmerizing haha. I've taken a helicopter flight over those damn Apostles and that was just.. Damn.
Oh yeah, Bali! I promised to tell you all about Bali! Shoot, running out of time I see. So I've fallen in love with Bali too haha. I really envy the culture those beautiful people have. Praying with flowers, their clothes, this language of their own.. FIVE MINUTES! Ok, I'm going to have to do this some other time. Bali was great, sunset was magical, so were the people and everything on the island.
I love you all,
Florencia
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
It's been a while...
I apologize dear people, for it has been quite a while since I've posted anything on my blog. You should know though, that I'm a very happy girl at the moment. Very happy. So yeah.. Things are still going great haha. I'll tell you all about Bali pretty soon, left the island with pain in my heart really, but also with excitement, since the next stop would be Australia! And well, here I am.. In Melbourne. Oh how I am enjoying Melbourne. Absolutely love the coffee, that's for sure! Haven't had coffee this excellent in a longg time. I've met some amazing people too.. Yeah, I'm quite happy.
I've also uploaded a selection of my photos in Bali, so if you're interested.. Check my Picasa webalbum!
Lots of Love from Melbourne,
Florencia
I've also uploaded a selection of my photos in Bali, so if you're interested.. Check my Picasa webalbum!
Lots of Love from Melbourne,
Florencia
Monday, February 13, 2012
Sunday, February 5, 2012
No worries: alive and well!
Indonesia is nothing but remarkable and extraordinary. Oh how I love the food, how I enjoy the beautiful nature and how I admire the ever hardworking people on the streets. It's amazing how once we get stuck in traffic - either on the highway or in town - or when we're standing still at the traffic lights people always seem to suddenly show up selling food, drinks, newspapers or whatever.. Trying to wash your car, children trying to wash the many motorcycles, young people playing the guitar (or other instruments), blind or sick people begging for money, etc. Every now and then you get to see insane people walking the streets, sometimes entirely naked (looking like bushmen). Truly remarkable, there always seems to be something going on in this country.
Anyhow... Once again a quick update! I've been through a lot and I've seen so many things. I won't be able to post everything on this blog, hope you all will be able to understand, haha.
The 23rd of January I've celebrated ''Tahun Baru Imlek'' (Chinese new year or ''sincia'') for the first time. My grandmother's tradition is being continued by the newer generations. We didn't celebrate it entirely the same like she used to, but I enjoyed it a lot afterall. Malls and other larger buildings were decorated with dragons and Chinese lanterns, on the streets there were banners shouting ''Gong xi fa cai!'', Chinese Indonesians were dressed in red (so were we), visiting familymembers to tell them ''kiong hi'' and receiving lots of ''angpao'' (they say that giving the younger generations money brings them good luck). And just to give this all a subtle Dutch twist my mother made ''oliebollen'' haha. I had to miss them on New Year's Eve. Made the day perfect.
When we were driving towards Bogor a couple of weeks ago we passed Cibodas' Kebun Raya and took a quick look around: wonderful area, lots of trees and lots of nature. We also drove through the Puncak Pass. Puncak.. Beautiful with its huge tea plantations, mysteriously covered with thick fog, now and then made visible by the strong blowing wind. It's so refreshingly cool there, wonderful. And in the night I was blown away by the oh so many lights on the giant hills, looking like stars, brightly shining.
It is truly an amazing experience to be here in Indonesia. I get to see in which area my father was brought up (an artistic village described as Indonesia's center of pottery and ceramic manufacturers; maybe that's where he got his creativity from), where my mother used to live and work; I get to hear stories about them I've never heard before and for a moment I join them in my mind, travelling back in time.
Last week I've once again soaked myself in another hotspring. This time we went to Ciater. And oh goodness me.. So extremely delightful and CLEAN! So much better than the last time. Total relaxation... I felt reborn, haha.
We didn't go to Ujung Genteng anymore, since there seem to be a lot of drugsdealers and other criminal activities going on there at the moment, so it's quite dangerous, which is why we went to Pangandaran instead to enjoy the beach. It was so quiet, since it's not ''liburan'': children aren't free from school, so we practically were the only ones (apart from the fishermen and the locals). Got ourselves a very nice bungalow with two bedrooms with airconditioning, two bathrooms with hot and cold water, a living room with tv and a kitchen, a nice looking garden and chickens walking around. Large enough for five people; cost us about 25 euros a night. Sweet!
Pangandaran was hit hard by a tsunami in 2006. You can still see the scars of the incident, buildings ruined by the incredible strength of the waves, some houses miraculously enough remained untouched. We got to hear an old man's story and how his family ''alhamdulillah'' got spared.
We visited Batu Hiu: a beach with beautiful rocks and palmtrees and somewhere in the middle of the sea a rock that is shaped as a shark (''batu hiu'' means shark's rock). And when the day came to an end, I enjoyed the warm waves while looking at the beautiful evening twilight.
The next morning I woke up early, because I wanted to see the morning break with my own eyes. So I got up at five, showered, climbed over the fence (since the bungalow complex was still closed) and walked towards the beach. My oh my.. What did I see there? Going to the beach in the early morning pays off for sure, haha. I saw deer! On the beach! Where did they come from? Unfortunately I wasn't able to snap them with my camera, since the fishermen chased them away, probably afraid that they would damage their boats. But I took mental pictures. Oh man.. How beautiful it was to see them elegantly rush away along the shore. I walked around and continued enjoying the sound of the waves and the breaking of the early morning before returning to the bungalow.
These days in Indonesia have all been about relaxing, not having to worry about looking for a place to lay my head down or where to get some food. My days here have been about enjoying the lovely warmth of my welcoming family, getting to know more about my parents' histories and getting to learn more about this beautiful country and the habits of the people. I've gained so much experience and I'm oh so thankful. Next stop will be Bali!
You are still on my mind,
Florencia
Anyhow... Once again a quick update! I've been through a lot and I've seen so many things. I won't be able to post everything on this blog, hope you all will be able to understand, haha.
The 23rd of January I've celebrated ''Tahun Baru Imlek'' (Chinese new year or ''sincia'') for the first time. My grandmother's tradition is being continued by the newer generations. We didn't celebrate it entirely the same like she used to, but I enjoyed it a lot afterall. Malls and other larger buildings were decorated with dragons and Chinese lanterns, on the streets there were banners shouting ''Gong xi fa cai!'', Chinese Indonesians were dressed in red (so were we), visiting familymembers to tell them ''kiong hi'' and receiving lots of ''angpao'' (they say that giving the younger generations money brings them good luck). And just to give this all a subtle Dutch twist my mother made ''oliebollen'' haha. I had to miss them on New Year's Eve. Made the day perfect.
When we were driving towards Bogor a couple of weeks ago we passed Cibodas' Kebun Raya and took a quick look around: wonderful area, lots of trees and lots of nature. We also drove through the Puncak Pass. Puncak.. Beautiful with its huge tea plantations, mysteriously covered with thick fog, now and then made visible by the strong blowing wind. It's so refreshingly cool there, wonderful. And in the night I was blown away by the oh so many lights on the giant hills, looking like stars, brightly shining.
It is truly an amazing experience to be here in Indonesia. I get to see in which area my father was brought up (an artistic village described as Indonesia's center of pottery and ceramic manufacturers; maybe that's where he got his creativity from), where my mother used to live and work; I get to hear stories about them I've never heard before and for a moment I join them in my mind, travelling back in time.
Last week I've once again soaked myself in another hotspring. This time we went to Ciater. And oh goodness me.. So extremely delightful and CLEAN! So much better than the last time. Total relaxation... I felt reborn, haha.
We didn't go to Ujung Genteng anymore, since there seem to be a lot of drugsdealers and other criminal activities going on there at the moment, so it's quite dangerous, which is why we went to Pangandaran instead to enjoy the beach. It was so quiet, since it's not ''liburan'': children aren't free from school, so we practically were the only ones (apart from the fishermen and the locals). Got ourselves a very nice bungalow with two bedrooms with airconditioning, two bathrooms with hot and cold water, a living room with tv and a kitchen, a nice looking garden and chickens walking around. Large enough for five people; cost us about 25 euros a night. Sweet!
Pangandaran was hit hard by a tsunami in 2006. You can still see the scars of the incident, buildings ruined by the incredible strength of the waves, some houses miraculously enough remained untouched. We got to hear an old man's story and how his family ''alhamdulillah'' got spared.
We visited Batu Hiu: a beach with beautiful rocks and palmtrees and somewhere in the middle of the sea a rock that is shaped as a shark (''batu hiu'' means shark's rock). And when the day came to an end, I enjoyed the warm waves while looking at the beautiful evening twilight.
The next morning I woke up early, because I wanted to see the morning break with my own eyes. So I got up at five, showered, climbed over the fence (since the bungalow complex was still closed) and walked towards the beach. My oh my.. What did I see there? Going to the beach in the early morning pays off for sure, haha. I saw deer! On the beach! Where did they come from? Unfortunately I wasn't able to snap them with my camera, since the fishermen chased them away, probably afraid that they would damage their boats. But I took mental pictures. Oh man.. How beautiful it was to see them elegantly rush away along the shore. I walked around and continued enjoying the sound of the waves and the breaking of the early morning before returning to the bungalow.
These days in Indonesia have all been about relaxing, not having to worry about looking for a place to lay my head down or where to get some food. My days here have been about enjoying the lovely warmth of my welcoming family, getting to know more about my parents' histories and getting to learn more about this beautiful country and the habits of the people. I've gained so much experience and I'm oh so thankful. Next stop will be Bali!
You are still on my mind,
Florencia
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