TravelStream™ news feed for member stephieloulou on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/stephieloulou en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Sun, 06 Apr 2008 05:47:03 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/stephieloulou/world_tour_2007/1207470000/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/stephieloulou/world_tour_2007/1207470000/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/stephieloulou/world_tour_2007/1207470000/tpod.html Sun, 06 Apr 2008 05:47:03 -0400 Steph and Carlien take on the world....well some of it at least!!

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Cape Town, South Africa

So........... This is is, the last blog of the trip...........!! :(

Here goes.........

Last time I wrote I was in Jeffreys Bay, just about to move on to Knysna. Well, when we got there the weather was MUCH better and we got to have a few days on the beach and just chilling out. We also got to spend some time with Sarah and Rachel who we met in Jo'burg so that was really nice too! :) We had a nice Easter Sunday at the beach, and then on Monday we were picked up by the Pelser family (who we stayed with in Pretoria). It was SO nice to see them all again and we had a fun day in Plettenburg Bay and at Monkey-Land!!

We then drove to Carlien's house, which is between George and Mossel Bay and situated right on the beach. All I can say is, OH MY GOSH! The house was so lovely, I had my own room with a sea view, and at times I could see dolphins frolicking from my bed! It was brilliant! It was so nice to be with the Pelsers again as well, they're all so nice, and even Stitch (their dog) was there!! It was a great week! So great in fact, that although we had planned to go to Stellenbosch for a wine-tasting tour and Hermanus to do shark diving, in the end we were having such a good time we just stayed at the house and then got the bus direct to Cape Town!

While we were staying at the house, I got to try the famous Spurs (Max was right, best onion rings IN THE WORLD), ride in a helicopter (which was so much more fun than I expected, I really felt like James Bond, although it made me miss Tony LOTS!) and best of all, go shark diving in Mossel Bay. The first time we went (myself, Carlien and Chene) we saw a great white but didn't have time to get in the cage before it had disappeared, and I felt AWFUL from being so long at sea. The next day I went again by myself, and..............WOW!!

We saw three great whites, and I got to spend about 45 minutes in the water. Now, I will say this once, and I promise I am NOT exageratting (and despite this happening on April 1st, it is NOT an April Fools Joke!!)............one of the sharks (approx 4 metres in length!) completely freaked out and attacked the cage!! I was literally face to face with a great white, jaws wide open, teeth bared!! It was literally inches away from me!! Even the captain of the boat couldn't believe it! After ramming the cage a few times and shaking us all about a bit, he swam away. All five of us came up for air, and every single one of us - including the three fully grown men in the cage - started screaming!! Absolutely brilliant!! It was one of the highlights of the whole trip!! Sharks ROCK :)

Anyway...........!! After being at the house a while we said a final goodbye to the Pelsers (SOB) and headed to Cape Town. Since being here, we have been to Stellenbosch for the wine-tasting tour (beautiful views and an all-round good day.......although I'm sure the wine helped!!) and also visited the Cape Peninsular where I saw possibly the nicest view EVER. We have also seen the pretty impressive sight of Table Mountain. We had planned to get a cable car up it today but probably can't now because the weather's not great. We'll see if it clears up before our flight later today!! Yes, TODAY!! Argh!!!!

So, as you can see, this is the last day of the trip! Well, what can I say? It's been fantastic, I've seen and done so many amazing things, and experienced things I never imagined. One of my best friends sent me a message recently saying, "I hope you haven't gone and found yourslef while you've been away and come back a completely different person?!" And I got to wondering if I have changed?? And I don't think I have really......although I think I may have learnt a few things along the way.........

I've come to realise that nothing is set in stone, and the world is full of opportunities, if only we are brave enough to take them! We don't have to do the things that other people expect us to do!! We're here for a good time, not a long time - make the most of it!! I've realised that facing your fears is a good thing - even if you don't enjoy the experience, boy do you feel proud afterwards!!

I've realised that although there are bad people in the world, and sometimes things go wrong, for every bad egg, there are tons more good people who are willing to help you, even if they get nothing out of it. I've realised that when things DO get tough, "he who smiles rather than rages is always the stronger." Nothing is ever as bad as it first appears, and we are responsible for our own happiness, so if you want something, MAKE IT HAPPEN!

I've realised more than ever before that people all over the world are the same, no matter where they are from or what their circumstances are. At the same time, I have realised that I am very lucky to live where I do, to have freedom of speech and to have a world of opportunities before me in a way that so many other people just like me around the world don't have. I 'm very lucky to have had these opportunities, not just on this trip, but my whole life. I'm lucky to have friends who will call me up just because on my last email I didn't sound as happy as they think I should be, and even friends who will fly out to see me because they don't want me to be by myself :)

But most of all, the thing that makes me the luckiest girl in the world, is the fact that when I go home, I'll have people waiting for me at the airport, and I know that those people would do anything for me, and can't wait to see me as much as I can't wait to see them. And that even though I know some of these people didn't want me to leave and go on this trip, they stood behind me every step of the way, and supported me more than I ever thought possible. It is because of these people that I am who I am, and every good thing I have ever done is because of them. Every time I was scared or sad or worried or angry, I thought of them..............and everything was better. These people are the reason I live such a happy existence......the only tears I cried this whole trip were at Heathrow Airport, when I left them, although I'm sure there will be more tomorrow at Heathrow Airport when I see them again.

So.........have I changed?! I don't think so, not really. I've just seen and done a bit more than I had before. And I'm glad I have :) I will never forget this trip for as long as I live, some of the things I've been able to do really were dreams come true for me. And when I get on the plane in a few hours, I'll be pleased in the knowledge that I did everything and tried everything that I wanted to. But most of all, I'll just be really excited about seeing my family and friends! And even those who won't be at the airport, (that's you, big sis!!) I don't mind, I'll just be at Heathrow waiting for YOU when you come home. I'm counting down the days :)

So, as they say, all good things moust come to an end. That's a wrap guys!! Till next time....................!! ;)
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]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/stephieloulou/world_tour_2007/1177419600/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/stephieloulou/world_tour_2007/1177419600/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/stephieloulou/world_tour_2007/1177419600/tpod.html Sun, 06 Apr 2008 04:15:23 -0400 Steph and Carlien take on the world....well some of it at least!!

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London, United Kingdom

So.............

Here we go, here we go, here we go.......................!!!

xxx
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/stephieloulou/world_tour_2007/1206102900/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/stephieloulou/world_tour_2007/1206102900/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/stephieloulou/world_tour_2007/1206102900/tpod.html Fri, 21 Mar 2008 08:59:34 -0400 Steph and Carlien take on the world....well some of it at least!!

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Jeffreys Bay, South Africa

Hey everyone!!

Well, this is probably my penultimate entry and sadly it's gonna have to be a very short one as I don't have too much time.

I am now chilling out in Jeffreys Bay on the garden route in South Africa and sadly for us the weather is not too great here so there's no surfing at the moment! :( We will be heading to Knysner tomorrow for Easter and apparently it's much better there - yay!

So, since weve been in SA, we've done SO much!! Highlights for me have been going to a game farm (zebras and giraffes galore!), going on safari (where we actually thought we were going to get squashed by some charging rhinos!!), visiting Sun City, going diving in Sodwana (with Carlien's very cool family!!), seeing the dolphin show at Ushaka Aquarium, watching Zulu dancers perform, visiting the Appartheid Museum and a township in Jo'burg, seeing the spiritual healers selling animal parts at a Durban market (including monkey hands, hooves, a rotting vulture carscass and a warthog's head), going for dinner at Moyos (a true Africa experience!), enjoying several braais (bbqs) and experiencing a Steers Burger (hmmmm......)!! And these are just a FEW of the things weve done! One thing I'm sure not keen on though is the biltong - and the South Africans LOVE IT!! Dried meat in a bag........that's just weird.

The best thing about SA though (other than the weather) is meeting all of Carlien's friends and family who have all been so so nice to us and made me especially feel really welcome. I've had so much fun with all of them and have been really sad to say goodbye to everyone!

Anyway, I'm just about out of time so I've gotta dash! Only three weeks or so till I'm home now and I really can't wait to see everyone! Hope things are all good there! And also a quick message for Bonnie - Happy 25th Birthday!! Sorry I didn't get to speak to you on the day, I'll see you on the 12th for a proper catch-up!! :D

Lots of love xxx
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/stephieloulou/world_tour_2007/1204206420/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/stephieloulou/world_tour_2007/1204206420/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/stephieloulou/world_tour_2007/1204206420/tpod.html Thu, 28 Feb 2008 09:02:41 -0500 Steph and Carlien take on the world....well some of it at least!!

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Pretoria, South Africa

Hey everyone!!

So, when I last wrote I was on my way to Rotorua, NZ. We had a good time there, Amy finally managed to get her very cool Maori tattoo, and me, Carlien and Tony went black-water rafting in the Waitomo caves. It was lots of fun but not exactly what we were expecting!! The glow-worms were pretty amazing though!

After Rotorua we headed north to Auckland, but just for the night before travelling further up to Paihia and the Bay of Islands. Unfortunately for us a cyclone hit and so we were stuck inside for a few days trying to escape the pouring rain!! Its a shame because it's supposed to be one of the highlights of museum, and would have been especially good for me because they have lots of dolphinsand whales there. We managed to escape pretty quickly and headed back to Auckland, where the weather was marginally better.

We decided to go on a free city tour with the bus company "Stray" to see the sights - and boy were we glad we did! The sun decided to put in an appearance so we managed to see lots of the city and even chill on the beach for a bit! The best thing was though, at the beginning of the day, myself and Carlien managed to win a free sky-jump from the top of the sky-tower in Auckland!! It usually costs $200! The tower itself is 630 feet (which I think is just under 200m) and the tallest building in the Southern Hemisphere!! We couldnt believe our luck, it was so much fun (if slightly terrifying when we actually ahd to jump off!!) I'm still not convinced I want to do a bungee though......

Anyway, in Auckland we said our final goodbye to Tony who flew to SA before going back home to California. It was a sad sad day for everyone :( The next day, us three girls all set off too - Amy went to get her mammoth flight back to the UK (sob!) and Carlien and I headed to get the plane to SA.

The flight was LONG!! Altogether from door to door it took about 26 hours, and we also have to deal with a pretty major time difference! Right at this moment I'm fighting the urge to go to bed (it's 4pm!) Eventually we arrived in Jo'burg where Carliens aunt Susan was waiting to pick us up to take us to Pretoria, the capital. We then visited her grandad who took us out for pancakes (yum!) and then headed off to her family friends, where we are staying for a while. the moment we got here we got into bed and were unconscious within seconds!!

Today we've chilled out and been to the mall. In a sec I'm going to join Carlien by the pool in the back garden ;) Tomorrow we are going to a farm where they keep lots of game animals so I'm quite excited! While we are here we'll hopefully be doing a safari, lots of diving (including cage diving with great white sharks) and maybe the infamous bungy..........hmmmmm.........!! So all in all it's pretty exciting. It's quite odd to think this is the last country we're visiting though - the next time I get off a plane I'll be at Heathrow! I cant wait to see evryone, especially Ryan who celebrated his first birthday a few days ago - I so wish I could have been there! Missing everyone lots as always but having fantastic time! Hope everything is good with everyone :)

Lots of love, hugs and kisses xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxx
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/stephieloulou/world_tour_2007/1203299760/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/stephieloulou/world_tour_2007/1203299760/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/stephieloulou/world_tour_2007/1203299760/tpod.html Sun, 17 Feb 2008 21:14:05 -0500 Steph and Carlien take on the world....well some of it at least!!

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Taupo, New Zealand

Hi again!!

Well I'm going to try and keep this short (what are the chances?!) I last left you in Nelson, so what have we done since then?? Hmmmm.........

In Nelson we went on a walk to the centre of NZ which was pretty cool, and the views were great. Me and Amy visited Kaiteriteri beach (near Abel Tasman national park, where Carlien and Tony were kayaking) and had a fun-filled day there!

The next day we boarded our bus and continued our journey round the south island, stopping at various points along the way, including Westport and Hokitika where we went to a very amusing fancy dress party. The less said the better...........

After a few days travelling we reached Franz Josef, which is a huge, moving ice-glacier. It was so odd!! The views were amazing, we stayed here for a few days and actually went walking on the glacier (check out the pictures on facebook).

So, we got back on the bus at Franz Josef, and after a few more stops on the way, we eventually arrived in Queenstown (the adrenalin capital of the south island). We were here for quite a few days and had lots of fun hanging round, chilling out, playing crazy golf and dancing the night away! A highlight was definitely doing the canyon swing (a bit like a bungy) although I was TERRIFIED! We also visited Milford Sounds which was beautiful.

Since then, we've been heading back up the south island again, through Christchurch and Kaikoura (where I swam with wild seals which was fantastic!!) and then up to Wellington in the north. We stayed for a few days and although the weather wasn't great it was brilliant because we were staying at Amy's dads house which was really nice. Even though we somehow managed to make the DVD player explode..........oopsy.............!!

We are now in Taupo, and yesterday me and Carlien did a sky-dive. It was AMAZING!! Weirdest sensation ever but so much fun. I loved it and would love to do more if it wasnt so crazily expensive!! We're leaving tmro morning to go to Rotorua where we'll be doing some black-water rafting (oooooh) and relaxing in the natural hot-springs! And then on to Auckland!!

I can't believe our time in NZ is nearly up and Amy is leaving us in just 9 days. This country is just so beautiful, I love it and don't want to leave!! That said, I'm now really really looking forward to getting to South Africa.

Anyway, I said I would keep this short so on that note I'm gonna go. Missing everyone loads but having an amazing time (and getting to do all the things I'd only ever dremed of). Hope everything is good back home, can't wait to see you all!

Lots of love, hugs, and kisses, from Steph xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/stephieloulou/world_tour_2007/1201832160/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/stephieloulou/world_tour_2007/1201832160/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/stephieloulou/world_tour_2007/1201832160/tpod.html Thu, 31 Jan 2008 21:45:22 -0500 Steph and Carlien take on the world....well some of it at least!!

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Nelson, New Zealand

Hey y'all!!

Well, I can't actually believe how long it is since I updated my blog so I'm gonna keep this one short and let you know where we went and what we did..........VERY briefly!!

Fraser Island was most certainly a highlight of Australia, definitely my favourite thing there! We had a great group, perfect weather and the whole experience was just brilliant! Even the dingoes..........!! Afterwards we randomly bumped into Mike and Chris from home which was really cool and a good chance to catch up on all the travelling stories.

After Fraser we headed to Brisbane where we got to see both Jeihan and Jordan from our China tour which was really great!! :) Brisbane was pretty cool too, lots of fun, especially Steve Irwin's "Australia Zoo" where we got to feed kangaroos and stroke koalas (check out the pictures on facebook!)

So after Brizzy I headed down to Surfers Paradise and Carlien and Tony went on to Byron Bay. I loved Surfers, it really reminded me of Florida and it was great to finally check out the gold coast! AMAZING beaches, and huge waves!! I felt like this was the Australia I'd always dreamed of. Think I did a bit too much shopping though, oopsy!!

I continued on a few days later to Byron Bay where I met the others, and had a nice relaxing week just chilling on the beach! I also got to meet up with some friends I'd met in Thailand, Naomi and Barry, for a few nights out at the legendary Cheeky Monkey's club which was extra nice :) On our last day here we went for a dive and saw a massive leopard shark as well as a turtle and LOADS of stingrays - brilliant!!

From Byron we headed down the coast to Surfcamp where we all had a surfing lesson. I predictably was absolutely rubbuish, but it was heaps of fun and now I really want to learn to surf for real! Afterwards there was a huge beach party which was very cool too! We got up early the next day, jumped back on the bus and headed to Sydney.........

I really liked Sydney even though the weather wasn't brilliant. We got to see all the sights like the Opera House and Bondi Beach, and we had a few good nights out too! The highlight for me was getting up at the crack of dawn to do the Sydney Harbour Bridge Climb - wow! The views were fantastic! So I have to say a very big thank you to my wonderful sisters Laura and Lisa for that treat :) You guys are the best!

The other extra brilliant thing about Sydney was that it was where our friend Amy was flying in to meet us! YAY!! It's so good to see her, and she's still with us now in NZ.

After Sydney we jumped back on the Oz Experience bus and headed to Melbourne via Canberra, the Snowy Mountains in Jindabyne and Lake's Entrance. It took a full three days to get here but the guys on our bus were great and the whole ride was pretty enjoyable!!

We finally arrived in Melbourne and partied away to celebrate Australia Day before seeing some more sights the next day with some friends we'd met in Russia, Adrian and Lyndee. It was great to see them as they were some of the first people we met when we left home :)

Finally myself and Carlien said a sad goodbye to Australia and boarded our flight to Christchurch, NZ. The journey itself was ok, but when we arrived in NZ, we had to sleep at the airport for reasons beyond our control!! The funniset thing was, Mike and Chris were actually doing the same thing just by coincidence - small world!! I think they think Im stalking them now..........!!

The next day we checked in to our hostel and went to explore the city, and met up with Amy and Tony again, who were both on different flights. After a few days chilling out, we got on the Kiwi Experience bus for the first time and headed to Kaikoura.

Well.......this place is AMAZING! The afternoon we arrived we went whale-watching, which is something I have always always wanted to do. We saw two huge sperm whales which was just out of this world! Then the next day I got up at 4.30am and went out on another boat trip to swim with dolphins in the wild. I have never in my life experienced anything like it, there were approx. 300 dolphins in the area and they swam all around us, really really close (again, check out facebook for the photos!). It was a dream come true for me, completely brilliant! I felt really really happy, I just wish Lisa and Laura could have been there to do it with me, because I know they would have loved it too.

Anyway, from there we headed to Nelson, which is where I am now. It's nice here, really laid-back and the scenery is just beautiful. So far I am absolutley loving New Zealand, I can see why people rave about it! And this is just the beginning! I'm so looking forward to all our future adventures!!

So now I better depart! Sorry this update is a bit rubbish. Hope everyone at home is good, I miss and love you all loads. Cant wait to see you.

Love, hugs and kisses, from Steph xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/stephieloulou/world_tour_2007/1199442180/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/stephieloulou/world_tour_2007/1199442180/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/stephieloulou/world_tour_2007/1199442180/tpod.html Fri, 04 Jan 2008 05:24:47 -0500 Steph and Carlien take on the world....well some of it at least!!

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Hervey Bay, Australia

Fraser Island has reopened!! Hooray!! We will be off tmro at 6am to explore the island! Yay!! Speak to you when we get back!! :) :) :) xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/stephieloulou/world_tour_2007/1199405340/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/stephieloulou/world_tour_2007/1199405340/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/stephieloulou/world_tour_2007/1199405340/tpod.html Thu, 03 Jan 2008 19:27:51 -0500 Steph and Carlien take on the world....well some of it at least!!

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Hervey Bay, Australia

Hey y'all!

Time for another quick update. So.......Hope you all had a fantastic new year! Mine was brilliant!! We boarded our boat, the Freight Train, and got sailing! The weather was perfect which was a huge bonus (even the crew were surprised because it had been so bad!!) We got to do loads of snorkelling trips in our sexy stinger-suits (the jellyfish here can kill you in under 3 minutes - argh!!) so we were all covered up and even wore hoods; man, we looked cool......!! We saw some turtles which was fun and I also had the pleasure -and SUPRISE - of seeing a shark swimming about 2 metres underneath me. I was really excited, looked up to tell Carlien and Tony (or anyone who was nearby for that matter!!) then completely freaked out when I realised I'd swam really far out and was away from everyone else! It was brilliant though! :) Me and Carlien later also spotted a giant napolean maori wrasse, and honestly it was HUGE!! That was quite a nice little spot to add to our list of underwater friends :)

A bit later on the boat I spotted some dolphins too which absolutely made my day!! All-in-all it was a brilliant New Years. That night we stopped off at South Molle Island for a party, and I got to call home which was nice (I was NOT drunk thank you very much!!) and then got back on the boat. We spent the majority of the time chilling out on deck and singing along to our captain playing the guitar. It was just perfect :)

After our sailing trip we headed to Kroombit Cattle Station which was one of the funnest places I've been in Australia. I can now crack a whip (and I have the bruises on my arm to prove it!!) ride a mechanical bull (well I can't, but I tried......!!) and best of all, lassoo a goat in just 45 seconds!! Get in!! It was so much fun! I also felt what its like to be poked with a cattle prod which was..........ummm...........interesting!! I had such fun at Kroombit, I was quite sad to leave! We're now at Hervey Bay where we have been informed that we will not be able to go to Fraser Island as it's been evacuated because of a second cyclone warning. Anyone who has been to Oz and done Fraser Island will realise what a tragedy this is!! :( It can't be helped though, such is life. We will probably be moving to Rainbow Beach tomorrow and then continuing down south to Brisbane, so I'm very excited about that!

Anyway, that's pretty much all the goss guys! Hope everyone is good there, a massive Happy Birthday to Kev and Lisa!! Hope you guys have a great day!! Can't wait to see you both when I'm back!

Loads of love and hugs xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/stephieloulou/world_tour_2007/1198815480/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/stephieloulou/world_tour_2007/1198815480/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/stephieloulou/world_tour_2007/1198815480/tpod.html Thu, 27 Dec 2007 23:46:13 -0500 Steph and Carlien take on the world....well some of it at least!!

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Magnetic Island, Queensland, Australia

Hey people!!

Well, after our Ozzie-style Christmas in Cairns, we are now living it up on Magnetic Island.....or rather we WOULD BE living it up - if it would just stop raining!!! The sea is really rough so we can't dive, and the weather is generally pants (although it is quite nice to have a little break from the heat)! Not too much to say about it here really unless you want a description of the inside of our cabin?? I think not! I'm not sure why I seem to be following these crazy weather patterns though, first a typhoon, then a heatwave, now a cyclone.....what's it all about?!?!

So what to tell you........on Christmas day we all swapped presents which was lovely, and went to see "Enchanted" at the cinema - Robert is McDreamy!! ;) Then we went and had our BBQ on the beach which was lots and lots of fun. We also tried crocodile and kangaroo jerky which I personally thought was DISGUSTING! Dried meat in a bag is just wrong on so many levels. Carlien and Tony really liked it though. Weirdos......

I also got to speak to all my family for ages (thank you Yorkie!!) which was brilliant! And I got to have a nice chat with some friends from home - Chris, Bon and Lee, you rock - that was the best way to wake up Christmas morning! Thanks guys :)

Also I want to say another quick thank you to Carlien and Tony - I'm glad I was with you for Christmas, you made it really special. And thanks for all the pressies (especially the BBQ beans - BRILLIANT!!) Tony, your message was lovely :) I'll stick with it, promise!

Finally just wanted to say get well soon to all the Worrells and Sharps, especially Michael (because you sound like you've got it worst you big wuss!!) Sorry you were all ill at Christmas, hope you still managed to enjoy the festivities. Wish I could have been there, can't wait to see you soon. Post the new pictures of Ryan soon please!! Thanks!! Love you :)

Anyway, hope you all had a great Christmas and have a fantastic New Year! All the best for 2008 everyone! I'll be spending New Years on a boat sailing the Whitsundays trying not to be sick :-/ (and I probably won't have reception on my phone either).

Hope you all have a great time partying the night away!!

Loads and loads of love and hugs and best wishes for 2008!!

Steph xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/stephieloulou/world_tour_2007/1198284840/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/stephieloulou/world_tour_2007/1198284840/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/stephieloulou/world_tour_2007/1198284840/tpod.html Fri, 21 Dec 2007 20:26:55 -0500 Steph and Carlien take on the world....well some of it at least!!

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Cairns, Australia

Hey everyone!

Well, we finally made it to Australia, yay! Me and Carlien arrived from Bali in the middle of the night about a week ago and landed in Darwin in the sweltering heat. It was about 35 degrees on average, and we spent the first few days wondering around Litchfield and Kakadu National Parks. It was great fun, although the heat (combined with 90% humidity) was just ridiculous!! Nice weather for lying by the pool, but not so fun for trekking!!

We really enjoyed it though, we swam in a few waterfalls, saw some really pretty scenery, and even spotted our first Kangaroo (along with some other weird and wonderful animals)!! The most interesting (and scary) was probably the frill-necked lizard which our guide caught and then released while we stood around it in a circle (so as to trap it!!!). But it was a very angry lizard, and our guide said it can bite off a mans finger - ouch!!!! We also went on a river-boat trip and saw some crocodiles which was lots of fun!

Yesterday we woke up nice and early and headed to the airport. From there we flew to Cairns which is still very hot, but cooler than Darwin (thank goodness!!) where we met Tony again! YAY!! He'll be with us for Christmas which I am absolutely over the moon about, and he is now saying he might stay with us while we travel down the east coast of Australia. Hooray!!!! :)

I'm looking forward to Christmas but it's hard to get in the Christmas spirit when its so hot.........and also Santa won't know that Im in Australia so he's sure to deliver all my presents to Croydon (obvioulsly I'll be getting loads because Ive been so good this year). So thats a bit of a bummer. But the hardest thing will be being away from everyone at home. Im really missing my family at the moment (which always happens when I'm feeling ill!!!), and its horrible to be missing Ryans first Christmas. But Im trying to look on the bright side, it will be such a different experience to see how the Ozzies do Christmas!! Im looking forward to the BBQs on the beach, and pulling crackers with my travelling family, Carlien and Tony!! I'm also really happy to be in Oz becuase it's here that we'll hopefully be seeing loads of our friends from China, and even a few from home. And soon Amy will be coming out to meet us, and she'll be travelling with us for about six weeks so that will be ace!!

Hmmm, what other news to share?? It should be a bit more chilled out for a while now which will be nice after being stupidly busy in Indonesia and Darwin. Unfortunately we probably wont be able to do our Great Barrier Reef dives drom here as planned because me and Carlien both have ridiculously blocked ears and noses! NOT fun, but we're ok! We should be able to do it at a later date though, so cant wait for that! We both seem to be getting a bit ill at the moment and I think it may be because our bodies are actually getting used to western food again - how crazy is that?! Carlien laughed at me because the first night we were here I ordered noodles for dinner, and since then Ive actually been craving rice!!

The only other thing worth mentioning is that my phone has yet to pick up three mobile over here, so to everyone I said I would call, I havent forgotten, I'm just having a little difficulty!! I'm on it, dont worry!! I've been a bit rubbish with emails and messages recently because we've been so busy so sorry about that. I'll try and be better in future!!

A few messages before I disappear:

A HUGE Happy Birthday to some of my best friends in the world: Clem, Max, Hima, and Hayley. Hope you all had/have brilliant birthdays! Wish I could have been there for all of them, I miss you all loads and can't wait to see you when I get back.
Bid Ted and Ted - "We're a thousand miles apart but you know I love you" ;) Miss you more than ever. Give the little man a kiss for me.

And that's a wrap!

Hope everyone is good there, keep me up to date with all the Christmas gossip from back home! Hope you all have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! I'll be thinking of you all!

Love, hugs and kisses, from Steph xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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