AlexBlog

Alex Pictures

Hi, Nick here (alex's friend & blog Ed.) . I just received a sackload of pictures to put up (yay) so here is the url

http://www.cight.com/alexblog/gallery/

enjoy...

Ps some may not be right, and they need sorting chronologically, but that's cos I am in a hurry putting them up, sorry will fix when I have time, only I promised to get them up this weekend, and I'm supposed to be elsewhere just now.

Melbourne

The bus journey was hell. The bus drivers were really grumpy and on a couple of the stops wouldn't let anyone off just to stretch their legs. I manage to get off at 3am for the first stop and breakfast. Although not hungry and half awake I did the automatic thing of getting up, getting off the bus and ordering a fry up. I don't know why maybe I was dreaming of it.

We got to melbourne on time about 8ish if I remeber. I was to meet tink. Tink is a friend of mum's who came over and stayed when I was 12. Now a friend of mine. We had a laugh then and a laugh now. No tink you and robert (her husband from UK) are far from dull! It was a bit strange as I haven't seen tink since 12 years old and I had no idea what she looked like. The same for her! Funny enough she hadn't changed a bit and she thought I looked just like mum.

I dropped my bags in her car as she went off for work and of course after a coffee and went exploring melbourne. First I headed right down to the station which is a beautiful art deco station. Next I walked to the war memorial which is over the bridge. I went via the southbank which is just like ours and the botanical gardens and Alexandra Park. Had to go there. Oh after some raison toast and coffee to start the dayagain!

On the way I stopped at the art gallery of new south wales which was showing an exhibition of the impressionists but because of the que and the time I decided not to go there yet.

After that I walked back through Elizabeth street to the coffee shop where I agreed to meet Tink. We walked to another coffee shop and got the biggest sandwhich ever. We walked to a near by park and caught up on a lot of things. Family stuff so I won't include it here. Got to say it was bloody freezing.

After that I went to the Melbourne Goal where ned kelly was imprissoned and hanged. Bought a melbourne goal beer cooler. Had to be done. This was all around the univeristy campus. By that time, after walking the streets some more and fading fast I went back to find tinks work and couldn't remeber where. Eventually after meeting at the same coffee shop she drove us back to her home in brighton.

Their house is wonderful. It's a 1930's art deco place all one level but with loads of character and what us londerners would class as a huge back yard. They have done up the kitchen and it looks reaaly smart. They have 2 beautiful cats, Zig (grey, who was a bit poorely when I arrived) and Albert (brown). They are young cats and are spoilt to death. They are treated like their kids and are absolutely adorable especially the way tink and robert make a fuss of them and tink deny's liking them. Yeah right!

Robert has a lovely old MG which is ihs pride and joy and I must say I don't blame him it's lovely and in very good condition, especially as he uses it every day for work. I met Robert for the first time I think and He's alovely guy who obviouslly doats on Tink and also likes playing pranks on her. Liek stealing her trolley in a supermarket when she didn't know he was even in the supermarket and she was at the end of a shop.

It's also great hearing more Ozy slang like "route", but the best was the conversation with tink on leaving the car park on who is a beaper and who isn't. If you beap on exiting a car park more than likely your a neard, so she and some of her friends at work (non beapers) guess who is a beaper and who isn't. It was the besarest but most hilarious conversation.

That night before tink cooked dinner she had to make a cake for work. It's for what they call a beak off for charity. If you loose you get a wooden spoon if you win a bottle of wine. They pay 3 dollars and buy all the food and everyone at work eats it. There were I think about 6 in this competition.

Tink was making a lemon (what I would call a swiss roll but I forget the official name) cake. She was actually making 2 but because she was busy talking to robert and myself she put 2 lemons in instead of two table spoons I think. Oops. Then when stiring teh mixture it went everywhere and she said that's it there's no way I am winning the bake off. Robert and I found it hilarious as tink is a great cook and it was us distracting her. Well she made two, saved us the end slices and also cooked a fab dinner then went to bed after a couple of glasses of wine. We were all tired I think as she has to get up at 5am for work and robert not much later.

Next morning after taking great advantage of a hot shower, my own room and bathroom I finally got up. By the time I had done the post office things it was quite late anyway. I took the train in and went to Victoria Market. The train was a great experience and the centre part is like our circle line but with only 4 stops. I couldn't reallky get lost with Tinks instructions but she forgot to tell me to initialise my ticket beforew I got on the train so I had to explain I was new to the system when I got there. I organised my camera film and walked to the market. It's an old building and behind has lots of market stalls all filled with fruit and veg, tourist gimmicks (yes I bought the kangaroo warnign signs etc) and clothes. You name it its got it. The food hall was wonderfull. Cold meats, cheeses, olives etc. After wandering that for a few hrs I set off for the gallery of Victoria.
The exhibition was good. Some great work and some more unusual pieces. I couldn't say they showed a lot of my favourites (degas) there were some nice ones I wasn't too familiar with and of course the monets and van goughs (yawn).

Ther better one was the french graphic artistists prints, sketches and etchings. Picasso, Toulouse letrec amoung others. These were great. The gallery itself although it had excellent work and even modern/old furniture design (yes dad your chair was in there), was really confusion to navigate. Finding the escalotor for a start was a missiopn. Till you got the hang of it I got lost several times and had to back track/. It's also a bit dark. Excellent work there though.

After that I took a stroll down the south bank again and stopped on the opposite side of teh river and booked a boat cruise. It lasted and hour there and back and went all the way down the river past the south bank, train station and maritime museum all the way until it got to the docklands and then back again. After that as time was getting on I went to centre point which is a bvig building you can do the lookout from the top. There's a great view of melbourne. From there I went back to the train station and home to tinks to get ready for a girls night out.

Sydney

After another train journey back from the blue mountains where I yet again fell asleep I arrived at central station.

I arranged to meet russ at a bar calle the 3 wise monkeys. He had had a friday night bear session after work so I told him not to hurry. In the state of someone that has been to the blue mountains absailinf I drank guiness at this really trendy pub. He takes me top all the great places, especially when i am not dressed for it.

After that it was athai meal and a realtively early night as bridge climb was the next day.

Next day russ took me to his local breakfast haunt. Gosh was it nice. a veryu lovely quality breakfast whith chorizo, spinach (yes spinach) egg and polenta. Very good.

After that he gave me a tour of the city, invluding where he had to pick up his mail from his po box...I nearly found out where his dentists was. The amazing thing was he took me to the olympic site. That was huge. I can't imagine us oing anything liker that at home. It was like a serperate city. He also took me to where hios new property was being built, not far from view of olympic city. That looked very cool even if a bachelor pad.

Blue Moutains

Well after a brief escursion to kent street to book the sydeny bridge climb at the YHA and the train to the blue mountains and not forgetting a warmer fleece to replace the one lost at frazer island harvey bay I set off for central to catch the train to katoomba (ok guys will check the names later).

The trains are fantastic not like ours they are on time for a start and leave on schedule...this is new to me.

They are a horrible pea green isnide though but as double deckered its a new experinece for me so I go and sit up the top. Typically for me though I fall asleep through most of the journey so I can't describe it.

Well I get there and its a small town, the youth hostel is great even though on the outskirts adn up a steep hill but it has an swome fire in the centre and is very friendly.

Well I stop for a coffee and something quick to eat as Its about 2ish and I am just off the train. I walk to the youth hostel and she gives me the route to walk to echo point and the 3 sisters. The 365 stepd are closed (phew) but I walk there.

Its a beautiful little treck not far about 3-5k and I am going at quite a pace, stopping at every point to take a photo at one of the look outs.

Exscuse me a minute while I just kill some americans for english bashing...am over hearing these twits while typing this and getting a bit annoyed! Oops they are canadian or are they americans pretending to be canadian.

Well back on track, the walk is beautiful and I go down as far as allowed to see the three sisters. Its prietty and and I can understand why its called the blue mountains as they have this blue tinge in the valley and the surrounding cliffs.

After that I try walking to find somewhere to eat. Its freezing and I mean freezing and have walked up and down the hill being very indicisive and not really deciding what I want to eat.

In the end I setteld for a veryu nice hot warming beef dish and glass of red wine. Its a cut of meat I don't recognise but its got marrobone and is beef and served on sweet potato mash and spinach...yep spinach craving is still there.
After that I get a cab to the cinema to go and see shrek...too late for shrek so I have to see spider man 2 at the biggest screen ever. I nearly became blind and deaf at this screening.

Spider man 2 although better than some of the other comic reproductions is absolutely shit. Special effects great but they spoil it with teh bloody love story its just overkill...stick to the villians and the heros and not all the sentimental crap...not that I am cold but on a comic story it doesn't have to be that deep...good guy fights bad guy with great effects...that's all it needs to be.

After that I get a cab back which breaks down on the way...well it could only happen to me. The eventually i get back to freezing cold hostel.

Next morning I go to the climbing centre where i have been told to get to for 8.30 for my abseiling adventure. Well it turns out i don't have to be there till 9.30. So i go for my eggs florietten at a caf i have spotted...again with the spinach I know.

Well then i get back to the group for 9.30 and they giuve us our equipment. A saddle type harness and hats and gloves.

We are going to do 3 abseils...5metres, 15 metres and 30 metres. The first one is ok. I am not good at abseiling as a past experience of 11 has horrible memories. Weel I do 5 ok then 15 you can tell i am nervous as my legs dont seem to be doing what my brain is telling them to do. My body is at the perfect 90 degrees but the leggs wont move down so i am in danger of flipping over because my body is lower than than my legs which wont move further doiwn no matter hopw much my brain is saying go down go down.

Well we do all of those twice. 2 girls are just there to watch their friends. There is also a guy called phil with his 2 kids around the ages of 10, launa and staurt. They are both cut but staurt is into everything and wants to be first. He is pearing over the toip of the cliffs running down mountain paths and basically giving his dad a mini heart attack at every turn. Mums at home with more sense i think.

Sydney

Ok after the normal bus journey of being woken up at 11pm to get off for food when your not hungry but manage to order a sausage roll and have a fag we continue on our journey. Then there's the same procedure at 3 and then again at 8. Finally we get to central bus terminal about 11 something. I put my bags in the locker and go exploring.

First port of call is a cab to get me to paddington. I recognised the area from when i was here 5 tears ago and got teh cab driver to pull up early. Then did the complete traveller (not backpacker) thing. I found a hair dressers and went for the works, a hair cut, hair treatment and most importantly my hair to be dired straight...wahoo! After that I decided I would go to paddington as that was the place to shop. Yep must have been ill. Fancied a really girly outfit as now sick of combat trousers, well the same 3 pairs anyhow.

After walkign through what I can only describe as my kind of district I find nothing. As kevin the irish guy from frazer had said when he text me and I told him I was in frazer, it's gay central of sydeny. I hadn't noticed but now i did. It was great full of little boutiques, I must have been ill thats why I didn't buy anything. Then I got the phone call from russ...don't be late or we will miss the last ferry. I had planned to stay with russ in sydney as he kindly offered me his spare 3rd bedroom, I would only have to share it with the laudry!!!! For those that can't remember russ is the big fish cather on the trip from broome to dawrin and the kakadoo trip.

Byron Bay

arrive in Byron bay after doing 3 hr buss journey. I left frazer in the early hours of the morning with a hang over from hell.

Once in byron around lunch time I get a lift in with the youyth hostel mini bus. I am staying a little way out. The youth hostel is nice with murals on the walls. Benjil Beaches I think it was called. I book some thgings to do for the next day and explore the town. The town is very much a backpacker/hippy haven. All sorts of people there, from dreadlocks to reall 60's chicks. Its a nice enough town but I fancy a quiet night and am up early nbext day so I head back.

In the morning I get picked up by this german man ... I forget jhis name but he's lived there for years and his wife and now kids are in byron. She's from sydney I think. His son has a problem with snakes...he loves them and thinks they are great pets and friends. He is only 3. Well this german is my gliding instructor. I am going for an hrs gliding over byron bay. We drive to the airport which is basically a hanger with 3 microlights an da couple of gliders and a small green areostrip that they share with the parachutists.

We get into the plane which is one with an enguine as well as a glider and rtake off. Well the flight isd so smooth and the views amazing. bruilliant blue skies and the stretch of byron bay belwo. Miles of sandy beaches. BEautiful; and loads of surfers as tiny dots below. We go over the volcanoe which has been inactive for years and he lets me fly! WOW! I have to hold the geer stick carefully and the slightest move turens the plane. Then you have to cancel the turn by moving to the centre while keeping the nose up or down. I was a natural apparently...even when he cut the enguine and I had a go at it while gliding. That was the most awsome thing ever.

Harvey Bay & Fraser Island

Well after catching the bus from the middle of no where I hit Harvey bay where the following day I am to take a 4 wheel drive tour to frazer island.

I travle with some great characters John from leeds originally from kent. Don't know what he does but a bit of everything I guess and is 36. Also Melainie who is a great person to talk to on the bus. She's done everything and hated her last job at a call centre she wants to be a copy writer.

The bus was over two hrs late to pick us up from cool bananas at 1770 but we eventually get on it. Then they drop us off half an hour distance away from harvey bay so we have to catch another bus back and yes I slept all the way again.

Harvey bay is a strange place. I arrange to meet mel for dinner who has arranged to meet john for drinks at 9 at the only lonely planet recomended bar. I do laudry and rest and discover am sharing with 5 irish guys. Ohhh oh!

I met mel for dinner and we go to a wok restaurant which I discover sells anything but wok food. So after our BOY of white wine we head to meet john at 9 along the eslplanade. Mel didn't say where it was and the esplanade is 12k long. Eventually we find him aftter rushing for what seems miles. So we have a great night and then end up at the only pub open past 10 called beaches. Yep the same backpackers I am staying at so we go for the pitchers of beer.

John says the worst thing ever that he thinks he looks like moe from the sympsons. This has us both laughing but yep he does look and act like mo from the sympsons. Mels nackered she goes and john and i stay for a little longer.

1770

A really beautiful town. The bus drops us off at station road in the middle of now where at 9.10 in the morning and a little mini bus comes and takes us off.

I stayed at a back packers called cool bananas which is teh nicest one yet. Still dorms but a really sweet friendly place even if they play american physcho on video three days in a row.

After sorting bags I go to the beach to top up teh sunburn which I did rather well. Burnt bum this time, well top of leg on one side as I fell asleep while the sun was on the left. Yes mum I did have factror 30 on.

After my beach burn I go back to teh hostel shower and then go on the 4pm sunset tour. We go through 1770 and up to teh look out then back down to the beach with the ropyist galss of white wine I have had here ..ew!

We take loads of photos of one of teh best sunsets ever then do the obligatory silohetes of 177infront of teh sunset. Also the rude couple silhotes...don't ask just see the photos.

After that we hit the 1770 pub then back to cool bannanas when after one episode of friends I hit teh sac at 8.30. I intened to read but after the night bus journey I just fell asleep. Oh well.

17770 is a beautiful town which I would actually like to go back and spend a few days there and go out to teh island and do some diving. Unfortunately the clock is now against me.

Got to catch the 9.10 bus to harvey bay tomorrow.

Whitsundays sailing trip

well I met the group and skippa dave with his assistant cook and general dogs body mel. They were great. He looks like an older version of Kevin costner with bad teeth and an aussie accent. She reminded me of kirrily. Very bublby and great fun, easy to chat to plus she is studying to be a skippa herself. Theer aren't many females at teh whitsundays and she is studying hard and working but doing really well.

The boat we were on was dreamcatcher. A very sleek big boat that holds up to 14. Unfortunately teh group wasn't that great. A nice girl called rachel who was great fun, not much younger than me and travelling with an indian couple who she works with back in London. She has recently given the job up and been working in melbourne making perscription glasses. Thank god she was on this tour. The rest were made up of a young group from canada and the uk that had all been on the oz experince together and were so cleaky it was untrue. They didn't really involve you at all in conversation and were just damed rude at times.

We set sail but becuase of a seriously low spring tide the skipper wanted to get as far as he could quickly so didn't sail he used teh enguines.

The boat trip was great we got to our mouring about six and started openeing the wine. I bought a carton. Both rachel and myself decided to have a blast so we chatted to skipper dave till 10 then went to bed. He's a nice guy with a good sense of humour and has previously been working on the party boats. The party boats hold up to 40 people and drinking starts from 9am. He tried to get them to start as sson as possible that way they go through the boose quickly before the trip ends and are quite quiet after that. We had a standing joke about teh skipper groupies that nocked on his door at 3am saying they were cold. He opens the door and says no wonder your cold you should put some clothes on...what a life aye!

Dinner was fab...mels pasta was awsome! Rachel and I took for ever to get to sleep as I am on the tiny bunk on top and everytime I sat up I hit mys head or turned over I punched the side of teh bed. She did thsi as well so we got the giggles while dave was outside the door going good grief kids. Eventually the giggles stopped.

Next day we get up have breakfast and go to whitehaven beach. This is a beautiful white beach that I just can't describe. it would be perfect if there were no other people on it. Took loads of photos from the lookout and the beach.

Next we moved off and went snorkerling. That was grea to see some of teh reif but cold and I went in rachels group who are the I have never done this before. Then I swam back to the boat as freezing. We sail off to watch the sunset at another beach.

The nice friendly group nick all the pasta almost after we more. It took time to more and we had to move once as mel and dave couldn't find the mouring line.

We also did a bit of sailing that day which was great. I read and got sunburnt and rachel had a go at sailing. Basically just pulling a few ropes. It was good fun.

Whitsundays

Absolutely knackered from the night before I manage to get the 9.10 bus to whitsunday ready for my 3 days sailing.

What a bus journey. Sitting next to this japenese girl who really smelt, and kept letting off the most awful farts. So bad that a guy infront sniffed the guy next to him and then looked at me. I just quietly pointed at my companion next to me. It must have been her as when she left the bus the smell left.

Mission Beach

Well last day in cairns. Can't say I will miss it as too much of a meat market for me.

I get the bus to mission beach. There's one stop on the way and its raining like you wouldn't believe. Why mission beach... well i am in for a parachute jump at 14,000 feet to land on mission beach.

Cairns Dive Centre liverboard 2 day trip

Up early and down to the dive centre, CDC (cairns dive centre). I then discover there is a luggage limit and have to leave my bags there and just take my day pack. To which I discover afterwards I should have packed another pair of trousers.

Kuranda National Park

Well I meet Bec and clare outside the youth hostel. Eventually the bus turns up and we go off to the aboriginal centre... which name I can't remeber or pronounce. The group on this trip is all above 50 and some really anoying people.