Hello party people! I am currently somewhere between nowhere and everywhere on the East coast of Australia, in the back of a campervan, with Laura laid out over the seat next to me sleeping. Daniel (German) is listening to Linkin Park across from me, and trying to improve his English by tackling World Without End by Ken Follet, so every few minutes I am helping him understand a few words. Antoine (French) and Sebastian(German) are stretched out over two seats in front of the cab, passed out asleep. And at the helm is Olivier, Lauren and Charlotte (all French) who have bravely stepped up to the challenge of navigating this motley crew up the coast this afternoon. All in all, everything is as it should be this lazy, sunny, Australian afternoon.
This past Tuesday Laura, Antoine, Sebastian, Daniel and myself decided to rent a 4x4 and spend 3 days and 2 nights on fraiser island, a VERY tiny sand island off the coast of australias rainbow beach. We met 4 very nice boys from London and 2 great Canadian girls who joined us on our tour. It was awesome!!! The tour is self guided, so it was kinda like Road Rules (grandparents, ask your grandchildren about it) on an adrenaline rush. The 11 of us climed into this major vehicle, and were sent off on our own with a few tents off over the dunes and beaches of the island. We saw wild dingos, lizards, giant sandflies, but thankfully managed to avoid the very poisonous snakes that inhabit the island. We swam in some crystal clear lake water, and avoided the shark infested waters. We hiked up to Indian head, where we could view the sharks (tiger, great white and hammerhead) from a safe distance. We all flew out of our seats more than once when we went over the sand a bit to fast. Unfortunately, the car was manual, so neither Laura nor I felt our skills were good enough to actually drive, but the boys thrilled in sending us flying out of our seats on a few occassions! Fraiser island may be my favorite Australia activity so far, and we were sad to say goodbye to our new friends, but happy to be back in our now beloved campervan.
I am surprised how pleasant the campervan actually is. It makes camping totally doable for me. There are three huge beds that allow plenty of room for everyone, and we have fun cooking gourmet meals. It gets a little hot sometimes, but this is minor ... Phew, Daniel just asked me what a mason is. That took a second to explain. What else fills our time? I taught everyone my friend Meghans favorite game - bowl of nouns - and my brother marcuss favorite game - contact- so car rides and nightimes can get a little rowdy. We all really enjoy eachother, and we are so lucky to have made so many great friends because it means more people to visit in western Europe!
Ok, I think it is my naptime now. Pictures will be uploaded in a few weeks from Cairns where we are staying with a friend. By that time we will have sailed to the great barrier reef, so the picturs will be amazing to make up for the drought!
Love and baci to everyone at home! We miss you so much.
Xoxo jca
For Marcus, world 14, us 130!!!!!!!
Friday, March 6, 2009
Sunday, March 1, 2009
VIDEOS: long overdue by Katy Jane
hi all! i am in taiwan and despite being in the southern hemisphere in early spring, it is quite lovely here. it IS spring time, and tho i left the middle of summer in the southern hemisphere, i am in a nearly tropical local and things are starting to bud and smell good. i am eating so many delicious things here and learning to appreciate Q, a positive description of chewy food. my chopstick skills have also been complimented, and today i took the bus all by myself, with a little note musee's mom wrote for me, which said in chinese where i was going to and coming from. it was not so hard! i have learned to say "sheh-sheh" which is thank you and "nee-how" which is hello. i'm just begining my chinese education, but am having doubts as to whether i should continue before mastering spanish. i just asked musee for some input, something she wanted to say to our greater blogging community, and she said this: "everyone should come to taiwan. at some point in their lives." though i have only been here a few days, i have to agree with her. everyone is very nice, taipei is clean and easy to get around and the food is DELISH. this morning, musee's mom took me to a taichi class in a park (just like i wanted! but with fewer old ladies in leisure suits than i had envisioned) and it was great. mom, i learned that "chi" is like breath, but something more. i think it is like a life force harnessed by the breath. i am not sure, but mrs. wu and i have decided to take several more classes while i am here, so we will surely find out. i don;t have any picture to put up yet, i have only taken pictures at night markets (late night food market where yummy street foods are sold en masse, lots of things on skewers and soupy things) but promise to take more and put them up. but! i do have some videos from new zealand that have been long anticipated by me and the girls. so, here goes:
the above video might or might not be a place the girls and i stayed in new zealand - i'm not telling. you be the judge. regardless, please take note of the space suits in the background.
so there is another video of some sheep crossing the road, but thats not for today. more later! don't want to give away all my secrets in one go anyway. so wrap up, things are good in asia. hope everyone is well and miss miss miss you.
love katy
the above video might or might not be a place the girls and i stayed in new zealand - i'm not telling. you be the judge. regardless, please take note of the space suits in the background.
so there is another video of some sheep crossing the road, but thats not for today. more later! don't want to give away all my secrets in one go anyway. so wrap up, things are good in asia. hope everyone is well and miss miss miss you.
love katy
Monday, February 23, 2009
ps
Just to be clear, when we set out 134 days ago, it was suggested to us that we tally up how many days we come out on top compared to the days that the world shows us that it dominates us. May I say, we have been doing fabulously with us leading the world 120 to 14.
life in a van down by the river by Laura
Here's the scene: as I type this note to you I am sitting at the kitchen table of a caravan filled with Yermans and Frenchies hurdling up the east coast of australia. Contrary to what my mother may believe, we have not been kidnapped and forced into a camping-loving cult but have instead decided to take the ultimate roadtrip in the most quintessential way. We met the group in sydney and are now in our third day of travel - we have already visited some beautiful beaches and have settled into the caravan lifestyle (minus the chemical toilet which we have elected to leave barren to spare us all). We have also decided to introduce a phrase of the day in English, French, and German. Yesterday, the English term was 'narly', the french was 'dans tou cou' which nicely means 'in your ass' and is supposedly used whenever someone asks you where something is and that is your kindly response. The German word of the day was 'highfisch' which we think means shark but maybe that was a joke?
Here's the scene: as I type this note to you I am sitting at the kitchen table of a caravan filled with Yermans and Frenchies hurdling up the east coast of australia. Contrary to what my mother may believe, we have not been kidnapped and forced into a camping-loving cult but have instead decided to take the ultimate roadtrip in the most quintessential way. We met the group in sydney and are now in our third day of travel - we have already visited some beautiful beaches and have settled into the caravan lifestyle (minus the chemical toilet which we have elected to leave barren to spare us all). We have also decided to introduce a phrase of the day in English, French, and German. Yesterday, the English term was 'narly', the french was 'dans tou cou' which nicely means 'in your ass' and is supposedly used whenever someone asks you where something is and that is your kindly response. The German word of the day was 'highfisch' which we think means shark but maybe that was a joke?
taiwan and the east coast of australia by katy jane
hi all,
this post will be short as i am low on time at the internet cafe. big news this post: the girls and i have decided to part ways here in australia, with jess and laura to continue up the coast with some europeans in a camper van and me headed to taipei, taiwan to see a friend of ours from l'ville. we were together this weekend in sydney in a lovely hotel (thanks, linny!), but have gone our separate ways. as for the time in australia, we have enjoyed ourselves very much. i really really liked melbourne, which had a nice feeling to it, abundant, affordable, yummy food, and lots of tiny, colorful bright alley ways to get lost exploring. i'm sad to be leaving australia, but am excited to move on to the next phase of the trip. the girls and i have had a wonderful time, have seen so many awesome sights and met really great people. i am very sad that we are leaving eachother, but i think the time is right, as we have come to an inevitable crossroads on this kind of trip. ideally, we have all decided to travel to see new ways of life, meet new people and try to get a grasp of how people all over the world experience the ineffable. even on a trip where people, me and the girls, are together all the time and share common experiences, we all take away very different things and lessons and grow in new ways. in the last few days, i have come to realize that what i want and want to see and do and experience and live is different, no better and no worse, but different from the girls. and after much deliberation, i decided to be on my own for a while. i'm glad for the time we spent togther and the stories we will have to share in the future and the memories we will have forever. ah, this is actually getting a little depressing! but i am excited to get to asia and i know that the girls are very excited to keep exploring australia and the east coast. i am so excited and appropriately appreesive about traveling in an asia country, speaking only spanish and english, but can;t wait to eat a ton of noodles, to taichi in the park with old ladies, and drink tea until i burst. so, i will keep posting as will the girls and j.k.l.worldwide will be increasingly international. we continue to be winners. ok, out of time. hope everyone is well and i miss miss miss you all.
love katy
this post will be short as i am low on time at the internet cafe. big news this post: the girls and i have decided to part ways here in australia, with jess and laura to continue up the coast with some europeans in a camper van and me headed to taipei, taiwan to see a friend of ours from l'ville. we were together this weekend in sydney in a lovely hotel (thanks, linny!), but have gone our separate ways. as for the time in australia, we have enjoyed ourselves very much. i really really liked melbourne, which had a nice feeling to it, abundant, affordable, yummy food, and lots of tiny, colorful bright alley ways to get lost exploring. i'm sad to be leaving australia, but am excited to move on to the next phase of the trip. the girls and i have had a wonderful time, have seen so many awesome sights and met really great people. i am very sad that we are leaving eachother, but i think the time is right, as we have come to an inevitable crossroads on this kind of trip. ideally, we have all decided to travel to see new ways of life, meet new people and try to get a grasp of how people all over the world experience the ineffable. even on a trip where people, me and the girls, are together all the time and share common experiences, we all take away very different things and lessons and grow in new ways. in the last few days, i have come to realize that what i want and want to see and do and experience and live is different, no better and no worse, but different from the girls. and after much deliberation, i decided to be on my own for a while. i'm glad for the time we spent togther and the stories we will have to share in the future and the memories we will have forever. ah, this is actually getting a little depressing! but i am excited to get to asia and i know that the girls are very excited to keep exploring australia and the east coast. i am so excited and appropriately appreesive about traveling in an asia country, speaking only spanish and english, but can;t wait to eat a ton of noodles, to taichi in the park with old ladies, and drink tea until i burst. so, i will keep posting as will the girls and j.k.l.worldwide will be increasingly international. we continue to be winners. ok, out of time. hope everyone is well and i miss miss miss you all.
love katy
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
ah, new zealand.
Hello hello! Well, I write to you from sydney, australia ... But last time you heard, we were in christchurch, new zealand with mr. Caimi (called Datty for the rest of this post). It was really great to have him here with all of us, and a taste of Los Angeles for Me.
The last day he was here, we tried to go see an airshow at a base that was closing nearby. We expected to see droves of people ad we got closer, and maybe some jets doing acrobatic tricks in the air, but we were confused to find nothing of the sort. There was a family sitting outside their car on the side of the road, and their gaze appeared to be pointing toward the heavens, so we stopped to ask some questions. An hour later, we got back in the car having made new friends - the Konowe family. The girls and I ended up staying with these lovely, generous people for two days in their home, and I can't think of a better way we could have ended our time in new zealand.
I, personally, changed so much when I was in new zealand. I tried things, and saw things I thought I never would. My favorite activity is very revealing to this point. Sit down everyone. My favorite activity was hiking. And not just a little jaunt down the beach, but a full day trek over mountains, through craters, and even a little hobbling through rainforests at the end. Though this activity made two of my toenails turn purple, and Fox may have Developed a small case of temporary tendonitis in her foot, the sense of accomplishment I felt when we finished this 18 km, 7 hour, full day hike ... Well, it was just awesome. It made Me realize why I am on this trip in the first place. Don't get Me wrong, there are other things in my life that make Me proud, but this was something different. It was different from graduating college, or learning a second language, or winning an internship I really wanted. This was Me stepping way outside My box, and enjoying it. I suggest you look back a few posts ago, and check out what I had to say about "death mountain." trust Me, I have come a long way.
So, needless to say, I loved loved LOVED new zealand.
And now I find myself in australia. I couldn't be more excited for the road ahead.
So, there it is. We miss you ALL so much! I wanted to mention, that if you haven't looked at our google map for awhile, it is pretty impressive. Also, we have so many great pics and videos to put up, but never a good computer to do it on. So to picture new zealand, just imagine the most saturated colors ever (and if you want to check out the hike I described, google the tongariro alpine crossing ) and we will put up stuff ASAP.
Love love and baci to all, direct from Me!
Jca
Ps. Marcus. I'm still winning.also, us lil boo on google yet? Xoxo
The last day he was here, we tried to go see an airshow at a base that was closing nearby. We expected to see droves of people ad we got closer, and maybe some jets doing acrobatic tricks in the air, but we were confused to find nothing of the sort. There was a family sitting outside their car on the side of the road, and their gaze appeared to be pointing toward the heavens, so we stopped to ask some questions. An hour later, we got back in the car having made new friends - the Konowe family. The girls and I ended up staying with these lovely, generous people for two days in their home, and I can't think of a better way we could have ended our time in new zealand.
I, personally, changed so much when I was in new zealand. I tried things, and saw things I thought I never would. My favorite activity is very revealing to this point. Sit down everyone. My favorite activity was hiking. And not just a little jaunt down the beach, but a full day trek over mountains, through craters, and even a little hobbling through rainforests at the end. Though this activity made two of my toenails turn purple, and Fox may have Developed a small case of temporary tendonitis in her foot, the sense of accomplishment I felt when we finished this 18 km, 7 hour, full day hike ... Well, it was just awesome. It made Me realize why I am on this trip in the first place. Don't get Me wrong, there are other things in my life that make Me proud, but this was something different. It was different from graduating college, or learning a second language, or winning an internship I really wanted. This was Me stepping way outside My box, and enjoying it. I suggest you look back a few posts ago, and check out what I had to say about "death mountain." trust Me, I have come a long way.
So, needless to say, I loved loved LOVED new zealand.
And now I find myself in australia. I couldn't be more excited for the road ahead.
So, there it is. We miss you ALL so much! I wanted to mention, that if you haven't looked at our google map for awhile, it is pretty impressive. Also, we have so many great pics and videos to put up, but never a good computer to do it on. So to picture new zealand, just imagine the most saturated colors ever (and if you want to check out the hike I described, google the tongariro alpine crossing ) and we will put up stuff ASAP.
Love love and baci to all, direct from Me!
Jca
Ps. Marcus. I'm still winning.also, us lil boo on google yet? Xoxo
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