Catch up Belgium 2011

Well, it's Saturday the 6th Sept and I'm here in Belgium.  I arrived on Thursday after getting up at 4.30am to catch a cheap flight with Ryanair.  I will have to reconsider if it's getting a flight a bit cheaper when I have to get up at that time.  I'm not a morning person.  Anyway, there was a Aussie girl working at the hostel and warned me that Ryanair is like Tiger, unreliable, but there were no

One of the old canal gates to enter Brugge

problems.  Here is something.  Ryanair does not allocate seats.  You just get on and pick one, unless you have reserved seats during online check-in (which you have to check-in on line, no choice).  So, caught a plane, then shuttle bus, then train (which decided to make a couple of middle oof nowhere stops and arrived an hour late) to Brugge.  I love Brugge.  It's like a fairytale or something.  Canals, beautiful building, lots of restaurants and cafes.  I could live here for awhile.  Anyway, finally got to Brugge, checked in to the hostel.  Oh, my, goodness.  I had to laugh when I walked in to my room.  Ok, the hostel is set in the old quarter so is an old building.  Firstly, getting up the stairs.  My room (private with shared bathroom, as that was all I could get) is on the 3rd floor, and I had to walk up a narrow, steep, winding staircase that would give most people vertigo coming down.  Oh, and the bannister is below hip height on me, so I stick to the wall side always. 

To the end and turn left to my hostel

Anyway, that was freaky enough, and then I got to the top, opened my door, and laughed as it was so worn out, run down, falling to pieces, I just couldn't believe it.  Seriously, lino old, worn, cracked and lifting.  Wallpaper, peeling off, torn, plastered over I don't know what type of wall, but it is uneven and rough, and the wallpaper seems to be even plaster over pipes that half come out of the wall.  Oh, the ceiling had a leak at some time so there is an area that has partly collapsed (I wish I had taken a photo of my room).  The only reason I have stayed is that I was talking to one of the guys who run the place, and they have only just bought it.  It must be very recent as they have started working on the place since I've been here and need money

Canal in Brugge

coming in to fix it.  At least they are trying to do something, and it's not their fault it has become so run down (two of the showers are currently closed as they are being fixed due to leaking into the room underneath).  The toilets are rooms that have kind of just had a wall put across somewhere and made a box, where you barely have enough room to stand in (good luck guys and anyone bigger than me).  Anyway, you have some idea of what it is like.  It is in a good position though, but the guys who own it need all the luck they can get to fix it (and lots of money).  Yesterday I went for a 20km bike ride.  Yes, unlike me, but I only did it because the country is flat and I had a chance of it not killing me.  The actual ride didn't but the seat nearly did.  Rock hard and I am still feeling it today.  Very sore.  I went riding out along one of the canals (yes very romantic) to a town called Damme (actually I went further than that but stopped at Damme on the way back)  It's an old port apparently, along with Brugge, but the connection with the seas eventually was blocked by sand in about 1500.  Anyway, great day apart from the sore bits. 

Along my canal bike ride

Went to Gent today, but the area the train arrives in looks like an ordinary town and has none of the pretty buildings etc.  The was no tourist info apart form a map board outside the station, which of course was in Flemish.  That is something about this place, so many people speak English but there are no signs or info in English.  Even the tourist info centre in Brugge has hardly any English pamphlets and when you try to use the computers in English it says 'this page is unavailable' or something like that as I can't read Flemish.  Anyway, so I wandered around a bit hoping to find some pretty buildings but they were hiding, so I eventually came back to Brugge.  I was also dying of heat exhaustion as I was unfortunately wearing long sleeves.  I have gone from wearing a singlet, thermal top, light jumper and jacket in Ireland to a t-shirt in Belgium.  I didn't expect the temperature to be so different so quickly, so if this continues in the next country I may have to toss or send clothes home andbuy summer stuff sooner than expected.
Ok, that will do for now.  I'm trying to be good and write as I go.  I was slack with Ireland so my email was a bit vague, but I'm trying to put a bit more detail this time.  Don't worry, that doesn't mean you have more to read as I will only be here for a couple of weeks and then I can send it.  Enough raving, I'm going.  Back soon.
PS  I have my carton ice coffee milks again, yay.  Ireland doesn’t have flavoured milks in a carton.  They don’t even have cold milk or milkshakes etc.  The milk sits out on the tables (the thought grosses me out) all day so you can put it in your tea/coffee.  But even if you ask for a milkshake (mistake) it’s not cold (kinda like warm beer in the UK).  They don’t have many juices in the fridge either.  Missed my juice and flavoured milk.  And the icecream tastes different eg Magnum icecreams are smaller and have a different flavour (due to be made in a different country, using different water and products I would assume), and soft serves taste different (yuk) and repeats on you.

12th September – Well, me being good didn’t last long.  A week later and I finally write something again, but I am now in Portugal.  So, to finish off Belgium if I can remember.  While still in Brugge I decided to do a day tour, as it is so much easier to see things sometimes.  The tour went around to a number of sites in the Flanders (outside of Brugge as I can see that myself) region.  To be honest I now can’t remember the names of places (I will have to look them up to name photos) but we say some great buildings like Loppem Chateau (yes I just looked that up).  It has the largest private collection of Belgian paintings, plus some great sculptures etc.  It is very interesting and worth

Inside Loppem Chateau

Sculpture where we had waffles

seeing.  I also had a Belgian waffles the tradition way (icing sugar and cream).  I thought it would be a bit bland done that way, but that is all the waffle needs, yum.  Of course there was chocolate tasting, yuk.  No seriously.  I was looking forward to the chocolate, but out of the three I tried (we were just given a tray of them to sample, so we didn’t know what they were) I only liked one which was a praline.  The other was marzipan which I don’t like, and the 3rd had sickly green goop inside (it was actually a white frog so I had to take that one).  The other sampling we had was of course beer.  Now I don’t like beer, but I thought I may as well try them anyway (George will be proud.  Hi George).  It was 4 different styles of beer.  Of course I didn’t like them, but some were better than others.  The last one we tried was a fruit beer that didn’t even slightly taste like beer.  It was a cherry flavour, and for those who can remember having the cherry flavoured cough syrup when you were a kid, well that’s what it tasted like.  So of course I didn’t like that either.  Overall, Brugge was beautiful and great to visit.

Inside Namur Citadel

Next was Namur with it’s citadel.  Unfortunately, due to lack of accommodation I was only there one night.  You need at least 2 so you don’t have to lug around your backpack when you are visiting the citadel.  But it was good.  I would have liked more time at the citadel to do one of the tours (one was a history of the place and the tunnels that ran underneath.)  Next was Dinant.  Again only one night because of accommodation issues, but you could actually do it in a day trip from Namur (less than an hour by train).  But if you want to spend time in that area, there is plenty in the south to see.  Dinant was gobsmacking.  Seriously, your jaw drops as you round the corner from the train station. It has a huge cathedral and then is backdropped by cliffs and Namur’s citadel.  I will add a photo of that one.

Cathedral and Citadel of Dinant

Finally I went to Brussels.  I only saw about half as it is a typically city and takes a while to walk around.  It is too big and noisy for me.  Too much traffic and traffic lights and wide roads etc.  But it has some great buildings (like all of Belgium), and the Great-Place is definitely great.  I also went to the Museum of Musical Instruments.  Definitely worth going.  You are given head phones and as you walk around you plug them in to different areas and listen to some of the instruments.  Pretty cool.  Definitely makes a museum more interesting that just looking at things.  Although, some of the instruments were very interesting, or beautiful, to look at.

Okey dokey.  That is all from Belgium.  Like I said I am now in Portugal, or Porto to be exact.  Until next time…

Palace in Brussels

Building in Grand Place

Building in Grand Place

Catch up Ireland 2011

40^th Birthday World Trip July 2011 – Jan 2012.

Departure date 21^st July 2011 – first stop Ireland.

Well, this is a bit of a catch up as it is now 9^th August and I have been in Ireland for almost two weeks. 

21^st July – The flight.

The plane flight was long.  I had been worried about my hiking pole (it's classed as a weapon due to the sharp tip they normally have, which mine doesn't, but all stick like objects are questionable) getting through all of the security gates at each airport, but there were no problems.  I wasn't even questioned.  The first leg to Singapore I watched the animated movie 'Rango' with the Chameleon who comes to save the day in a small desert town.  It was good.  The Singapore stop was to refuel and clean the plane.  It lasted about 40 minutes but we had to take all our things off the plane and go through security and then back through security to get back on.  Bit of a pain.  I tried to sleep for the leg to Abu Dhabi, which I succeeded to some extent.  We then had a 3 hour stopover there from approximately 11.30pm to 2.40am.  It was a 15 minute walk from the gate we arrived at to the one we were departing from.  Toilets are not abundant I might add.  I napped a bit on a not so comfy seat and was luckily woken by a young guy and his mother, thank goodness, asking if I was going to Dublin.  The departure gate had been changed, and guess where the plane was now leaving.  Yes, the gate we arrived at.  I finally arrived in Dublin at about 7.30am on Friday the 22^nd July.  By the way, I flew Etihad, which a had assumed would be quite a good airline being from United Arab Emirates and knowing that Emirates was a comfortable airline.  Well, Etihad is the older and poorer cousin of Emirates.  Small seats, not much leg room, older looking aircraft etc.

Ireland

22^nd July – Swords

Another thing a had been a bit concerned about was the fact I only had a one way ticket.  When checking out Visa requirements etc (which there is no visa for Ireland for less than 3 months) it states you must have proof of having enough money to support yourself while you are in Ireland (a copy of your bank account) and proof of ongoing travel (departure ticket and proof of accommodation in another country (hotel receipt etc).  Well, I gave immigration my passport and asked if they needed anything else (I did have a copy of my bank account) and she asked how long I was staying.  I said 5 to 6 weeks and she stamped my passport and sent me on my way (without a smile I might add).  I was intending to walk the Wicklow Way so thought I should do some walking before then, so I had a coffee and then walked approximately 4km to my accommodation in Swords, just north of the airport/Dublin.  I wanted to stay in a B&B for a couple of nights to make sure a could get some sleep after the flight, thank goodness, but I had booked out at Swords because it was cheaper and I didn't want to stay in Dublin for very long.  Good plan except Swords was pretty boring.  It had a castle, but you couldn't get in and there wasn't much else.  It was smaller than I thought.

The next day I walked to Malahide (5km) and back as more practice, and it was meant to be a nice traditional looking seaside village.  Again, not much there except for a castle.  I had one of the worse coffees I have ever had (Starbucks) and went to visit the “castle”.  I sat and looked at that for a while as it was closed and then went looking for the ladies, which wasn't easy as they were doing maintenance and had half the place closed off.  I finally found one at the playground and then toddled 5km back to Swords.

24^th July – Dublin

St Patricks Cathedral Dublin

Along the Wicklow Way

Hi all.  Yes I know I have been slack.  It's difficult to get in the mood, and time, and internet access sometimes, to sit down and type emails etc when you are galavanting around the countryside or world.  But I'm here now and at the end of my first leg.  I fly out of Ireland tomorrow, and into Belgium.  I will only be there for a couple of weeks, while it has been 6 here in Ireland.  I have enjoyed it and would have to say it has been nice.  Yes, a bit of a strange word to use maybe when you are free and travelling the world.  But I think because it has been so similar to Australia that there haven't been any surprises or excitement so to speak.  I wanted someplace to wet my feet and be comfortable and Ireland has been a great place for that.  Now it is time to head deeper into unknown territory, slowly.
Anyway, flight over was long and if I ever have a choice I will not only take my time going back to Australia next time (yes there will be a next time), but also heading away from home.  It took a week for my body clock to adjust.  That I didn't expect.  I won't talk about the plane trip but I flew Etihad and will say I will try and avoid flying again with them.  Just on the basis of room to move, age of plane (well it looked old) type things.  If the person in front put there seat back and you are watching a movie, the screen is so close it is very difficult to watch as you are actually looking down on the screen and it doesn't swivel up enough to look straight on.  Ok, enough of that.
I stayed in Dublin for about five days (due to accommodation availability for the Wicklow Way Walk), then started on the walk.  It started in a park in the far south of Dublin, and I was lost before I even got through the park.  Yes, ha ha and all the rest of it.  But it is like 26 acres or something and very poorly signposted.  An old guy showed me the way through and told me Australia won Tour de France, yay, and was the oldest guy ever (whats-his-name that won, not the Irish guy).  Anyway, yes I was a bit concerned that I may get lost on the walk (I wasn't worried previous to that) as I didn't have a map as I thought it would be well signposted.  Ok, gate was locked so I had so I had to wait a while for that, nearly died on the first hill it was so steep (pack didn't help), blah blah blah.  First day was 21km, plus an extra 3 maybe because I got lost near the end of that leg (bad signposting again, or more like no sign for the hostel at the village,  I had to phone them).  Walk would have been ok but of course I didn't take into account carrying a pack and the effect it would have on my dodgy feet and knees.  Myself and a couple of others, from the hostel, took a bus for the next leg (about 17 km, no way I could have done it), and then I walked with two other groups (German and Israeli) on the following leg of 12 km.  That was Glendalough set in a gorgeous glen with a couple of lakes and ruins of an old monastry and church etc.  I was planning to stay an extra days there and stayed an extra 2.  That was the end of the walk for me.  I was having too many problems with my feet and knees and didn't want risk any damage.  I took 4 buses over 7.5 hours to Cork (I had planned to stay in the SE for a couple of days but was having difficulty finding accommodation at a reasonable price, being peak season and school holidays) and stayed for about 4 days.  I didn't do much there (just the usual rounds in town taking photos) as by the time I got there I could hardly walk.  I tried to rest my knee a bit there but it ended up taking 3 weeks before I could walk properly again.

Me

The lakes at Glendalough

Ruins of monastery and cemetary at Glendalough

Lake at Glendalough

Hore Abbey in Cashel

Me on my birthday at Hore Abbey

I decided to go to Cashel (north of Cork) for a couple of days for my birthday.  There is the ruins of a cathedral on top of a hill, very dramatic, and a couple of abbeys.  That was nice, especially being in a B&B and not in a dorm.  In Glendalough it was a 10 bed dorm with one toilet and shower.  I've been staying in female only dorms except for once which wasn't available for my first night in Galway.  But that was ok because the guys in the mixed dorm were Aussies anyway.  First Aussies I had met, but more on that later.  I have mainly met Germans, then French, then a splattering of others.  Oh, and I stay in B&bs and private rooms sometimes, to have a break, as I am going nuts with staying in dorms with a bunch of inconsiderate young people (not all are inconsiderate, but 99% are teenage and early 20s).
I went to Limerick next (stopped in Cahir to see the castle, one of my favourites) and stayed at a B&B for about 4 days.  I stayed there as there wasn't much available and the room (shared bathroom) was only 30 euro a night which wasn't too bad.  Oh, Cork was ok.  Definitely not my favourite city.  I was meant to go to the Bear Pensinulas after Cork for a 5 day walk (much shorter days than Wicklow) but I was still hobbling and there were storms on the coast so there was any point even going for a couple of days and staying at a village.  So unfortunate as it is meant to be beautiful over there.  Limerick I quite liked.  I think it was the Georgian buildings up the main street.  While I was there I went on a day trip to Bunratty Folk Village and Castle, and then stayed on for a medieval dinner at the castle.  The company was great (2 groups from the US, one was enjoying giving me shit, in the nicest way), the meal was very nice, although it could have been one from home, the difference was because it was medieval we had to drink our soup from the bowl, the meat and veg we had a steak knife (dagger) but no fork so it was fingers only, and then stragely enough a spoon appeared for desserts, although there were none for soup.  Didn't quite get that but the food was meant to be recipes from back when.  There was also mead (which I could not drink as it was very strong) and music and song etc with people dressed in all the old garb.  It was a nice night out.

Singers at Bunratty Castle Medieval Dinner

At that point I was going nuts trying to do internet/email etc on my iPod, so I bought a cheap netbook $330 Aust.  and I will appologise for any errors in this as the computer seems to do strange things when I'm typing and I can't find spell check (it's not word but the other free download thing like word), and not only is the keyboard slightly different but the computer made me choose which keyboard setout I want (it gave me a huge list) and I didn't know which one I was meant to choose and I chose the wrong one so some things don't type like they are on the keyboard.  Just trying to explain why my typing and grammar etc is crap, apart from me doing this quickly, on a pillow and being too lazy to be grammatically correct etc.  Don't complain, at least I've done it.
I wasn't able to get accommodation at Doolin (where I really wanted to go), a major traditional music hotspot.  Not much there but 3 pubs all playing trad music every night over the summer period.  A lot of well know musicians came from there or played there.  So I went to Ennis for a couple of days where I met two retired ladies from Armidale NSW (near where I grew up for those who don't know).  They were on a 6 month world trip and had been to Nepal and Ireland and were going to France, working their way across to Greece then Egypt, Morroco, Peru and Canada (I may have missed a couple).  Nepal, Egypt, Morroco and Peru were all with Intrepid travel, the rest by themselves.  It was nice to see someone over 30.  I actually got excited when I saw the walking stick next to the bed (one lady had hurt her foot and bought it cheap in Dublin).

Cliffs of Moher

Kylemore Abbey

From there it was Galway and I decided to do a couple of day tours, one south and one north/west.  It was cheaper for me to go on a tour to the Cliffs of Moher and the Burrin etc than buy a return bus ticket to the Cliffs.  The cliffs are very dramatic at a couple of hundred metres high, worth seeing, if you can get the good weather.  By the way if I can add any photos I will, but I have to get them off my camera first.  I also went on a tour to the connemara area and saw loughs, mountains, abbeys etc.  We went to Kylemore with it's walled gardens.  Very nice.  I British doctor and his wife built it a hundred years ago or something.  The wife actually died only a few years later.  It then became a home for Belgium nuns after their place in Belgium burned down.  They made a school for girls, and then it closed in the last couple of years.  It opened for tourism, but the nuns still live there, although there aren't as many now.

Doolin

I managed to get into Doolin for a few days.  Loved the place.  Listened to music (if you could manage to get in), went for walks along the cliffs and down to the pier, had lots of coffee, hot chocolate and cake.  My favourite city would be either Galway or Limerick, and smaller place Doolin, although Enniskillen in Northern Ireland did become a favourite as well, but that is a different country.  Sligo was next and a disappointment.  I went on a tour and it was a rip off in comparison to the 2 done from Galway.  The 2 in Galway were 20 euro for about 8 hours and Sligo was 30 euros for about five.  And what were saw wasn't all that great (one was the grave of Yeats the poet)  I only went on the tour because it was apparently the only way I could get to the lough.  There were no buses and too far and difficult to walk.  Then it was Enniskillen which was nice.  I was only there for a couple of days but it is situated on the river joining 2 loughs.  It would be a nice place to visit if you had a car.  It was a bit difficult to get around otherwise.
Now I'm back in Dublin organising Belgium, last minute shopping etc.  So that's it.  Not very exciting, but that is all you are going to get, and at least you finally got it, or something anyway.  Well, I've still got things to do before the early flight tomorrow so I will sign off and see if I can attach a couple of photos or something.  If not, maybe another time.
I hope everyone is well.  Be good.
Deb
 

Catching up

It's Easter Sunday 2015.  I haven't written anything on the blog since July 20 2011, the day before I flew to Ireland.  I get you all excited about my 40th birthday trip and then blog nothing.  I did email people about my travels but I am totally useless at keeping a diary so to speak, which is what the blog is.  I do still feel the  same way about things though and because I am again looking at travelling overseas, more to volunteer than anything, I thought I would see if I could actually still get into my blog, here I am.  Ok so first I think we need to do a bit of a catch up from my 40th Birthday Trip!!  Luckily I still have copies of the emails I sent, and of course the photos.  So here goes.

Wow

Wow.  Well, here is the rundown, which is only going to be quick as I'm running out of time.  Tomorrow I fly to Ireland.  Yep, I'm going overseas.  I would like to be able to update my blog (especially seeing as something interesting will be happening) but we will have to see as it can be difficult on the road.

I'm not sure where I will be going for sure, and when, so I will leave it as a surprise.  Stay tuned and hopefully things will be happening on this site.

May Update... and April and March

Well, it's time for an update on March, April and May.  The problem with leaving the updating for so long is remembering what happened ages ago.  March - I don't remember anything happening in that month, just work, work, work.  April - Well, April was a bit more eventful.  Even though I didn't make it back to the family, things were happening.  My niece turned three, my brother had his birthday, and of course it was Easter.  For me personally I went to Darwin for a work conference and decided to stay an extra couple of days.  So that was nice.  I just relaxed, hung out with a work collegue who was up there for training, went out for dinner etc.  On the way back I had to drive through a LOT of water.  We have had more rain than usual during the wet season and there has been a lot of flooding.  On the flood plain at Adelaide River the water was approximately 0.4m (it had been higher and the road had been closed) and was the first lot of water I had driven through.  It was quite nerve racking for me, especially when a car came the other way and the wave went over my bonnet and in my window.  By the way, there are crocs in the Adelaide River, so it was a possibility that they were on the floodplain.  I just wish I had taken a photo to show how much water there was.  I also took a couple of weeks off to work on assignments for uni.  I sent the first one (which I passed), and in completed 3/4 of the second (not due until June).  Oh, and the last thing that happened in April was that I gave notice at work.

May - Well, we had Mothers Day.  I went out for lunch with a couple of ladies at the 'Croc Hotel'.  That was very nice.  One of the ladies was also having her birthday.  The following weekend I went for a walk to Nourlangie and surrounds.  I would have liked to go to the billabong near Nourlangie, but it was closed because of the number of crocodiles. 

The Friday night before I was due to leave Jabiru, a small gathering was held as a farewell for me.  A few people went to my boss's house for a feed and drinks, as well as music (guitar playing and singing) and a bit of dancing by some.  It was a great night.  Finally, the last major event for May was driving away from Jabiru to head back to Woodford (via Darwin).  I went Darwin for a couple of days to relax, and then started on my long drive back to Woodford.  I have difficulty spending money, so I usually sleep in my car (which would be ok if it was a decent size).  The first day was a 12 hour drive and I stopped at Barkley Homestead Wayside Inn on the Barkley Highway, NT.  It was absolutely freezing during the night, and I woke to a gathering of semi-trailors including those of the Defence Force carrying enormous tanks.  Which unfortunately left before me (in the same direction) as I had to get petrol, and I therefore had to overtake.  Thank goodness the Barkley Highway is a long and fairly straight road, with not much traffic.  I drove to Richmond Qld, which took approximately 10 hours.  Richmond is part of the Dinosaur Trail (including Hughenden and Winton) in central Queensland.  I stayed there overnight, in a cabin at the caravan park, $94.50.  The only reason I did that was because my father wanted to me to go there on the way back and talked me into it.  He also said that he would pay for the cabin.  It just seems such a lot of money for somewhere to sleep and have a shower.  I'm just a tight-ass and have difficulty spending money, like a said previously.  No wonder I haven't gone overseas yet.  It costs money.  Anyway, I stayed in the cabin, where it was warm, and I could have a shower, so I wasn't a grot, and the next day went to Kronosaurus Korner, the dinosaur museum  http://www.kronosauruskorner.com.au/.  It was interesting, and some of the fossils were so detailed it was amazing.  There is also a fossicking field that you can go to, but I wanted to continue on as I had a long way to go.  I would eventually like to go to Lark Quarry - Dinosaur Trackways, 100km SW Winton  http://www.dinosaurtrackways.com.au/.  It is the only recorded dinosaur stampede on earth.  You can actually see the dinosaur tracks in the dried mud.  Anyway, another long drive for 11.5 hours where I stopped at Duaringa (inland from Rockhampton) and slept in the car again a roadside stop.  There were a lot of caravans and campervans etc there.  Everytime I do the long drive now, there seems to be so many grey nomads travelling around.  The roadside stops are packed.  It's great.  Anyway, another 8 hours approximately and I was having a cup of coffee on the back verandah of my parents house.

I Just Want to Say

I just want to say, yes I know in my profile I said that I don't want that normal 9-5 life, and yet I am currently doing it, BUT we sometimes have to do these things to get what we really want.  Well, to be blunt, money.  I need money to pay some bills, and to have a nest for travel etc.  I will be 40 in August.  Turning 40 is meant to be the new beginning, so if I'm still being boring after that, you can start nagging.
Although, I may be doing my pracs at that stage, so maybe nagging should wait until I've finished those in November.  Come on, give me some leeway.  A new beginning always works better if any incompleted 'business' from your 'old life' is finalised.  Then you won't have it tapping you on the shoulder restricting you with time constraints or guilt or whatever.

Ok, That's all I wanted to say.  I'm going now.

How many months is that?

Well, so much for doing a monthly update, but what can I say, life is uneventful.  Ok, now a bit of catch up.

December - As I said the last time, Marlene, Matt, Delsin & Ruby-Ann left Jabiru to go overseas for a year.  They are currently in Nepal for five months (they have been previously and have friends) and then are off to Malaysia, as well as a few other SE Asian countries.  Ah, that is the life.  Anyway, they are having a great time, and are wondering when I will join them.  Alas, I think I will be here for a little while yet.

I also when home for Christmas for a couple of weeks and caught up with the family and a couple of friends.  I also had to buy a new laptop unfortunately, as my old one was going down hill fast.  It was still going well enough though for my Mum to use, so she now has it until it dies completely.

January/February - Since returning home I have worked, and worked, and worked.  I haven't done much else.  The rain doesn't help either.  I don't really feel like going for a walk out to Nourlangie (which is where I want to go next)  when I'm going to get caught in the middle of a downpour.  Where getting a fair bit of rain up here, including a couple of cyclones (Jabiru wasn't effected too badly), and have even been cut off from Darwin, via the Arnhem Hwy.  We could still get to Darwin via the Kakadu Hwy but it was an extra couple of hours on top of the normal 2.5hrs.  No thank you.  So I haven't left Jabiru since Christmas break.  It can make you a little nutty.

Another person travelling o/s, Kate.  I also met Kate through work when she was contracted to help on a project.  She has gone to Senegal for 5 (I think) months, and has been there previously and has friends.  While Kate (artist, dancer, musician etc) is there she will be starting a community project creating a place where locals artists can come together to work on their art.  If this works out, Kate hopes to eventually help them sell their art via the internet.

Last of all, uni.  Uni started back again at the end of Feb, and although I haven't started my first assignment, I have prepared.  I will be doing my last theory unit 'Middle Years 2' which focuses on my specialty of Middle School, years 5 or 6 to 9 or 10, depending on who you ask.  Then I will have only my 2 prac units left which I may do later this year.  We'll see.  I will be glad to get it finished.

Well, that was a bit of a catch up.  No photos, and I most probably missed something, but I'm sure you're not that concerned.

Until next time....