Day 2: Blue Mountains

Day 2:

We were told to be ready to get on the buses at 9am on Saturday morning, so we all eventually woke up and ate breakfast and got ready just in time. Our teacher Wayne told us this hike was going to be more intense than the last one and to prepare ourselves since it was around a 5 hour hike!! Once again it was a gorgeous day we got so lucky. Once at the place we were going to start our hike, Wayne told us the hike was called The Grand Canyon just for all of us Americans to help us feel at home! 

Our group went out first and it was amazing how the terrain changed in a matter of a few hundred feet. One minute we were walking on paths with dry trees and ground around us, the next minute we are walking through a rainforest surrounded by waterfalls and going down rock steps covered in water! 

It was just so beautiful and we were walking down into the canyon. It was amazing to think we were going to be walking down into the canyon, but that means you have to get back up somehow! Halfway through the walk we all met up at a resting spot at the top of the canyon, it was breathtaking as all the views were in the Blue Mountains. We had our lunch that we packed there, but of course half of my sandwich ended up on the floor! I was not too impressed but had packed enough snacks to fill me up. After lunch it was about another 1.5 to 2 hours just up up up!! It was pretty steady though apart from all the stairs at the end but if you just looked around and took in the scenery the walk seemed easy.

When we got back that evening, we went into town for a little again to stock up on more food if we needed and then we all headed to a pub to watch the Footy that was on. Once we got back to the cabins we were all exhausted. We all showered and then cooked dinner. Tonight on the menu was Spaghetti Bolognaise it was delicious. We had garlic bread also. Luckily there were no fires, we definitely learned our lesson! Everyone met by the bonfire once again for the night to share more stories and bond with the group. We roasted marshmallows and had hot chocolate to keep us warm!

We were all really tired so wanted to get a good nights sleep before our last hike, so our cabin went back inside and sat around our fire inside and chatted for quite a while and had some laughs which was nice and then went to bed. 

Day 3 coming soon...

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

Happy Mother's Day to my beautiful and amazing mother!! Wish I could be there to give you a hug but you will be in Sydney soon!! I Love You!!

AND..

HAPPY 21st BIRTHDAY CHRISTA!!!

Day 1: Weekend in the Blue Mountains!

I am taking a class called Outdoor Learning and at the start of the semester we were told we were going on one day hike and a weekend trip for 3 days and 2 nights. The first hike was to the Royal National Park and it was spectacular, so I had big expectations for this weekend because the Blue Mountains is supposed to be completely breathtaking. Well all I can say is the Blue Mountains not only reached my expectations, they completely went above and beyond! I am going to write this day by day cause there is so much...

Day 1: The Three Sisters, Federal Pass, and the Giant Stairway

Above is an image of the Three Sisters, a famous landmark seen on Australian advertisements. This was taken at the end of our first hike which was around 2 hours. We woke up early to get on the train to Katoomba at 8:20am where we all of our class met. The train ride was about 2 hours long, so we all fell asleep! Once we got to Katoomba our teacher was there to meet us and we got on a coach bus to the first hike. Before we left for the trip, in class we split up into 6 groups of around 6 people. There were 4 groups of girls and 2 groups of guys. Our group was 3 americans and 3 australians. It was Beth, Rachel and I all from miami, and then 3 aussies, Kellie, Whitney, and Jade. We were going to hike and live with our group for the 3 days. Turns out we chose well, our group was absolutely fantastic! When we got off the bus we went on the World Steepest Railway down to the beginning of the hike. This is a picture of us in the railway, it was very steep! 

We started our hike and it was around 5 minutes between each group to make sure we didn't catch up with each other. It was so gorgeous and we all chatted and really enjoyed the walk. It was pretty steady but you had to watch your footing as is was up and down a lot. Here is a picture of our group on the hike on day 1!

Towards the end we heard about the Giant Staircase that we had to climb...the name described it perfectly. It was literally 1000 stairs that were a mixture be and tween steps made out of the side of the rock and some wooden steps. Needless to say, we needed a lot of breaks to catch our breath and it was intense but so cool climbing up the side of a mountain!

The views from the stairs were just gorgeous, and during all of our stops I took may pictures. You could just see for miles, I have never seen anything so breathtaking. It realy made the walk seem so much easier!

When we finally made it to the top, we were all very tired but felt so accomplished! From what started out as a cold morning, I was very happy to have worn layers and a t-shirt underneath because I ended up getting so hot the t-shirt was perfect! Here we are at the top of the stairs, all out of breath and tired

After the hike we had a short bus ride to the town where in our groups we went grocery shopping for the weekend. We had to cook all our own dinners and make lunches and breakfast, so it took us quite some time to get around the store, but we made a plan beforehand of what we wanted to cook (well what the other girls were going to cook as I have no idea how to work my way around a kitchen!). We got steak, chorizo, and chicken with salad and lots of other sides for the first night (everyone was making fun of us for how much meat we got, the said we must have killed about 10 animals!) For night 2 we got ingredients to make spaghetti bolognaise with mince and sauce. Cold cuts were for lunch or bread, and cereal and porridge for breakfast. 

Once the shopping was done we all headed to our cabins which was another short bus ride away. They were located on a huge farm and there were 8 cabins in total, and we took up 7 of them. We were told we had to make a fire to heat up the cabins, so our challenge was to use one match . The aussies went straight to work, I helped collect wood, and we had a great fire going in no time, which our professor was extremely impressed with. 

Well this soon turned...I got out of the shower as everyone else was napping, went to find a plug for my blowdryer, saw the wood on the top of the fireplace was smoking, 2 seconds later there were flames everywhere! I screamed and everyone woke up, we ran to the fire extinguisher as the flames were to the roof!! Next thing we know our teacher came bursting through the door to put out the fire with the extinguisher!

It was scary how quickly the fire started and the timing was good because it could have been a lot worse had I not seen it right when it started! 

Interesting first evening to say the least!! 

We all sat around the campfire that night all 40 of us and shared stories and things and it was lovely. Then all got in bed ready for day 2 of hiking, which we were told would be a grueling 5 hours!!

Day 2 coming soon..

Bondi to Bronte Beach Run!

Yesterday I went with one of my friends on the Bondi to Bronte Beach run. I had heard a lot about it and I have wanted to do it for a while, so the weather was perfect to run yesterday, sunny and a crisp 60 degrees. It was the most stunning run I have ever done. The run is along the coastline passing 4 different beaches, so you run along the cliffs. It is a hard run with lots of stairs and hills, but the views are breathtaking you forget about being so tired. I am going to do it a lot more, and also walk it so I can take pictures and post them for you! I am excited to take my Mum on the run when she comes, she will love it! 

Can't wait for camping and hiking this weekend!

Love, 

Nic xoxo

Real Aussie Camping in the Blue Mountains!

Hi All!

On Saturday it was Anzac Day here in Australia. It is sort of like Memorial Day in the US and the soldiers are remembered. We started the day off early with Mimosas and then a couple of my local friends picked me up and we drove the 2 and a bit hours to the Blue Mountains for a 21st birthday party. Instead of the usual "rent out a bar and invite all your friends", Stu decided to invite all his friends to his grandparents farm and have everyone camp out for the night.

The drive up there was just beautiful, stunning views and mountains all around. I am heading back to the Blue Mountains next weekend with my Outdoor Learning class so I will take pictures then, didn't manage to take any this weekend! But it was stunning and the clearest sky you have ever seen. After passing many "kangaroo crossing and wombat crossing" signs, I knew we were out of the city and into the bush! I didn't run into any wild Aussie animals this weekend, but my teacher assured me when we go with our class we will see lots of wild Kangaroos and Aussie wildlife, which I am very excited for!

We got there around 4ish and put up the tents (yes I learned how to pitch a tent I was VERY proud of myself!) We had sleeping bags and mattress pads so it ended up being quite comfy, despite the intense winds outside that I thought were going to pick up and throw the tent a mile away! After the tents were put up we all started having some of the punch and there were a bunch of parents serving some nibbles like homemade sausage rolls which were unbelievable, so good! All the parents got a kick out of me, and kept telling me how lucky I was to experience a "real aussie camping experience" and I have to say it was so cool. The farm was huge and beautiful. When the sun went down there were two mini bonfires we all crowded around for warmth (it was cold, thank god for Uggs!!) and we sat on hay bushels, and ate dinner. Then came the speeches, it is so lovely here 21st birthdays are a huge deal and the parents and friends all give speeches, tell funny and embarrassing stories, but its a really nice tradition. 

Then we all started drinking and dancing in a shed on the property, and then the two massive bonfires were lit. They were so huge, I can't even explain, but we were certainly not cold after that! The sky was so clear I thought I could see every star in the atmosphere! I got to see the Southern Cross which was beautiful and some other constellations, I couldn't stop looking up!! Really breathtaking

In the morning, we all got up and the parents made breakfast, and all night all the parents kept telling me was have you seen Trixie yet, and I didn't know what they were talking about. Well in the morning I found out! Trixie is their pet sheep, which goes in the house, and just wonders around and comes when it is called! It was so cute, and was standing next to me as I ate my bacon and eggs! I thought it was hysterical! The picture at the top is Trixie!!

Everyone was so nice and welcoming and it was such a great Australian experience. I am excited to go camping again with my class next weekend, but we are staying in cabins so its cheating a bit, but we are going to do 3 hikes which should be so awesome! I will take lots of pictures so you can all see, didn't get a chance to take pictures this weekend, but will make up for it as I will be going back!

It is certainly getting colder, so strange that as May creeps upon us here in Sydney the temperature is dropping, and it is turning into winter not summer! But it is nice to bundle up a little bit, and it is Fall (sorry I should say Autumn) here and around 60-65 during the day. I guess I will just have to go shopping for some winter clothes to stay warm (just kidding Dad! sorta...)

I will update after my weekend in the Blue Mountains with my class with pictures and more stories!!

Love, Nic xoxo

Back from Fiji!!

BULA!!

That is the "hello" in Fijian, and you certainly here it every 5 seconds, it becomes quite catchy! When we arrived, we were welcomed by singing Fijians and women putting shell necklaces around our necks! It felt very much like Hawaii. It was night when we arrived and we got on a boat filled with American's all doing the same thing as us, Spring Break in Fiji. Of course we got to talking and figured out we had many mutual friends, typical, on a dinky boat in the middle of a Fijian ocean and we know the same people!! 

Once we arrived, it was pretty apparent we overpacked rediculously since we all brought one of the HUGE suitcases we came with when we moved to SYDNEY, and in Fiji, no one wears shoes, so our black heels and jeans were definitely not needed. Dress code is Bikini and shell necklaces, never shoes. 

We had a great first night, there was one bar on Beachcomber Island where we stayed. It was a very small island but it was great. We had a beautiful little beach front hut, which turned out to be luxury because everyone else we met stayed in a 86 person "dorm" which consisted of a room enclosed with a tiny screen and 43 bunk beds...not my idea of luxury, so our hut with a fan was high class! 

Every day we sunbathed on the beach, went into the ocean, and then at night went to the bar. It was very relaxing and a great time! There was one staff member in particular that everyone on the Island fell in love with, his name was Clive, and he would have the biggest smile on his face at all times, and he would get us drinks and just pop out of no where! He is one of the pics below, I'm pretty sure you'll be able to figure out which one he is!!

I have to say, I won't miss the food. We had 3 meals a day, breakfast was strictly from 8-9am (naturally we only made that twice!), Lunch was from 1-2pm, then dinner was from 7-8pm. If you missed a meal, you had to eat the cheese sandwiches they made at the bar...so we definitely lived off cheese sandwiches since even when we made the meals, they consisted of a tiny scoop of rice, and some sort of curry. Cheese sandwiches were what got us through the week! 

It was stunningly beautiful and just Islands everywhere. The water was clear blue and at night, we could see baby sharks right off the beach!! We didn't end up going diving or anything so didn't see any big sharks (just you wait until we got to the Great Barrier Reef!!). We had a great time, but as always, its nice to be back home, and we are all happy to sleep back in our own beds I think! 

I would love to explore some of the other Islands in Fiji, there are so many, and each more beautiful than the next. Hopefully I will get the chance to go back again someday...

HAPPY EASTER!!

Happy Easter everyone!! Hope you all eat lots of chocolate this bunny day! Off to Fiji in 2 hours!! The first picture that I uploaded yesterday is of the Great Hall on my campus, so beautiful!

Love, 

Nic