Trekking Solo: My Adventures Down Under

Photos: SYD-BRIS

ashleyhelmick — Mon, 20 May 2013 15:25:00 GMT

Sydney Reunion

ashleyhelmick — Sat, 18 May 2013 13:55:00 GMT

May 8-10: Mel to Syd to Cairns (pics to come!)

Sydney bound, I was so excited! I barely slept last night due to being afraid I'd miss my flight, the squeaky beds, and being pumped to see Lucy! I made it downstairs for the shuttle and to the airport. There was a stop at the bus station where I had to find my way to the airport- be proud again because I made it!

I got into Sydney, grabbed my bags and I found the train to Town Hall, near the hotel. Lucy had booked us a room at the Metro Hotel. I was beyond pumped to be staying at a nice hotel, with someone I knew, awesome water pressure, towels included, and comfortable beds. I dropped my bag off at the front desk and went to check out the area. I opted to check out the Tower Eye. Taking the tour was awesome. First, I made it to the inside top of the tower where there were awesome views of the entire city and beyond. You could walk all the way around. At 3:00 I went into a separate room for the tour where we geared up in special blue suits and got our harnesses. We got the safety talk, etc. and climbed up to the very top of the highest tower in the city. They played some pump up music as the door slowly opened to the outside and we hooked ourselves in and made our way out.

We couldn't take cameras or anything that would drop. It would kill someone! But they took some pics of us outside.

As we walked around the tower, our tour guide told us about the city. We stopped a bunch and it was so cool seeing the bridge and opera house for the first time from above. We could see the Blue Mountains in the distance, too. The AUS girl in front was terrified of heights, why the h-e- double hockey sticks would you agree to that then!? She could hardly move around, but we made it. At one point, we went over the glass floor where we could see straight down. I'm not gonna lie, it was kinda scary. We were told to put our backs against the railing and look up at a light- 10 seconds later, the floor moved! We moved out on the platform a few yards.. AHH! So yes, I'd call that a thrill for the day.

I walked around Pitt Street near where we were staying and waited for Lucy to get there- reunited! Yay!! I was so excited to see her! Luce drove about five hours from Wagga Wagga , NSW (a destination for my next AUS trip) and we got to hang for a couple days while I was there. Her friend, Dani, picked us up and we went out t the Opera House bars. We ate outside and the view was spectacular. The lit up Opera House in front of us and the Harbour Bridge to our left was the perfect way to see the city at night. We walked around and eventually made our way back to the hotel where Dani dropped us off. We walked around George Street and got some ice cream-- yum!

Day two in Sydney we slept in a little and found a nice cafe and people watching spot on the main road for breakfast near Circular Quay. We were off to the Taronga Zoo! We rode the ferry to the zoo and got to ride the cable car up to the top. We saw gorillas, chimps, koalas, and elephants. What made this zoo especially unique was the view of the Sydney Harbour; the giraffes stood above many of the trees and had the best view behind them!

We saw the nasty, deadly snakes exhibit and then got to go to the bird show. It's like a magic trick, those birds were completely trained. How do you train birds?! The red parrots, white corellas, and other big birds were included as well. I just kept thinking about how cool it would be to work there. Speaking of work, people get paid like $24 minimum wage and have a mandatory 4week vacation that can roll over- not including government holidays and sick days. WOW! I do believe Americans should adopt this policy..

We would have happier people and potentially a higher work efficiency, not to mention more jobs available.

After a great day at the zoo, we walked around the harbor and saw the Carnival cruise ship. There were a ton of reporters set up on the pier, and I knew something must've happened. That was the cruise where two people went missing, and we heard the breaking news live, in person! Scary and very sad, the couple has died at sea. I don't know about y'all, but that makes me not want to cruise anytime soon. And.. I am officially convinced that Carnival is being sabotaged.

Anyways.. Walking back to the hotel, we met up with another CMW friend, Kelli Hewitt! The three of us had such a good time out, getting to catch up and chat. We got dinner, drinks, and wandered around Darling Harbour- another beautiful place in Sydney! They were wonderful tour guides and I really loved trading in the bridge climb and Harbour cruise for a locals perspective in the city.

Thank you, Kelli, for booking my trip, giving me hints along the way, and coming to see us when you really needed to pack! I'm so jealous you are going back to camp this summer. It's going to be amazing! See you when I come visit, love you crazy girl!!

..the next morning.. Lucy drove me out to see Bondi Beach. It's pronounced "Bond-eye" by the way.. Don't get caught saying "Bond-ee." We had breakfast at a cafe along the boardwalk and people-watched. Loved it! We saw the famous "Bondi Rescue" lifeguards and checked out the souvenir shops.. It kind of reminded me of a small Myrtle Beach with beautiful water. After time there, Lucy dropped me off at the airport and I may or may not have shed a tear or two when saying goodbye to her!

Luce, thanks so much for everything. That was an amazing stay in Sydney and I loved all of it! I'm so glad I got to see you, and I'm glad you could make it. I hope the pups are doing well and that you are living it up in Wagga! Hoping to make it back with some MW girls to visit you next time! Miss you already and love you lots!!

I flew into Cairns, about a 3 hour flight, and checked into my hotel. I continued the nicer stays and was glad I did for quality sleep's sake. It was pretty late when I got there already, and I was on the hunt for food. First time out by myself at night went really well. I went to a place on "Abbott Street" called Outback Jacks. There I had my first taste of crocodile, a d it tasted a little like chicken. Sitting by myself was kind of nice because the super cute bartender kept checking on me and kept me company a bit. After keeping myself calm and cool around the cute Aussi boys, I left and walked through the night markets.

There were a lot of common knick-knack souvenirs and a ton of Asian cheap massages. It was really awkward because everyone was together in the room- I opted out. Made it back to the hotel all in one piece and fell asleep to the tv after setting my alarm for 5AM.

2 Days on the GOR

ashleyhelmick — Mon, 13 May 2013 00:28:00 GMT

May 6-7: Great Ocean Road Days

So ladies, if the only reason you're here is to find an Aussie man, you are in terrible luck. We've traveled from Urldunda to Melbourne, even mixing groups, without a single bloke in sight. Squatter has told us that if we're looking for a rich Aussie bachelor, we need to visit the Great Ocean Road homes over Christmas and New Years. So let me go ahead and make plans for that.. Not.

Girl Power!

The Ausie dollar isn't only worth more than the American dollar, things over here cost about two to three times what you would pay in the US. Everything except for flights, that is. Or so I thought. Jetstar is very cheap- a base price of $35AUD to fly Melbourne to Sydney-- HOWEVER, there are a lot of fees they don't tell you about up front (seat selection, baggage, Internet fees, etc) and changing your flight can be a nightmare. I had to do that the other night over the phone- thank you Squatter! Let's just say I had to pay a decent amount over the base price of the flight and I was not happy. I had a nice little conversation with the JetStar man who was NOT helpful.. And by the end of my phone call he had emailed me a $50 voucher. What in hades am I going to do with that!? I gave him a not so lovely piece of my mind and saw Squatter chuckle a little as I let the American from the south come out in me more and more.

Nick, you're getting the voucher, I'm hoping you can use it!

So note to self and others:

Buy the flight for an extra $19AUD just in case you need to make any change. At all. Or jut got with Quantas- I had a very pleasant experience with them (Syd to Alice).

Other than that, my experience along the Great Ocean Road was wonderful. We stopped at all of the lookouts possible, and the mostly untouched beaches were smoothed over by the somewhat rough, yet glass-like sea. They were absolutely beautiful. This drive also was a park- the Port Campbell National Park. It definitely was not a "you've seen one, you've seen them all" type deal. Each had a different type structure or story to go along with it, and these were true stories- not the dream stories I've told you about!

There were many shipwrecks along the coast and come to find out.. The Great Ocean Road is actually a memorial itself, built for the Anzacs in the First World War.

It was nice doing the GOR from Adelaide to Melbourne because it felt a little less touristy as people were mostly coming from the other direction.

We saw the 12 Apostles first, and quick fact is that there were never twelve to begin with. Nice marketing scheme there, AUS! Other stops included Bay of Islands, Bay of Martyrs, Shipwreck Coast, the Grotto, London Bridge, the Arch, Gibson Steps and walking on the beach. Lots and lots of beautiful views during the early morning until sunrise.

One of the stories involved a wealthy, married man. He and his secretary went to see the London Bridge along the GOR and were able to cross a bridge to stand on the rock. The bridge snapped behind them and they were stranded until help came for them- oh and the news! BUSTED. Later on, as they were in interviews , the wife called into the station telling everyone they were getting a divorce. Classic.

Both mornings, Squatter woke up and made us pancakes! That surely got me out of bed and ready for the day with a smile on my face! We were used to people handing us bread (sometimes stale) to toast and cereal that I ate without milk, so you can imagine how pumped I was for pancakes. Oh and ps, that was his choice to make them-- so nice!

Waking up in the Grampians, I felt like I was at camp. It was a chilly morning in what looked like our mountains in the southeast. Loved it! We headed out after breakfast and went for a hike- Pinnacle Mountain and the Balconies. It was beautiful when we got to the top. There was an amazing lookout, and mom would have died seeing how far we went to the cliff for pictures!

We ventured to the cultural center where we learned more about the aboriginals in a less biased environment. We saw two videos that depicted the dream story and scientific way of forming the Grampians. We then painted boomerangs of our own with traditional dot painting. I thought that was pretty fun. We got to bring out our creativity. Woo!

We grabbed lunch in town and went over to Tower Hill where we spotted a koala! Squatter woke him up in good fashion by banging on the tree to make him move! We stopped at more places down the GOR and had dinner at a quiet pub near the hostel we stayed at in a beach town. This hostel was interesting. Surf-style bathrooms and showers, meaning that there were stalls in the hall, showers that ran for 10 minutes at a time also in the hall, and a separate room for sinks. Interesting for sure.

Up early for pancake breakfast again and then out the door to see the rest if the GOR! We drove along the road and saw the waves of the ocean dancing beside us. It was a winning view for sure. We stopped in at the Koala Cafe for a much needed lunch. I tried shark for the first time! I had a Shark sandwich, and it was 1. Delicious and 2. Not illegal.

Squatter sat outside and all of a sudden parrots flew out of nowhere to sit around him. There were ducks, carellas, and some stork like bird too. Wow. Then we saw another group feeding them. The birds were flying around like crazy near the campground where we were walking and the would fly to your shoulder for food. It was cool for a little bit, but then they got a little pesky. I was there to see some koalas, and koalas we saw!

Squatter woke up a few by banging on the trees again. This made for prime pics since they sleep 20 HOURS per day!! Woah. They are so cute!

We stopped at the GOR archway sign and took pictures of course and then made out way to Melbourne to end our tour that night and drop everyone off along the way. Vera and I stayed in a room with the Colombian girl, Sandra. We went out that night for a good meal and drinks to celebrate the end of our trip. I was sad to be finishing it up and leaving a new good friend.

I felt like I've known Vera a lot longer than just 11 days! We've had a lot of good times and deep convos along the way, and I realized we're a lot alike. Thanks for the good laughs and being so nice the whole way.. Not to mention being my ice cream buddy! Miss you already and wish you were doing this next tour with me too! Have a great rest of your time I'm AUS and safe travels back to Holland. Can't wait to visit!

Our hostel room was a good last laugh. The beds were sensitively squeaky to the point where you would wake the whole room to roll over or get down from the top. I slept on the top bunk above some Chinese guy who couldn't speak English very well. First of all, he took my comforter- who does that!? Sorry you're cold mister, but layer up! There were some English girls in there. One was sporting a Tampa Bucs jersey.. Nice at first. Well after we had gone out and done laundry, I went to sleep about 1:30am and had to get up at 6:30. English girls busted in at about 2am drunk off their arse and giggling. They turned on the lights and yelled "Hello room!" What in the bleep da bleep is your problem!?

There was also a French guy in there. Let's just say it was an interesting first experience staying in a mixed hotel room with 8 people. Oh the English.. I got them back early the next morning with my flashlight in their faces, going in and out of the room and packing up my bags.

Sorry not sorry :)

I'll give Nomads an A for effort but a C for quality. I'm sure it could be a lot worse, so my grading may change at any given point -disclaimer.

The GOR was beautiful, but I think that the outback was so unique that it's my favorite so far.

Tarryn, I really liked your city. I had no idea it was so big! Melbourne was a big city, but pretty laid back. I liked it. We found a cafe street and ate along there. I wish I would have spent more time there. But I have to leave more to see when I come back some day. I would definitely love to drive Sydney to Wagga to see Lucy and then to Melbourne to see Tarryn. Then on to Tasmania. One day!

Photos: GOR 2-3

ashleyhelmick — Sun, 12 May 2013 23:59:00 GMT

National Park Hopping and Motel Luxury

ashleyhelmick — Sat, 11 May 2013 23:33:00 GMT

May 5, 2013:

This is the third or fourth national park we've been to. I'm starting to think that Australia is one big national park. It's quite incredible actually. The PRTM in me is loving all of this and wishing I had written my 60 page paper on the aboriginal culture in Australia instead of the natives in Patagonia.

Vera and I got up at 5AM to get ready and meet Squatter downstairs at the bus to get front seats. He had traded in the last bus for one with Wifi! It helped on our long drive to Grampians National Park. Stopping along the way, it didn't seem like 10 hours of driving all day. But it must have for a few of the girls who partied all night in Adelaide and got on the bus with little to no sleep. First night out as 18 (legal age here) and they had to get on a bus and go hiking all day. Horrible idea for the girls that were still drunk when they got on the bus. And not gonna lie, all I could think about is they better suck it up and not ruin our trip, or I would be beyond pissed.. Grandma status. Welp, they did pretty well and we got to know them when they sobered up! New friends, and pretty sweet girls ;) Fittingly, they work at a vineyard in Barrossa where Fallon and Brooke are from. Kaitlyn works there too, but is from California where she studied wine making at Cal Poly-Tech, I think?

Anyways, our new group was all girls. Squatter is one lucky fella!

Two girls from London, two Aussies, two Americans, one Dutchy, one Italian, and one Colombian made up our group with Squatter leading the way! Our first stop was at the border where we crossed into Victoria from South Australia. I've loved being able to border hop, unfortunately I won't have a pic Infor NSW or Queensland because I'm flying. However driving all the way would have been a lot. We also got out to see some white kangaroos. Those were pretty special.

That was a quick stop, but then we went to Hollow Mountain. This was an AWESOME hike on the edge of the rock face. One of the London girls wore flats and thought this was more of a sightseeing tour. She was in for a treat. Falling to the right would have meant falling off the mountain, and many of the times we had to resort to climbing on our hands and knees for support.

The views were truly incredible. We got so e group pictures at the top and it was well worth the climb. We saw some rock climbers nearby and they were doing what was said to be the easier routes. They looked pretty tough to me!

We picked up lunch along the way and booked it to Mackenzie Falls first. Steep steps on the way down meant a rough climb for the way back up. It proved true. But it was neat to see Mackenzie Falls and hang around the rocks a bit.

We made it back up with a few motivational pep talks and drove over to an overlook where we watched the sunset before heading to the Grampians Motel for a BBQ dinner by chef Squatter and bedtime. I roomed with Vera and Sophie, which was a lot of fun. We watched some tv, enjoyed the space and nice shower being in the room! Motel Luxury.

Photos: GOR1

ashleyhelmick — Sat, 11 May 2013 01:29:00 GMT

Kangaroo Island

ashleyhelmick — Sat, 11 May 2013 00:52:00 GMT

May 4,2013: May the Fourth be with you from Kangaroo Island!

**Sorry this is so late. I ran out of Internet and had to purchase some more at the store!**

Waking up extremely early by choice is kind of a big deal for me, especially on a free day. I was out the front door by 6:05 and at the bus station by 6:10.. FIVE MINUTES EARLY!! It was still dark, and I was not extremely pleased with the directions that were given to me by the front desk from the YHA in Adelaide- turn right down an alley and you'll be right there. Okay maybe a well lit street would be better- that's what I found coming back at 10:30pm. Yes, it was a long day and lots if voluntary bus riding, but I'm glad I did it!

On the way from Adelaide to KI ferry, we saw a full rainbow over the town in the foreground of the ocean view. Unfortunately pictures can't do the memories justice, but I did my best in capturing the moment.

I hopped a ferry to KI. It was 45 minutes a pretty rocky seas, but I was somewhat prepared. I learned from Jena that the sea bracelets worked pretty well on our cruise last year, so I rocked that on the boat and tried to sleep a little. It worked. They did have paper bags just in case, but I was not about to use one.

I got off the ferry and found the restroom, or "toilets" as they call them here and mostly everywhere else other than America. Then I looked for the bus. Thinking I had found the right one, I knocked on the door. An older man with a slight sense of humor stopped his talk and opened the door. I checked in and he asked where I had been because they were about to leave me. He wasn't kidding. Then to the tour guide and everyone else I had to apologize and say I had run to the bathroom real quick--embarrassing.

So note to self and others: find your tour first before you stand in line for the "toilets."

I was the youngest on this tour by far, and I didn't really meet anyone except for two retired couples from AUS and there were two Italians on their honeymoon. Anywho, the entire day tour made me better appreciate Squatter, Belle, Ray and the group so much more than I already did!

We saw some cool things, though the atmosphere of the Sealink day tour could have been a little more welcoming and upbeat.

First stop--Seal Bay Conservation Park. This was a natural seal bay and breeding ground. The big brown and grey animals were everywhere! We learned that a female seal is pregnant for 17 months (cringe moment) and then after they have the baby they get pregnant again within a week. This cycle continues for the rest of their lives. I would leave the pack, abandon ship, and swim away. An actual fun fact is that they can hold their breath for 6 minutes to swim and hunt for food.

We got to walk along the beach and get close to the seals. No touching though. I felt like I was at the piers in San Fran with all the seals and the same wretched smell! It was really cool though, just a little difficult with more and older people in the group.

We had lunch at a restaurant close by, and the food was pretty good. But the neat part was the water. Kangaroo Island has the 3rd best air quality in the world, and they do not filter their rainwater. They use that as tap and drinking water, and they served it at lunch. It tasted better than our Brita, and was more like bottled water. Very cool.

Hanson Bay Koala Sanctuary was up next. It was pretty neat as we walked through the rows of eucalyptus trees on either side of the dirt road looking up for great fireballs- aka sleeping koalas! We spotted about 15 of them and then had to run back to the bus.

The Remarkable rocks stop was next on the list. I signed up for the highlights tour and got to see most of the sights on the island. It was just hard not to stay at each site for very long. A trek down a boardwalk led us to the rocks where the wind howled across in every direction. After I had showed up in shorts and a Tshirt, I was so thankful to have grabbed my Adidas pants and sweatshirt! I would have had to buy a jacket because the Antarctic winds were fierce. I'm serious, the cold was coming to Antarctica! I thought I could see it, but my vision isn't quite as good as Sarah Palin's..

I like her though so it's okay :)

The rocks were pretty neat, almost like broken marbles. I got caught up takin a lot of pictures and then talking to a couple I thought was on our tour. They were not, and I almost got left on the island. Oops.

I got an applause when I stepped on the bus. True.

Admiral's Arch was our last stop and I was not about to be late getting back to the bus. It had been a long day, so I booked it down the steps, snapped some pics and went back to the bus.

We grabbed "dinner" at one of the only restaurants in their main area. And got it to-go for the bus ride to drop people off at the airport and then to the ferry that would take us back to the mainland. The water was a lot smoother this time, which was nice but I was exhausted. Getting on the bus from the ferry to Adelaide is where I met Joy, the older lady I told you about in my last post. Good times for sure.

In all, I'm glad I took this day trip but I might not do it again. It was a nice check off the list and I don't have to go on with the "what ifs." And if you haven't noticed, it was a little different. Not many kangaroos (weird) and no aboriginals. I don't know why we didn't see many kangas on KI, but I did learn that the aboriginals believe the islands to be full of spirits so they stay away.

I made it back to the bus station and walked down a more crowded street on a Saturday night and went back to the room for a second night there. Vera and I were the only ones in the room so we lucked out. No randos coming in late.

Also, my favorite hostel has surely been the YHA. I'm not sure if it's the same everywhere, but it was clean, had big lockers, front desk people were helpful and it was quiet for the most part. Our alarms were set for 5am again, and we would meet people in our group for the Great Ocean Road.

Tuned out and Wined Up: Parachilna to Adelaide

ashleyhelmick — Sun, 5 May 2013 11:53:00 GMT

Post 8:

May 3, 2013

Want to know how to miss out on life and what's going on in the world around you?

Put headphones in your ears and tune out everything and everyone else. You talk to no one, hear nothing, and you're in your own little world where no one else matters. There are many instances when I've seen this occur while traveling (and at home), and many times it prevents people from paying attention. How can you take it all in? Meet people? Why yes, you could have a sound track to your life and a constant flow of songs you like ringing through your ears all day. But when you tune out life, you miss out on opportunities. Yes, things could seem awkward when you don't know what else to do, but our generation of teens and twenties (especially) needs to learn how to face discomfort with confidence. How many times have you pretended to text someone or look at your phone when walking by people to avoid an uncomfortable (but not dangerous) situation? I don't have much against technology, or music for that matter, but to users out there: please remember that life's happening. Don't miss yours.

This is my one rant for the day, hopefully. It's 7:00 in the morning and I am on a bus headed to Kangaroo Island! I actually made it to the bus station all by myself (a block away from the hostel, but still) after grabbing a disgraceful continental breakfast. Toast-again- this time stale. American breakfast (in the south) is the best. By far. No contest.

What brought me to my rant is that while sitting in the bus station I thought about grabbing my headphones and popping them in so I didn't have to listen to some of the different languages of people in there, and I was by myself, etc. But that also made me think about my shuttle ride on the Alice Wanderer from the airport to the Haven hostel where I met my new Aussie friend, Michelle. We had to say good bye this morning as she ended her tour in Adelaide to be back to work on Monday morning. We had lots of good laughs and fun times together and I'm really glad I met her! If we didn't start up a conversation then, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have seen anything in Alice Springs or started off with the comfort of knowing that there were many other people here (and in our group) traveling solo and for the first time, as girls.

[Side note: it's funny, you don't see too many guys on tours (and not many Americans at all here). Squatter said tours in general consist of more than 75% female. So that was a gift to you, fellas, get on a tour- automatic international ladies' man. You're welcome.]

To finish my point here, I was riding back from Kangaroo Island (I'll be writing about that in my next post) and I was extremely tired at about 10:30pm. I was ready to tune out the world and couldn't wait for my head to hit the pillow when an older lady sat next to me. I sad hello and we got to chatting- funny how that happens in most all my stories. We talked about their government (Julia thepit horrible prime minister), their refugee problems, their economy, aboriginal issues, traveling, and life. Joy was from Perth sand said that I really needed to visit Western Australia. After chatting the entire way, she gave me her address and phone number because Perth has been on my bucket list for next time I come to Australia. You can snorkel with Whale Sharks! I had to leave something to make me come back! But she said if I make it back here in her lifetime, to call her up and she would pick me up from the airport and that I could stay with her. She had is lot of good advice and was obviously very nice and active.

If I had my headphones in or went to sleep, I would have missed a wonderful conversation and opportunity full of advice and hospitality.

So, shout out to Michelle (especially if you find this) for being my first friend on this wonderful trip, being so generous, and being an all round great gal. I'm proud that you've broken out of your shell to see the world and travel- it's never too late. Good luck with your next venture and I hope to keep in touch and see you again. Cheers!

And shout out to me for not putting in my headphones to tune out the world or the potentially awkward situation on the bus that led to a new friendship. So yes, I strongly suggest to have conversations with people around you (not sketchball strangers- thanks for the reminder Campbell!) and allow yourself to take in opportunities that will better your experiences. Or.. Pop in your headphones, take a nap, and miss out.

Lastly, Shout out to CMW for teaching me how to be "unplugged" for my many summers at camp. Denice, I think that's one of the best initiatives we've seen thus far! You can truly see and feel the difference in atmosphere and quality of experience and conversation while there. Yay camp!

And okay, back to Australia since I'm here and all. Yesterday (Friday), we woke up in our quaintly remodeled train cars at the Prairie Hotel in Parachilna. Outside, I felt like I was in Little House on the Prairie, except in a more remote location. Out by 7:30, we drove back into the Flinders Mountains to hike to see some aboriginal cave paintings. They were about 30,000 years old, talk about antiques. I guess they're priceless, but I have no idea what they mean.

Leaving the caves and beautiful views, we saw some ruins in the valley. A couple hundred years old, this "town" was established in a once lush and green area. Kanyaka Homestead housed a fair amount of people and 200,000 cattle sheep. They all died in the drought. My first thought: can you imagine how horrible that would smell!? And sadly, the man who founded this place and had been overseas and in the war ended up drowning in a creek that wasn't typically there because of the dry climate. There was one lone palm tree that still remains and seems to be the shining glory of the ruin. All in all, I found it a bit depressing, although it gave us a good insight to what life was like in Australia colonial times. Personally, I never would have left the coast.

From there, we stopped at the Anzac (Australian Veterans) Memorial that exists in just about every town we've seen, but is a little different in each. Squatter, being an army man himself, has filled us with new knowledge about the world wars, gulf wars, fighting with and for America, etc. Thats made it a lot more interesting. PS did you know that about a quarter of the people who want to be in the army actually get to be in it. Although it has always been completely volunteer, it is highly selective.

We stopped in for lunch at this great place in Melrose in the wine country by Clare Valley. We had spaghetti bolognese and a wine tasting of the local wine, both red and white. My favorite quote from the owner, "wine tasting is for idiots." She was telling us that it's more about how it feels and tastes on your palette with your food, etc. and all I could think about was how proud Dad and Mr. Wes would have been! ;)

Comfortably full, we left there after posting my last blog to you lovely readers. Thank you for the support, by the way! We travelled through the valley, passing kangaroos and vineyards, stopping for cheesy pics at road signs, and jamming out to Australia's greatest hits.

We did stop at the whispering dam, where you can have a conversation with someone about 60 yards away via whisper. In good fashion, Squatter said the 3 boys next to him might be looking for girlfriends. And in unison we all responded that we were taken. The family there was completely inbred. Like something you'd see in hillbilly America. I about died.

We finished the day in Adelaide, where we checked in to the YHA. Great place, highly recommended. Cleaner, safer, nicer than the rest. Michelle and I headed out to China Town to find dinner. We ate at a Chinese restaurant, surprise. Then we headed back, exhausted, and we wearily set our alarms for 5:15AM.

Photos: Tour5

ashleyhelmick — Sun, 5 May 2013 10:18:00 GMT

YOTAO: Flinders National Park

ashleyhelmick — Fri, 3 May 2013 13:44:00 GMT

May 2, 2013: post 7

We voted to wake early this morning after getting a good night's sleep in the Quorn Motel where we didn't have to take a flashlight to find a bathroom! We even had a tv in the room, talk about luxury. Want to know what we watched?

.. Big Bang Theory, Modern Family, and Burn Notice.. Really?! I found out right away that Europeans and Aussies love American tv. We all talked about Pawn Stars, Deadliest Catch, Storage Wars, Swamp People, etc. Thus, I took the honor to introduce them to the best show on tv now..

DUCK DYNASTY!

We grabbed "brekky" and loaded up our bags on the bus to be on the road at 7am. We were on a special mission, not part of the tour, to catch the sunrise over the Flinders Ranges and spot kangaroos and wallabies in the Warren Gorge! About a 15 minute drive through the hillside, we made it just in time for the perfect nature hike. We got pretty up close and personal with the wallabies, which look kind of like a mix between a small kangaroo and a raccoon with the striped tail.

I got about 5 feet away from a kanga mom and daughter pair. They blend into the grass and rocks very easily. It took me a while to finally spot the first one we saw, but you would hear rustling in the grass as they were still taking in the shade before retreating from the blazing sun to which they have no way of cooling down.

Fun fact: kangaroos and wallabies have two sets of ears! It's true, they have ears in their feet between their toes, and that enables them to hear/better feel vibrations from the ground when predators come their way. Good luck sneaking out, teenager roos!

Driving down the road with mountains on both sides of you in the still cool morning makes you feel small in this great big world. We are headed to Flinders Ranges National Park to take a hike and learn more about the aboriginal culture here, which will actually be different than in Alice, Uluru, and Coober Pedy. I feel like I'm out west in the States, Wyoming or Montana with the cowboys, cattle ranches, and mountain ranges.

We hiked with Squatter to a couple steep lookouts throughout the Wilpena Pound in the Flinders National Park. Wow the views were breathtaking, both in beauty and the incline that made it hard to breathe. It was an optional climb, but I can't imagine missing out on something like that! It's so big that you can fit Uluru into the circular landscape 8 times!

Thus, from YOLO I've developed "YOTAO" : You Only Travel Australia Once. I hope that's not actually true, but you never know! I would come back in a heartbeat. And I could stay even longer.

The wind hit you like a breath of fresh air at the top as it whipped around roughly through the gum trees. You could hear the kookaburras laughing amongst you. Yes, people, I started singing the old camp song.

"Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree, merry merry king of the bush is he. Laugh, kookaburra, laugh.." I couldn't help but think of Lucy Wood at campfire, as Jim would glance her way and chuckle every time we sang this song. Thanks for the laugh, guys!

We passed through the Glass Gorge along the bumpy dirt roads to get to the the Prarie Hotel. Per usual trip in a secluded region, Squatter has to slam on the breaks every now and then in order to avoid hitting kangaroos hopping into the road. Same with emus, but they're faster and less intelligent. We've seen a good amount of road kill along the way since Alice. The rule here is to hit the dead on, no swerving. The bus would flip. There are "road trains" here, too, that destroy pretty much everything in their paths. Road Trains are 3-4times the length of semi trucks in America, and they're bigger in width as well. Lets just say I'm not about to mess with them!

We rode into a sunset on the prairie, the Flinders Ranges behind us. It was glowing with wisps of orange, blue, and yellow dancing across the sky. We made it to Parachilna, home of the famous Prairie Hotel. It's a cattle ranch where they brew their own beer: Fahgher Lager. It's the only place you can get it in the world, and apparently celebrities fly in just to have a beer. Not only that, we had a full plate for dinner. We feasted on camel sausage, kangaroo steak, and emu burger. I was surprised to be at such a nice restaurant a hundred or so miles away from anything else.

Being an old railway town, we slept in old train cars! That was pretty cool.

Photos: Tour4

ashleyhelmick — Fri, 3 May 2013 13:22:00 GMT

The Aussi Grand Canyon and My New Friend Squatter

ashleyhelmick — Wed, 1 May 2013 23:42:00 GMT

April 29-30, 2013

Aussies are some of the most open-minded, easy going people on the planet. It's just their nature to go with the flow and I'm loving it. I think I've heard "No worries, mate!" a hundred times since I've been here. It's a "we'll get there when we get there" type thinking and its been great to be able to take in the full experience and not stress about getting from point A to point B. i think this helps them have good relations with most everyone in the world. So of course I'm taking in as much as possible and enjoying every bit. However, I have learned that Aussies aren't constantly waving at you to say hello; they're actually swatting away flies. I've never seen so many in my life, so I, too, take part in the "Aussi Wave."

I do think I've got the easy going deal down pretty well in most situations, but I'm going to go back to trying to be more open-minded. Staying in a hostel with a lot of strangers was a start, same with learning more about Aussi and European culture. It's difficult, however, to be open-minded and understanding to a culture of people who complain about being victimized, but who also won't accept help from "outsiders." We see that in America everyday and it just gets so old. Plus, as my roommates could surely bet, I was ready to fix their situation in the snap of a finger. I'd have a meeting that covered basic financial planning, education, and alcoholism. We did hear that the brokenness is mainly seen in Alice Springs, though, so we saw the worst of it first.

So beyond that, I'm going with an open mind about the different ways of life around here, and there is surely a variety. However, I do have a fun fact: there are .02 people per square kilometer out here! If you didn't believe me about being in the middle of nowhere, you should now. You can look west for miles and miles with no life in sight, same towards the east. I don't know how the discoverers journeyed through these parts without really knowing where they were going.

I heard "waky waky!" at 5AM. Again, its a little difficult to get up and get everything together with a flashlight/headlamp or "torch" as they call it. I made my toast and Nutella for breakfast, repacked my backpack, rolled up my swag and we were out of there by 6AM before the sunrise. The constellations had moved about 145 degrees across the sky and were still beautifully shining down on us. We learned about the Southern Cross, which is the kite shaped emblem that is placed on the Aussi flag, that helps you find your way South. We made it out before sunrise to go hike King's Canyon. Belle kept saying it was going to be better than Uluru. I can't say it was "better" but it was different. There were more views and we got a more hands-on experience. We got to hike the top of it and go down through the bottom where there were trees..rare.

The very beginning of the hike is straight up, but after conquering the first part the views were so worth it. We took so many pictures and walked the top around the whole canyon. It was beyond cool. You could see for miles, and again I just felt so small against this massive rock!

Our group got pretty close over the three day tour and I'm hoping they will keep in touch. It would be fun to have some more international travel buds. They said I was welcome to stay with them in Germany, Holland, and Nova Scotia. I may have to take them up on that, as I do hope they will come to America as well! So when Vera (Dutch), Michelle (AUS) and I had to say good bye and travel on with the continued trip headed toward Adelaide, we were all sad to leave.

Belle dropped us off in Erldunda, a campground out In the middle of nowhere, south of Alice Springs. We somewhat wearily met our new guide, anxious to see how we would fit into the new group. I was glad there were three of us though! Well, we met Squatter our guide for the next five or some days and... We're the only ones in the group! Kind of weird to be so small, but also exciting because we'll get to see/do more! The first leg of this tour was run by Adventure Tours, and now we've switched over to Top Deck. We'll be sleeping indoors at nicer places, and im not totally against that. I'm exhausted! We spent the day at the Erldunda roadhouse and checked out the pool that was freezing, did some laundry, etc.

Laundry is four dollars to run the washer, and we all went in together. We brought our wet clothes to lay out on the table. It took less than the afternoon to dry up because the water evaporates so quickly!

Packing tip: I would recommend bringing saline spray. It's ridiculously dry! Pretty dang hot! And gets pretty dern chilly at night. So, packing right has been working out so far in the Outback. I've had more than enough clothes so far. I have a feeling it'll be a little different on the East Coast.

April 30..( pics to come)

We got to sleep in! Yes, I'm calling 6:30 am a sleep in now. Still dark, it was difficult to get up, gather my belongings by "torch," and grab "brekky" to be on the bis by 7am. Luckily, Squatter likes to stop for coffee where I can also get some caffeine. My poison of choice is Coca-Cola, and its just about the same tasting over here, however $4AUD (Aussi Dollar) is a bit expensive for a CAN!

Squatter, by the way, is a nickname. He's been working for Top Deck for six years now and is an amazing guide. We're pretty sure he's kind of a big deal around AUS and Top Deck. He's in his forties, and is clearly passionate about what he does. He does have a family, but is on the road for tours a lot of the time. He seems to know just about everything, and is also educated in international affairs. He was in the army at one point as well. I feel like he has done all the trips so many times that he's been able to fine tune his tours to make them even better. The first night we all got into a deep conversation via politics. Can you imagine a civil debate? Why yes, we did it. We talked about gay marriage, gun control, economy, and Australian governmental affairs.

We all had the same opinion about Obama, and I'm leaving it at that.

What a way to get close as a group haha. Squatter left nothing to question and got to know us all pretty well even by the first night!

Our journey was to Coober Pedy(pronounced "peedy"), which is a small town in the Outback off of Stuart Highway known for Opal mining. On our way, we stopped at the border for a picture. We were crossing from the Northern Territory into Southern Australia!

From there, we went out to to see a dog fence. I'm not kidding. The Australians have built the longest fence in the world. It was to keep the dingoes out of Western Australia since they seemed to be migrating that way. They had gotten dangerous amongst the communities and "The dingo and my baby" story was a major reality. The fence helped in stopping that tragedy in the rest of the country.

We went to see the Breakaways. These were natural mountains (hills) formed in the desert, and some of them were used within the local aboriginal dream stories. A dream story is their beliefs in creationism. Forget Darwin's theory or Big Bang, it's all about people coming out of the earth, turning into stars, and turning into other spiritual animals. Each tribe has their own story.

From there we rode into town to check into the underground hotel. You heard right, I slept in an opal mine!! It was so neat, pitch black, cool, and quiet. We had a ton of beds to choose from and lots of space. On the mine tour, we learned the cave housing was very popular in town, as it let people get away from the heat. It also was essential because when their town was developing, they had run out of building materials. Clever thinking ! The mine tour was really interesting, I really just can't believe that there were so many people to come out and try their luck.. Especially after we also went "noodling," to see what it was all about. We went to some of the sand hills to picks at the dirt in hopes of hitting it big with the opals. I had to hit it big at the jewelry store instead.

We saw an underground Serbian church, and then we headed to the kangaroo orphanage, run by a man named Terry and his wife, Josephine. The Roos were so cute as we fed them and played a little with them. Petting them was good enough for me, then Terry brought out the Joey (baby kangaroo) and the cute war was over, this one took the cake.

We hit up the famous John's Pizza Bar for dinner an then checked out an underground bar in another hotel. There was a NASCAR racing game in the game room.. I just can't get away! Anyways, we said cheers to the new Dutch king who Vera was really excited about and then hit the hay. Such party animals, we are!

I'd rather spend my $10AUD per drink on souvenirs or extra experiences along the way. Not many people have been drinking since it's so freaking expensive, but I'm not complaining. It's actually kind of nice. I sleep lager and there's no drama and save money. Win-win!

and PS. I still wake up every morning needing to pinch myself because I keep wondering.. "is this real life?!"

Good Morning Uluru: The Sunrise 10k

ashleyhelmick — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 23:40:00 GMT

April 28, 2013

Sleeping in swags under the stars and by the fire was amazing. that's all there is to it!

So maybe I opted out of the Cooper River Bridge Run this year, but I sure got my 10k fill today walking around Ayers Rock. We were up out of our swags and eating "breaky" at 5AM to get back into the park and on our way by 6:15! We all opted to walk around nearly the whole rock before our cultural walking tour. Although a little tired, it was well worth it.

It was so humbling to stand beneath the massive Uluru. There were sections of the rock where there were no photographs allowed, out of respect to the Anangu beliefs sand culture. They also ask people to not climb the rock.. You can climb to the top! It's a really steep climb and your only safe hold is a chain that doesn't even go all the way up. Many people have died, and I don't understand why they offer it to the public when they talk how bad it is for the rock.. Just close it, people!

We took so many pictures walking around the base. I'm officially loaded up with Uluru pics and memories to last a lifetime! Seeing the sunrise on the rock was just incredible. We stopped a few times to take some fun pictures, and finished in about two hours. We had a snack and met our tour guide Vincent. He's an aborigine with a background in politics, so it was interesting hearing his view on the white man's nearly oppressing ways. It almost got a little uncomfortable when his situation mirrored the native Americans. I nearly asked if he payed taxes like the rest of the country, but I kept my math closed.

He told us how hard it is to live as a "black" in Australia. And although I do respect their culture and find their stories/history interesting, I think if they chose to be apart of the new world, they would better their people.. For not only health, but educational reasons. Vincent said that because the government shut down their high school, the kids do not receive an education past the 7th grade. They speak another language and are smart on their own culture, but unless they get out of their situation in a "third world region," they will continue to have a life span 20 years below the "white man's" and have difficult time finding jobs. Vincent continued to tell us about housing, explaining that there were 42 people sharing one bathroom at one point in his local remote community. That would literally be unbearable. But their commitment to the heritage is pretty impressive, although I do think they could still preserve their culture while living in the 21st century, integrated among the people, living a happier life, and not hating the white people so much. Clearly an opinion, but I could definitely help those people.. I just don't know if they really want it. Anyways, apparently it made some of the Aussie's pretty uncomfortable, but I was quick to tell them that America has had double their problems with races of people and at least they're in an economic boom!!

Enough about that, though, just being there was amazing. I've made some great friends and am hoping to keep in touch. Being the on.y American on the tour has its perks for sure. And it's true, you don't see many American backpackers. Maybe I'm a diamond in the rough ;) or hopefully I'm representing America well! This whole trip so far has been incredible, and I still have so much to see! Tonight, we'll sleep in our swags under the stars in Kings Canyon, a couple hours drive out where the stars are even more incredible than the ones in Ulara.

Highlights: sunrise walk at Uluru and the stars at Kings Canyon campsite, not to mention our campfire with songs by Ray and Belle (they need to try out for The Voice) but the rap about our trip was pretty sweet

so far so good, check in later! :)

Ashley

Photos: Tour 1

ashleyhelmick — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 22:41:00 GMT

Middle of Nowhere Never Felt So Cool

ashleyhelmick — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 23:24:00 GMT

April 27, 2013

Trip Post 2: Middle of Nowhere Never Felt So Cool

To this jet-lagged princess, 5AM came even earlier than it usually would. We realized that the "free breakfast" consisted of bread out on a table that you could toast yourself in a shared kitchen. I woke up with a bit of a headache and maybe a sinus issue. So if you know me at all, you know that I popped a few Excedrin and found a Coke ASAP and a Zyrtec just to be safe! I was not about to feel bad on this tour half-way across the world in the Outback!

Well if I didn't have a headache before, I would have gotten one when our tour was leaving and Belle, our tour guide, didn't have my name down for the group! A few phone calls later, I put my backpack on the trailer and found a seat on the bus! Phew! We departed at about 6:45 and when I had a chance to take a deep breath and relax, I made quick friends with the crew around me. Many of them traveling solo as well, a couple are from Germany, one from Canada, one from Holland, and Michelle my Aussi friend I met yesterday.

Hearing their stories so far has been quite interesting. Many over here for a few months up to a year on holiday being a Nanny or just for fun.

We all introduced ourselves via the microphone, and I'm the only American which is pretty neat. I already like the Germans better than the French people I've come across on other travels.

Belle started with the intro. She's from Melbourne and studied Outdoor Education at Uni. I would have loved that, thus my PRTM major which was the closest thing to at Clemson. Ideally, a Masters in Outdoor Ed and an MBA would be fantastic. Working for an outdoor adventure company-or having my own- would be a dream! I'd officially like to work for a tour company in America and guide the group to other countries from the airport to connect them with the native tour guides, but also join them on the tours. A tour organizer of sorts.. So if any of you have that connection, hook a sister up!

Our first stop in the Outback was at a Camel Farm. Michelle and I paid $7 for a camel walk/run around the track where they have professional camel races! Camels were originally brought here in the 1800s from the Canary Islands to move goods, kind of like early Americans using oxen.

To get to this camel farm, we drove down the Stuart Highway, famous in the country named after an adventurer named Stuart who vowed discover the Northern Coast and territory from Adelaide. Hence, the Stuart Highway runs from Adelaide all the way up to Darwin. Wow! That's nearly 3,000miles and it took him 6 times to accomplish this major feat because of reasons such as aboriginal threats, dangerous conditions, etc. He was a smart and somewhat safe traveller, and never had a death on his trips. And it's not like he had train or car, and the reason for the ventures was to map out the region in order to build the telegraph system in the country.

We've stopped at a couple places on our way to Ulara, which is where Uluru is- Ayers Rock! Ulara has about 3000 people total, almost all who work in hotels to accommodate the many visitors to the National Park! We passed a rocked that I was convinced was Ayers Rock and low and behold it's nickname was "Fuluru"' a private mountain owned by a cattle rancher who has a ranch the size of Belgium.

We made it to our camp ground right outside the park. Uluru and Kata Tjuta rocks are in the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. It is run by Parks Australia and the Anangu (the aboriginal people in this region). It is said that there are 250 different tribal regions that spread throughout the country, each with their own language and ritual. They urge the public not to climb the Uluru due to respect of the Anangu people. We stopped to eat lunch at our campsite, which had tents, a fire pit, and outdoor kitchen/eating area. And let me tll you, the flies here are worse than the mosquitos on a hot, muggy evening in the middle of Florida. NASTY.

We left there to check in at the park, a double World Heritage Site- the only park in the world to have such. Wow!! Want a wow factor?nits in the middle of nowhere. Seeing these two massive rocks towering above when all else is completely flat is a little mind-boggling. It's certainly something you have to see. Beautiful from a far, even more amazing up close! Today we did the valley of the Winds Tour and hiked around and part of the Kata-Tjuta rock. It was about 6miles or so, some parts pretty steep, but definitely worth the views and being part of the magnificent place. Many pics later, we went to Uluru to watch the sunset. WOW on both parts, the Uluru, and the Kata-Tjuta on the other side. We took so many pictures. Belle and Ray, our guides had champagne for us and we toasted our wonderful day. I was dog-tired and could have gone to sleep on the pavement, but I'm glad I made it through!

We had an Aussi BBQ tonight for dinner: kangaroo (yum), camel sausage (yum), and beef with cheesy potatoes. It was delicious. We talked about sleeping in our Swags under the stars.. I can't wait for this! All by the fire, after singing songs along with the guitar played by Ray (who sang his own song) and Belle, we soon will be sound asleep. I feel like I'm running on 0% energy. I started my delirious talk/laughing so they already know me pretty well ;)

It's been a truly incredible day-- seeing kangaroos, riding camels, Uluru, Kata-Tjuta and an Aussie BBQ. I really like our group, and wish that everyone were staying for the 11 days. Most are just here for the 3 Uluru.

As the Anangu would say, "Payla! "

Tomorrow morning we wake up at 5am and that's going to be...

AWESOME! W'll be off to see the sunrise at the Uluru :)

Flying High: trip post 1 April 24-26

ashleyhelmick — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

April 24-26, 2013

Trip post 1: Flying High

No, people, get your minds out of the gutter. It's past 4/20 and I'm not trying to re-celebrate or anything. I'm talking about my flights over here. I'm officially "Down Unda" ; I've made it to Australia! A bit jet-lagged still after flying JAX-ATL, ATL-LAX, LAX-SYD, and SYD-ALICE SPRINGS. I didn't even know what day it was.. Okay not gonna lie, I'm still pretty thrown off and don't know what day it is.

Flying over here was a breeze-haha get it? Well it was absolutely amazing flying FIRST CLASS the whole way, I was treated like royalty. It wasn't bad sitting next to KEITH URBAN either!!! We chatted about Nicole and the kids and I tried to convince him to come to Clemson for a concert..just kidding.

As I walked on the plane, I was escorted to my seat that had two pillows, a blanket, dock kit, tv, and USB charging station. I sat down and was handed a glass of champagne and asked to glance at the menu to select my 3course dinner: shrimp cocktail, salad, and pumpkin bisque for appetizer, beef tenderloin with green beans and mashed potatoes for main course, and an ice cream sundae for dessert! Had I just died and gone to Heaven?! The answer was no, as I'm here to tell about it, but I did have sweet dreams because when the lights turned off on the plane, my seat retracted all the way flat, and my nearly sound proof headsets given to us let me listen to country as I dozed off for a few hours. And just like this run-on sentence, my days have run together.

So THANKS AGAIN DADDY for using your points to fly me over here for this already unforgettable experience! I literally cannot repay you, so I'll just have to get you a souvenir or something ;)

I'm actually really impressed with myself so far that I've been able to navigate through all of these airports with quick layovers. And thank God this is an English speaking country! On my flight out of JAX, I sat behind a Clemson alum, then from ATL I sat next to a lady from Athens who could've been Beth Moore's twin, and then I met a girl on the fight to SYD who had just been to America for the first time but was on her way home. They were on holiday, and I found out that they don't do school like w do- no three month summer vacay. They get a couple weeks off every now and then throughout the year.. I don't think our kids would go for that!

My flight to Alice Springs (the middle of nowhere in the outback) was pleasant. I had a constant flow of mimosas and attention as the flight was less than full. I didn't meet anyone though until I got my bags and found the shuttle called then"Alice Wanderer." Kelli Hewitt (My Aussi friend/travel agent) had set me up with the shuttle and place to stay where we would meet the next morning at 6AM for the tour! The shuttle lived up to its name and we rode around the entire town. I remained quiet until we nearly made it to the last stop-Haven. Still a little unsure of the whole hostel deal, I was getting nervous until a girl across from me asked if I was on the Top Deck tour... YES! Thought that crossed my mind: Praise Jesus I'm on a legit tour, there's at least one other person, and I'm not stuck in literally the middle of nowhere in the Outback of Australia. Literally, I saw no houses from the plane window, it was all red for hundreds of miles until we started to land, I'm pretty sure the town of Alice Springs has about a 10mile radius.

Michelle and I became instant friends. We got to know each other as we gave ourselves the tour of the town. She's an Aussi from the East Coast, about an hour out of SYD and traveling alone for the first time, too! And I'm pretty sure she's just as excited as I am to be in the Outback-- No rules, Just right!

She had never stayed in a hostel either, and had booked a private room. I ended up in an 8 person room-AHH! After circling the town, witnessing the crazy aborigines, and finding a bite to eat (which was actually hard to find), we ventured back to Haven and I ended up staying in her room, which had 6 beds! Once my head hit the pillow, I was out like a light.

Packing Lesson #1: It's actually been a bit hard trying to remember where I packed everything. I tried to pack things I'll need more often closer to the zippers, but I keep having to move everything around as well. It'll just take a little getting used to. Glad I had the extra room last night to spread out. I cleaned up pretty well though, and figured out how to use my new per-paid wifi card I'll be using for the next month because public wifi ain't cheap here.. Neither is anything else!

photos to come, xoxo Ashley

Photos: TRIAL

ashleyhelmick — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 11:06:00 GMT

Pre-trip excitement!

Trial Run!

ashleyhelmick — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 10:04:00 GMT

Checking in here before I start my online check-in for my flight that leaves JAX in T-minus 19 hours!! That's right, friends, I leave tomorrow! I may or may not be still packing. If you know me at all, you already know the answer.. still packing!

I just wanted to give this site/blog a trial run so that I know it works and can get a feel for how/what to do on here! I do write a lot, so you've been warned. I am working on that, plus I'll probably be pressed for time along the way! Regardless, I hope y'all enjoy following my journey and seeing all the fun I can find in AUS!

Still trying to figure out pictures..

So as I continued packing my stuff together, I may have started doubting that all of my stuff for the month would actually fit. To stay a compact as possible, I figured I should roll my clothes (also a tip from Aunt Lila). As I did that, I started to whip out ziplocs to keep things together as I also tried to fool myself into thinking I was extremely organized! This has worked so far..

It seemed to all be working, and I was getting more and more excited as it was truly all coming together. Yes, I fit FOUR pairs of pants into one ziploc! everything piled on my bed and batteries charging in my room might drive some of you crazy, but alas this is how I roll. I may be up way late, but I will get it done!

The motivator (aka Mama) came in my room because she wanted to witness the packing of my bag, not to mention speed up the process. As I packed my carry-on, you could tell we start felt as if plan B might have to happen. We looked at each other wearily, I took a deep breath, and grabbed a ziploc full of clothes. One after the other, I placed in somewhat strategically.

My packing list consisted of:

4shirts;2ss tshirts; 2ls tshirts; 3pfgs; 1fleece; 1sweatshirt

1jeans; 2workout pants; 1zipoff pants;1adidas pants

3patagagonia baggies (my personal fav); 1jean shorts; 1norts

3dresses; 1skirt; 3 bathing suits; underwear; sports bras; socks

sunscreen; hat; flashlight; camera; iPhone; iPad; adapter/converter; all chargers

sleeping bag; travel linen; compass; laundry detergent; meds; toiletries

tennis shoes; chacos; shower shoes; rainbows and

BAM!!

It all fit!

im still in shock.. And in need of sleep!

Feel free to commnet on my posts and I'll try to keep updating often!

xoxo, Ashley