First Time in Asia.. Two Sisters Do It Differently.

Phu-ket! Climb a Mountain!

jessb89 — Wed, 16 Apr 2014 21:28:20 GMT

“Only seven hundred metres left to the summit!” Pingi, our tour guide exclaimed, with far too much excitement for four-thirty in the morning. The small man, going on at least fifty; with bowed legs and a smile full of pearly white teeth turned around and made sure none of our group of five had disappeared off the mountain’s edge. Pingi grinned at us.
“Small steps, everybody. Small steps”
I glanced up at him with a smile. Ever since we met Pingi two mornings ago, he has pounded the ‘small steps’ advice into our weary, hiked out brains. I paused for a moment to glance around me. We were standing on Mount Kinabalu in Borneo’s eastern state of Sabah at approximately 3,500m above sea level but it was difficult to see what our surroundings looked like because the sun was still settled below the horizon.

“Remind me why we’re doing this again?” I asked my sister Kate behind me jokingly. “So much for Asia being all about relaxing! Why didn’t we go to Phuket?”
The rest of our group laughed, agreeing in unison. The climb to South East Asia’s highest mountain was known for being relatively easy, however my knees begged to differ. We continued on in silence, concentrating on stepping carefully and using the thick, worn out rope to pull ourselves up the rocky surface. The sun started to slowly peek above the horizon and the mountain was becoming clearer to see. The summit just a few hundred metres away and up ahead, people were scrambling over the rocks, eager to witness the unique sunrise.

A rush of adrenaline burst through my body and suddenly my sore legs were forgotten. We pulled ourselves up the final part of the track where we were officially standing on Low’s Peak, weary from the trek but elated to have made it. 4,095m above sea level and feeling like we were on top of the world, Kate and I high-fived and laughed - we’d done it! The fatigue that I had felt before had disappeared and my face was fixed in a state of permanent grinning.

That afternoon, back in our hostel at the base of the mountain, Kate asked me “So, better than Phuket?” I looked at her, let out a little laugh and put my backpack between my legs so I could zip it up – wincing as my tender thighs burned from squeezing my backpack shut.
“Absolutely!” I said breathless from trying to close my bag.

Outside at the minivan, we dropped our bags and I took a final look at Mt Kinabalu, who stood there silently and majestically above the lush, green jungle.
“So much better than Phuket."

Tromsø - An Arctic Adventure

jessb89 — Wed, 26 Feb 2014 20:59:00 GMT

Have you ever been somewhere that is like no where you have ever been before. Like you have literally been plonked into a middle of a movie set? This is how I have felt the past four days. Like I've been living in a winter wonderland.

I arrived into Tromsø around midnight on Thursday. I had a short stopover in Oslo, where I witnessed the magic of snow firsthand. As we flew into the snow covered airport, I'm pretty sure I was the only one glued to the window - snow is rather common up here but to me, its the first time I had properly been in snow, so my excitement levels were off the radar. My second flight was quite short and I was lucky enough to witness glimmers of the Northern Lights as I flew in. It was like a big cloud, but constantly quivering and dashing across the sky. I had to keep wiping down my window because my breath kept fogging it up.

We landed and I found myself a taxi to the hotel, my friend B who arrived yesterday was supposed to meet me but because of the clear skies tonight he was told he would be crazy to miss hunting for the Northern Lights. So I got myself to our accommodation - the Smart Hotel and settled into the shoebox sized room. shortly after B came rushing in totally frozen from head to toe but ecstatic at what he had witnessed for the past few hours. Apparently the sky was the clearest it had been in a long time and the lights had been extremely active and strong. I was a little jealous I missed the main show but I hoped I'd get an encore performance in the next few nights. We chatted for a while and caught up with each other since it had been a month or so since we'd seen each other and then got some shut eye so we'd be ready to explore the next day.

We woke up Friday morning and I was eager to see the place. There was snow piled up outside our window and I felt it was beckoning to me to get outside. I hurried B out the door and we wandered down through the icy hill into the main street. Tromsø itself is in two parts - the mainland and the island where we were staying. There is about 70,000 inhabitants all up and a vast majority of them are students because Tromsø has the only university this far up north. And far up north were we - 350km into the Arctic circle and a mere 2200km from the North Pole. We were basically in Santa's backyard! Surprisingly though, I didn't find it too cold. I guess the bitter wind and chill of Holland has toughened this little black duck (wearing five layers of clothes sure helps though!)

We wandered past the Domkirke - which is the only cathedral in Norway completely made of wood and down to the Harbour where we were greeted with the spectacular view of Fjellheisen, the glorious snow-covered mountains on the mainland. Our main goal for the day was to catch the cable car up the mountain to witness Tromsø from up high. Before heading over to the mainland we thought we would see what we could on this side of the water. Our grumbling stomachs and need for coffee got the best of us though so firstly we stopped by a little cafe for some food. After our breakfast we wandered through the town towards the Polaria, which is the polar museum. The unusually designed building is eye-catching and rather random but the design inspired by falling dominoes certainly suits this quaint little city. We had a squiz through the museum which had a panoramic film about the Northern Lights and an aquarium hosting some polar sealife and four very playful seals, who seemed to enjoy showing off for their audience.

We headed back into town after our museum, past the Mack brewery - which is Europe's most northern brewery and towards the bus stop to take us to the mainland and up to the cable car. The bus took us over the huge bridge connecting the two parts of Tromsø, past the Arctic Cathedral and up to where the cable car station was situated. There was snow everywhere which still amazed me, but the ice made walking tricky and hilarious - I had to stop laughing at people slipping and sliding because I knew karma would probably give me a dose of my own medicine without any warning. We bought our tickets for the cable car and waiting patiently until the next car was ready to go. The cable car itself was old fashioned and looked as though it had done many trips up and down the mountain. B, myself and a bunch of other tourists squeezed into the old car and slowly but surely we made our way up the top. We scored the view from the front of the car and our breath was taken away as we got higher and higher above the city. Once we reached the top we braced ourselves for the cold again and headed out onto the viewing platform. Despite the roaring winds, the clear skies had allowed a view that can only be described as phenomenal. We could see for miles and miles, snowy mountains surrounded us and I literally felt like I was on top of the world. Once our fingers couldn't function anymore from the cold we headed back inside the cafe to warm up before going out behind the building into the snow for an even better view. There were no restrictions as to where you could go up here - I guess common sense is a given up here but unfortunately it was just too bloody windy and freezing AND snowing for us to stay out there long. We took some photos and we then raced back inside and warmed up with a hot chocolate and a reindeer wrap. We sat and watched the view for awhile before making our way back down the cable car to grab a bite to eat and shower before our night time activity - Northern lights hunting!

We met with our group an hour or so later and jumped on the bus ready for a night of searching for the elusive Aurora Borealis. Unfortunately it was quite cloudy and snowing so the chances of seeing them the way B did the night before were pretty slim but I kept my hopes up. We drove for an hour or so before our first stop and all piled off the bus to see if we could spot anything, no luck though so we jumped back on the bus and headed to another location. Again, no luck. We drove off again and this time they pulled the bus on the side of the road and for a short minute or so we witnessed the lights. It was short and sharp but we got a taste of what we had been searching for. We managed to get some decent photos though so we had proof there had been lights! They show up much more vividly through a camera, so to our naked eye it might appear there is no activity when actually the camera will tell you otherwise. It was a slightly disappointing night but I wasn't going to let it dampen my spirit. I still had two more nights here!

The following morning (well almost afternoon - not getting sleep until 2:30am sure put us out good) we had breakfast at an adorable cafe called 'Coffee by Elli' and then decided to walk across the bridge between the island and the mainland to have a look at the Arctic Cathedral in detail. The walk across was beautiful and noisy, due to the cars and trucks whizzing by quickly but it was a great way to see both sides of Tromsø. We reached the Arctic Cathedral without falling over on the ice and bought our admission. The Cathedral is famous for having the largest stained glass window in Europe. Like the Polaria it is also unusually designed. The architect is believed to have changed his story in every interview he did so it is hard to define where he really drew his inspiration from. It has been likened to the Opera House in Sydney, which brought on a sense of home. It's a beautiful building and the artwork on the stained glass window is remarkable. We sat for awhile reflecting (and resting our feet) before traipsing back across the bridge and to the hotel to freshen up before our night time activity - reindeer sleighing!

We were picked up by a Sami native named Tor at 6:30pm to be taken firstly to get some weatherproof clothing before being taken to the place where the reindeers were. The snow was starting to come down which added a nice touch to the evening but it meant no Northern Lights tonight. We met the reindeers, which much to our dismay, don't look like the reindeers you see at Christmas time. They were small, with no antlers and they certainly didn't look like they could pull us in a sleigh. But they were strong little buggers, we were taken through snowfields and it was rather peaceful. The sleighing lasted about half an hour and afterwards we took some photos with the reindeers and tried to make friends with them, but they are very timid animals. We were taken back to have supper in a traditional Sami hut, which is called a laavu. It is very similar to the Native Americans teepee and it reminded me of when I was little and my sister and I would have tea parties in a teepee my grandma made. We were served bidos - which is a stew with reindeer meat in it. It was actually delicious and tasted just like stew my Dad makes, the reindeer meat is very similar to lamb. I wouldn't have known the difference if I hadn't been told. While we ate some of Rudolph's relatives, Tor showed us some Sami clothing and tools whilst telling us about the Sami culture. It was very interesting and definitely a memorable part of the trip. Afterwards we were taken back into town where we stopped for at a pancake house for a final bite to eat (I had a bacon and blueberry pancake wrap - delicious!) before retreating to our hotel for some much needed slumber.

Our third day being Sunday meant that Tromsø became a ghost town. Literally like a sleepy, fishing village. We grabbed brekkie and coffee at what seemed like the only place open in town and then did a little bit of souvenir shopping before meeting our guide for the days fun - dog sledding! We were driven about half an hour out of town where the scenery along the way was incredible - it almost felt like we were in Antarctica and the snowy mountains were giant icebergs. Its like a whole other world! The place where we were doing to sledding was in the most picturesque location. Plonked on top of one snow covered mountain and surrounded by many more. To top it off, the sun was starting to go down which created this ambience that you have to see for yourself to understand the beauty of it all. We were greeted by a lady who took us up to the puppy yard where we could play and pat all 300 of the dogs and get some super cute photos. The first group went sledding while we taken to see the younger puppies (so cute) and told about the dog sledding culture. Interestingly, they use Alaskan huskies instead of the stereotypical Siberian huskies which means they aren't as beautiful as the Siberian huskies but due to all the years of cross breeding, the Alaskan huskies these days are finely tuned to be sled dogs. The first group had arrived back so now it was our turn. B and I jumped into the sled and were wrapped up in a big woollen blanket to keep us from getting cold. It was a lovely sunny day today but the chill from the snow had some serious bite. With a loud 'yep yep' our driver set the dogs running and off we went. It was lots of fun sledding through the snowfields, the dogs were very strong and super obedient. We witnessed another beautiful sunset and before we knew it the dogs were pulling us back to home. It was another amazing life experience that I never thought I would have done. We had a quick cup of tea and said our goodbyes to the doggies before getting the bus back to town.

It was our final night here and we weren't sure how to spend it. Unfortunately the cloud cover was too thick for a good show of Northern Lights so we opted out of another bus tour and a boat trip - it was just too expensive to spend several hours of seeing nothing, so we grabbed a kebab and headed back up the cable car to see if we could spot anything up there, it was the cheapest way to see the lights. Just as we arrived at the cable car a quick flash of lights appeared in the sky right above us. It was brilliant. We got to the top and braved the bitterly cold weather but the clouds just weren't going to play nice, so we got a hot chocolate and watched the city lights flickering in the dark until our yawning got too unbearable and we headed back to the hotel.

Our final morning we leisurely had breakfast and made our way to the airport, bound for London. I am staying with B until Wednesday where I make a quick dash to Paris before heading back to Den Haag.

Its funny how a month ago I had never even heard of Tromsø, let alone imagined myself ever travelling this far north of the world but it is definitely is a place I would happily go back to. Its a charming little city and the beauty of Scandinavia has pulled some of my heart strings and without a doubt in my mind, I know I will be returning!

From the loser who spent most of her time trying to catch falling snow in her mouth.

J. x

'Straya ya borin' mate!

jessb89 — Thu, 9 Jan 2014 20:57:00 GMT

Being an au pair in a city like Den Haag where the expat population rivals the native population you are always bound to meet somebody from around the world. In fact, I have met more expats than locals, which has done nothing to improve my Dutch or my quest to become a faux Euro. Not that this is a bad thing though, it now seems I have a couch to crash on all over the world. And seriously I do not want to be European. Though coming from Australia, the question always arises as to why I left. Why on earth would I leave beautiful, sunny, laidback Australia for cold, windy Holland?

Australia. Just the name strikes up visions of beautiful crystal clear beaches, lush rain forests and magical countryside. Our giant island is known as paradise to folk from the European lands. It is a dream of many to visit and perhaps one day live in Australia because it appears we 'have it all' - and, indeed we do. Nothing prides me more to say I’m from the great Australia. I love being able to tell the world I’m an Aussie girl. I grew up eating Vegemite, chasing around cows on my horse, being taught to surf by my Dad and driving on the left side of the road. So when a little old Aussie gal like myself moves herself abroad to the windiest country in Europe, eyebrows are raised. Its like I have taken a personal vengeance against my wonderful country by uprooting myself and my Euro friends (and strangers) want to know why.

I still haven't concocted a proper answer to the question - I seem to dabble between "I wanted to see something new", "I wanted to do something different with my life" and "because I got bored of Australia" Of all my answers, that last one sure gets a funny response from people. Something between a look of horror, disbelief or shock usually crosses their face and then a big fat "How?" It took me awhile at first to work out why people couldn't understand how I could get bored of Australia, yet how they could grow tired of their continent. But to these Euros, their cluster of countries is nothing more exciting than our states and territories. A weekend trip to Paris might seem like a huge deal to us from the land Down Under, but to the Europeans it’s just like having a sneaky weekend away in the city. Its incredible how used to something we become, and how 'the norm' for us can be exponentially different to someone from another country. I have tried using this example to explain my initial answer but sometimes they just can't comprehend how I can get bored of our big, wide, open land.

It’s not that I’m bored of Australia as a whole. Like I mentioned before, I’ll be the first to claim my green and gold blood. But when you spend your life in the same country there is a part of you yearning to see beyond our shorelines. I still miss hearing a friendly ‘G’day’ as you pass someone in the street. I still miss the view from the hill that overlooks my parents property. And, most of all I still miss being able to drop Aussie slang into conversation and be understood. But in all this missing, I have gained a fountain full of fresh ‘norms’ to quench my thirst for something new. I can now use a round-about from the right side of the road, I can now layer my clothes appropriately so I won’t freeze once I step out the door and I can now almost have a conversation in Dutch with the check-out chick (sorry, I mean cashier) at the supermarket. And while these things might seem quite mundane, its these sort of small achievements that come together as a whole and create this new, different experience that I initially set out for.

So, I guess boredom isn’t the right way to explain why I left Australia - more of a desire to experience something new. But it sure is fun to mess with people and tell them how boring Australia is, I guess that’s the larrikin humour that is geographically born and bred in me. And, I wouldn’t change it for a thing.

From the girl who tends to put on the most bogan Aussie accent she can muster when meeting new people.

J.x

GoingPro

jessb89 — Wed, 13 Nov 2013 20:55:00 GMT

Before I left for Europe I succumbed to the trend of buying a GoPro camera. I had envisioned creating epic pictures and movies from all around the world and I would be admired by friends and family for my creative talent and oh-so adventurous lifestyle. Well, lets just say that hasn't happened. In all honesty, I can probably count the amount of times I have used my GoPro in the last six months on both my hands - which I need to change pronto.

If you haven't been hiding under a rock for the past year or two you would know about these nifty, little cameras. Marketed as 'The Worlds Most Versatile Camera', it is indeed, an incredible little device. Smaller than the palm of your hand, you can literally use it anywhere. Underwater, in sub-zero temperatures, whilst riding a bike/camel/surfing/snowboarding/ - the list goes on. Once you have shot yourself looking über cool doing these activities you can edit all your footage and create movies to make your friends super jealous. All in all, a pretty good investment.

Of course, like everything worth having, it comes at a pretty high cost. Around 350 bucks will get you one of the cameras - theres several different editions and then if you want to get really creative you need to purchase all the extra equipment like the various mounts, LCD screens, casing etc. So if you're just chasing a cheapo camera to capture your next holiday with I wouldn't recommend one of these bad boys. However, if you want to create a story out of the next adventure then this is the camera for you.

So, back to my original point, my New Years resolution (took me til February to think of one!) is to give my GoPro a proper run for its money. I usually like to think of myself as a rather technology-savvy kinda gal but this little thing has got me good and I'm not happy. I will not let this resolution crumble like the ones those middle aged ladies make, promising to lose 10 kilos but giving up after a week because lets face it, chocolate is more important - I'm gonna master this GoPro business even if it kills me!

Step one of my resolution was to get all the equipment needed to be a proper GoPro-er. I had most of the basic stuff but just as a little 'Congrats you made a resolution' pressie to myself I bought a 'selfie stick' (saw this nickname somewhere, claiming it) which is pretty much as it sounds. You attach the camera to the aluminium rod which can be extended out at various lengths so you can film or capture yourself doing various things in various locations. Quite like the way new gym clothes gets middle aged ladies excited for their resolutions, I was keen to get my new 'selfie stick' a try. I took my youngest kid let down to the park and we filmed each other playing on the cable swing and other playground equipment. It was both fun and hilarious and you feel bit like a dork holding out his stick while you swing along but the footage I got is classic. I'm also planning to use it on my holiday next week - between Tromso, London and Paris I'm sure I can find a gazillion things to take pictures of.

My next mission is to learn how to edit and make movies properly. The software is quite simple but I just haven't got the attention span to sit down and learn how to use it.

From that weird girl who is riding her bike around holding a camera attached to a stick.

J. x

For the Love of London..

jessb89 — Mon, 30 Sep 2013 20:48:00 GMT

The past weekend I marked the occasion of making it through my first month as an au pair by flying across the North Sea to the land of the Poms to visit some friends. This sounds like a big deal but in reality its a mere 45 minute flight in a plane that looks like it was born a few weeks premature. Nevertheless, I made it to London safe and sound and greeted by a special boy who much to my disgust, I’m growing rather fond of. I met him on the Topdeck tour I was on before I started my job and my initial opinion of him wasn’t that rosy.. Pretty sure I used the term ‘cocky Gold Coast wanker’ to describe him. Though throughout the trip (and the week after) he proved he was actually a gentleman and incredibly sweet. And not from the Gold Coast. We had been talking everyday since I left London back at the start of September and seeing him again, a month later, it was like I had never left. He has taken to calling me ‘princess’ and enjoys playing host to show off his adopted city, which I will not complain about because I have seen more of London than I ever imagined.

After a lovely Friday night, the following morning the boy and I grabbed coffee and went to the train station to meet my friend. Again, seeing her and being with her felt like we had never been apart. Conversation picked up from where it left and the jokes we shared were still funny. I guess that’s the best part of a good friendship, it doesn’t matter if its been half an hour or half a year – things will always be the same. We dropped her bag off and headed to the pub so I could get my Aussie indulgence of NRL to tide me over for the next 11 months. It was my local club Newcastle playing the Sydney Roosters and well, it sucked, Newcastle got flogged. Though being surround by my friends (by this point, two other friends had met us as well) other Aussies and a cider in my hand, it was a top morning.

Our next stop was another pub for lunch and then a wander around the Thames River, along the TATE Museum and an obligatory Starbucks stop to fuel our energy for the night ahead. We had planned on going to an 80′s vs 90′s night in Camden. Basically it was the greatest music of all time being played in the funkiest part of London and an excuse to dress like total idiots and pass it off as ‘indie’. We stopped for wine and nibbles to assist us in getting ready and the girls night had begun. I hadn’t had a proper ‘girls night’ like this in ages and boy, was it good. Just a bunch of us, having a blast, dancing like idiots, singing our little hearts out and taking dorky photos. We got to bed around 4:30am, just before the sun started to show its face.

Sunday morning brought us a fabulously delicious breakfast at the cutest cafe in Shepherd’s Bush (Hummingbird Cafe – go there, best coffee I've had) Next thing I know, I’m hugging my girls goodbye and meeting up with the boy again so he can take me back to the airport. Before I can even go back over the weekends events, I’m in Amsterdam and being told to remain in my seat until the seatbelt sign is switched off.

While I needed this mini break to catch up and rejuvinate, it left me feeling empty and somewhat alone. I missed my friends and the boy, I missed being able to be my total self around people and not worry of their opinions. I wasn’t in the ‘I need to be a normal human’ phase with these guys like I am in Holland. I get to be me. So the train ride from Amsterdam to Den Haag was quiet and I dwelled on my sad, depressing thoughts. The little dark cloud followed me until I walked through the front door where my host family greeted me happily and wanted to know all about my weekend. As I settled down on the couch to tell them everything, the little dark clouds started to drift away and while it wasn’t the same feeling of home that I have with my friends, it will do for now

From the girl who would live in London forever

J. x