The truth lies there.. in black lettering... it has been almost 2 months since I posted a blog entry, this is a bit more difficult than I thought it would be. My apologies- things have been a whirlwind of adventure and busyness since I got back to the USA.. I plan to continue the blog with some outtakes from Melbourne, as well as catching up to my projects for the present day.


And now... we will go back in time for a bit!


I couldn’t wait to get back to Australia.. I was literally on a countdown from the day that I arrived in New Zealand- I constantly heard my own patronizing voice in my head saying “this is my punishment for leaving Australia” which surprised me because I always say that to myself when I go to neighbouring cities outside of NY and everything is suddenly completely unavailable and starkly different… I always say “this is why people never leave NY” (Slight Sex and the City reference there, that I now totally get)

So, I felt a bit torn- I was thrilled to be getting back to what felt like my “home” albeit adopted home- where everything was familiar, comfortable, reachable, able, possible, and where my brain was able to finally do the math for the currency conversions… then there was that part of me that constantly lives in the future- planning for something I knew was looming ahead of me with a date attached to it… September 8…. Doomsday… my brain defaulted to putting it aside and enjoying the last part of my trip…but all the while knowing that the sooner it crept to September- the sooner I would have to fulfill the other end of my airline ticket- and return back to the USA to Los Angeles. HOW? How could that be possible? How could I leave this place? It was not only ridiculous, it was impossible… I seriously considered for some time- getting a job, and just.. well… staying.. because when I am traveling and enjoying myself- I am content to live out of a bag- and the thought of all of the other clothes that I didn’t bring with me, I didn’t miss, all of the things I spend my time collecting, it turns out I don’t need but I ENJOY having, the boxes full of papers, hairclips, pennies, and fortunes from fortune cookies- somehow seem not only irrelevant, they are completely unnecessary. Big inhale of breath! Time to live in the present and enjoy myself….

At the end of my New Zealand tour- with no Ipod, no functioning laptop, and a BEAUTIFUL taste in my mouth from the last person I ended up staying with in Auckland- probably the nicest person I’ve ever met- an osteopathy student originally from England studying in NZ because NZ is sorely lacking people in the medical field and pays them extremely handsomely (there goes another failed attempt at having a niche in the right market… I’ll get it right one day ;) Auckland was a bizarre and underwhelming city to me- fair enough I was only there for a few days- mainly to catch my flight back to my beloved Melbourne- I have never been so thrilled to see an airport before! But, Auckland- along with its bad reputation seemed to live up to its name… I couldn’t find anything authentic about it- I couldn’t even place what it reminded me of? Seattle mixed with ? At any rate, I couldn’t say that Auckland treated me badly, in fact, my stay was so nice that I would go back just to see my new friends.

Upon arrival in Melbourne.. I breathed a big sigh of relief…I was home! Although I had only been to Tullamarine airport a few times, it felt like this was the airport that I was always leaving from- as though I was born here, and just going through the motions of traveling- its surprising to me that I can acclimate to almost anywhere so quickly- I wonder if that is part of being open to- and trying to fully experience the culture and people of the country I am visiting- or whether it was easier on me because Australians speak English?

I spent the last few weeks running around with some of the most thoughtful new friends I could have hoped to ever find.. from the funky graffiti, hip coffee shop and book store lined streets of Brunswick to the quiet Northern suburbs of Northcote and Reservoir, to the extremely relevant and ever changing St. Kilda, I then ended my remarkable trip with 2 of the kindest people on Earth- seriously. If there was a contest, they WIN on every level.. I met Tina and Chris on my birthday- after they drove an HOUR to come pick me up since I was sick and planning to spend it alone- they took me out to the hidden boutique bars in Chinatown- and we shared some delicious Greek food afterwards—when I saw them arrive dressed all in black and driving a gorgeous, fast black car with tinted windows, wide awake and ready to talk all night, I felt an instant connection to these two extremely open-hearted people, and today, I feel like they are some of my closest friends. Tina is a genius web designer, philosopher, friend, and all around- incredible woman… these people … it is difficult to find words that can possibly express how profoundly genuine and deep they are. I count myself absolutely insanely lucky to have them in my life, and to remain in touch with them weekly.

Tina's husband Chris is absolutely her equal- I spend a lot of my time observing people and their behaviours, their relationships... To be around Tina and Chris is sort of a miracle in and of itself because of how incredible they are individually, but when you see and experience them together, you see a couple that not only loves and respects each other, but they really LIKE each other, too. They way that they adore each other is refreshing and invigorating to be around- they are best friends and lovers, and their respect for each other is out of this world- I felt privileged to witness their relationship and to be invited into their gorgeous home in the suburbs of Melbourne and the glorious Mornington Peninsula near Frankston. As fellow night owls, we united- we laughed so much we nearly peed ourselves, we shared food, ran around shopping malls, watched and judged tv shows, watched AFL, visited the Mornington Peninsula, did an impromptu food photoshoot in their kitchen, and just enjoyed each others company. The part that I am still having a hard time wrapping my head around is that… after staying with them for nearly 2 weeks in which I felt I way overstayed my welcome, they treated me to EVERYTHING!!

AND…this part I still cannot wrap my head around.. they drove me to the airport (over an hour from their home) we all slept very late, after 1-2 am … and my flight was at 9 or 10 am… so after getting little to no sleep, they both awoke, happy to drive me to the airport, loaded my luggage for me, and not only STAYED with me, but when I found out my flight was delayed, they had breakfast with me as we tried to waste the time in the airport stores…. Um, what??????? They also kept thinking of clever ways to stop my plane so that I wouldn’t have to leave… I thought for certain I would spend the entire trip home crying- sobbing uncontrollably, because I just didn’t want to come home… luckily, I didn’t… I decided to drown myself in watching as many current movies as I could cram into 14 hours and until my heavy eyelids won.

There’s something that rings inside of me whenever I think of Tina and Chris… their generosity and kindness I still cannot seem to fathom- but I am grateful everyday that the connection through humanity still exists- even if I had to travel 10,355 miles to see it- I have been forever changed by this trip to Australia, and I hope that every single time I go back, I will feel it all over again.




My first AFL game @ Etihad Stadium. I cannot believe the Aussies got my attention for sports- the ONLY sport on Earth I can tolerate :)




My friend and world traveler Paul walking down the funky alleyways of Brunswick




Hahaha, I couldn't resist taking this photo!




This was one of the coolest places I have EVER been to- the most authentic and original chocolate shop/cafe. Delectable beyond words- Coco LOCO beats EVERY other chocolate shop on EARTH!



AHA! That's where Carlisle Cullen lives :)



Luna Park in St. Kilda




Luna Park :)



An old tram @ Luna Park in St. Kilda- apparently you can hire this for parties, haha! :)




Couldn't resist the composition, complementary colours, and the general sign hilarity of this ;)





Cornholio! This corn was fresh and delectable.. yummmmmmmm!




I love selective focus :)




This is what happens when creative people are up at night, feeling hungry ;)




If you look closely in the spoon, you will see all 3 of us who don't like to be photographed :)





Thene and Christian's creative minds made this delicious creation :)



Looking out at the beauty of Melbourne/Mornington




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The GLORY of Mornington Peninsula (right, Tina?)

7 August-20 August

(to add insult to injury of my difficult time in New Zealand- I lost the use of 2 of the most important pieces of equipment I brought with me and my lifelines! My Powerbook G4 laptop CRASHED, and then I accidentally washed my Ipod shuffle. The headphones survived, but the Ipod never came back :( WHAT does the Southern Hemisphere have against Apple products? I always have some disaster there with my Apple products!)

Be diplomatic…be diplomatic…be fair… don’t say hate…say that I prefer Australia to New Zealand...

There’s a part of my brain that is perhaps larger than the other sections.It is constantly buzzing- it wakes me up as soon as I lay down to sleep to check just one more thing on the internet, it drives me when the thrill of going to a new place enters into the other parts of my brain….and it is entitled “Planning”, being a woman, a photographer, a student for 10 years, and an artist- I think I have planning down to a science. If one thing doesn’t work out- my brain instantly defaults to another solution, another answer, there’s always another way! And for the overactive, a.d.d. mind of mine- it is essential that I keep myself occupied with several things at once so that I don’t implode. Planning is twofold, really:

1) It allows me to not implode

2) It alleviates the wanderlust overthinker that I am…

Ahhh planning....how I didn't realise what a serious relationship I have with you! It is something that I enjoy- it helps me look thoughtfully towards the future, it is an essential part of being my own business- and a freelance photographer, and for someone who travels it is also an unquestionable necessity of my life… as I get older, I have learned to trust my intuition more and more- go with my gut instincts more often instead of less often so that when something turns out the way I felt that it would- I won't have to kick myself for not having listened to myself in the first place! Carpe Diem, right? Seize the day all the while making sound decisions of course ;)

Ok, decision made! I would start trusting myself and making decisions that I feel are strongly influenced by my intuition.. now having said all of that- I don’t know exactly what happened to me when I decided to hop over to New Zealand. I had spoken with enough people who had: been there, lived there, were born there and then moved to Australia, or just visited extensively… as I often do when I am trying to educate myself about something- I poll everyone, I ask a lot of questions, I am used to researching… but this time I was completely taken astray… I did not research and so the cardinal sin in my book was committed- I wasted almost 2 weeks of my time in a country that I did not even know was 2 islands separated by water- and the chaos ensues on my journey into Middle Earth.

I should have known. From the first moment in the Sydney airport when I was patiently waiting my turn in line, I should have known. I should have stayed in Australia. It was early morning for me- and I didn’t sleep much the night before. There are not many as many flights between Australia and New Zealand as one would think- and most especially from Sydney to Christchurch which actually flies quite often- I should have trusted my instincts, and yet, for some reason, the artist, the wanderlust, the stubborn Taurus moon side of me refused to give in. I got to the counter of Emirates airlines in Sydney, Australia, bleary eyed and exhausted, but ready for a new adventure—the man at the window looked at my creased black and white printout of my itinerary, looked at my passport, and gave me a bit of a frown.
Him:“When are you returning to Australia, ma’am?”
Me: “I don’t know, I only bought a one-way ticket.”
Him: “Oh, you cannot leave the country. New Zealand will not allow you in unless you have a return ticket.”
Me: (slightly thunderstruck) um, what? I cannot leave the country?!
Him: No, you must purchase a return ticket in order to enter the country.
Me: So, can I do that now?
Him: Yes, you can do it at any window, or you may purchase it online- but you will need to print out a confirmation number so that you have something to show New Zealand customs.
Me: (to myself, you have GOT to be kidding me.) Ok, thanks for telling me.

To myself: DAMN IT! Whaaat the hell ! I had so much fun in Sydney- maybe I can call my new friend Amy who said she didn’t want me to leave? Could I? I have her phone number in my moleskin journal… but.. f*ck its so early- I don’t know if she is up for work yet…. On the other hand….I want to go to New Zealand! What a crime to be so close and not see it, and I need some more diverse shots- I really want to see the land and the sheep, and learn about the country. Alright- let me go see how much another one way ticket will be….

I arrive at one of the counters of the mere 3 airlines that fly to New Zealand with extremely limited flying times/availability. Not surprisingly, Air New Zealand is the counter I find myself at and greeted by an extremely friendly lady told me a one way ticket will be $400… is she serious? Do I perhaps have the look of someone with an indisposable income? Ok, my option now was to go back and talk to Emirates, but they told me it was about the same cost- maybe Qantas could save the day (Qantas is one of the best airlines around, I flew with them about 6 times now and have been exceptionally pleased each time) She was much more helpful:“if you cannot make it today, you can extend your ticket for another date in the future if you wish.” That was nice to know that I had options,so I ran to the free internet kiosk provided by Optus mobile. I jumped online and looked frantically at lastminute.com.au and Qantas.com- lastminute.com had a return flight for about $200! Success! I was going to New Zealand- the government would NOT stand in my way. (all those with authority issues, say I!) I !!!!!

I quickly confirmed my purchase- and then realised that my bank account would be overdrawn if a check I wrote would clear at the same time- I worked that out- and then ran over to the ticketing to get the bag tags- oh. They needed the printout of my ticket- damn! I went to not 1, not 2, but 3 different Qantas counters in order to get my printed itinerary fit for the New Zealand government and customs people. I barely made it through- but I did it! I was on my way to Middle Earth- and nobody- especially not the government would stop me! I sort of wish I had just rolled over, and given up, I wish I could have used my intuition at those early hours to peer into my future of frustration, wasted time and money, and confiscation of my recent purchase in Australia.. that, I am still sore about- and will complain about in depth in one moment. ☺

So, I find myself on this airline I have never flown before. Emirates made me feel like a STAR. High class accommodations even for those of us in coach- big, comfortable, beige leather seats, a TV for each seat, they served us brunch though it was only a 3 hour flight from Sydney to Christchurch; so in I settled into my roomy, comfortable seat with my complimentary headphones and crammed in the new Star Trek movie into the flight. New Zealand! Middle Earth from the plane was stunning- almost beyond words- the photos that I snapped with my little point and shoot camera were out of this world. The snow capped mountains were literally breathtaking. I felt hopeful- and for being such a city girl- it always interests me that I have a strong connection to being in nature (mainly due to the fact that I was born in the natural splendor of the Pacific Northwest Seattle)- when I don’t enjoy nor do any nature type activities like hiking, camping, swimming, or other selected water sports- for me- its mainly just BEING in nature and exploring on foot (reasonably so that my bad ankle doesn’t worsen) and shooting.I like to be on my own schedule and timing without any tourguides influencing my experience or telling me what to feel at what time.

We landed in Christchurch and I had to go through the exhaustive customs and security checks—did I have any fresh fruit, nuts? Have I been on a farm recently? Was there dirt on my shoes from being in the outback of Austalia? Yea, there actually was dirt, and when I was in Mudgee with Amanda we got clear quartz crystals straight out of the Earth. DAMN IT. Remain calm, and claim or throw away. Little did I know that my honesty was to work against me in just a few moments. A friendly woman with plastic gloves on greeted me and asked if I had any food. Ever the honest tell-tale heart with a near inability to lie, I cheerfully say, “yes! I have saffron and honey." Her heart skips a beat. “HONEY?” Uh, (was that the wrong answer? I was just being honest) and I didn’t want to endure the wrath of the “Claim it or INSTANT $200 fine”. I showed her my honey naively thinking that since it was from Australia, it would be allowed in- its not as if I have hidden explosives or an American disease I decided to bring over to ruin the delicate ecosystem of New Zealand. WRONG ANSWER. Honey is the first and foremost thing that they will not allow in the country. Blast it all ! She truly does apologise and says I cannot take the honey in- and I am instantly livid. I paid $7 for honey that I only tasted with a stick, and now they are taking it! WHY didn’t I just leave it in Australia with my new friends? Why didn’t I lie? Do they have honey detectors??? Would I have been imprisoned for bringing honey into the country? SIGH. I complained a bit, and she apologised again while she took my boots and clear quartz to be inspected for the dirt they carried. The dirt was FIIIIIIIIINE. But, I still mourn the loss of my honey- I may even write a letter to New Zealand just to make myself feel better- one thing my mum instilled in me was to never waste- that’s one of the cardinal sins in my book- and while I would like to think they BURN it to destroy it, I was HOPING that somewhere in a customs back room, they were having a honey confiscation party with my beloved natural,only touched once honey from Mudgee.


Still fussed about the ordeal that it was to get through security and customs, I remained eager to see the lansdscape of New Zealand from the worm’s eye view- I arrived at the airport and found… silence. Living in New York City affords you a very interesting characteristic- you tune out noise, but you still have a need to hear it. Sirens blaring, alarms going off, traffic, honking, yelling, music, loud trucks hitting bumps in the road, the occasional dog bark, screeching of trains, stopping of local buses, and sometimes your neighbours chatting as though they were inside your own apartment. Now that all of those sounds were no longer part of my regular day- I adopted the new sounds of Melbourne since I had stayed there the longest amount of time- the sound that chirps when its time to cross the street, the trams stopping and going, and the sound of the tram doors opening, a hush of traffic, people talking… on a smaller scale, Melbourne was still a major metropolitan city complete with the sounds of a hustling and bustling bonafide city.

Admittedly, the silence is slightly unnerving to me- it means in a way that not much is happening- and with my overactive mind- I get bored EXTREMELY easily. I always say that I need to be overstimulated all the time or I die. It’s sort of true. New Zealand was going to be… a challenge. But, I was ready. I went off to the bus, and found my way around fairly easily. What was I doing exactly? Oh yes, shooting! Ok, well, let me begin my research.

I found myself in the calm and hippie-like spirit of Christchurch. I had no idea that there were so many barefoot, dreadlocked people in New Zealand- where was my research knowledge? Why had I completely dropped the ball with this trip? I suppose the “no worries” lifestyle seeped into my veins and into the “planning” part of my brain. My trip back to Australia was already planned down to the last day I would be there and head back to the USA, however, the momentary blip for visiting and shooting in New Zealand continued on… and I struggled the entire 2 weeks I was there. I ended each day wondering “what did I accomplish today? NOTHING!!” “what did I shoot today? Not much?!”

I continued on- ever determined to not give up… transportation then became an issue to add to my increasing anxiety of wasting time and lack of accomplishment.The only way I could get around was by bus which ran on extremely limited services due to the winter time. Where was my 24 hour convenience of NYC? I am not an outdoor sports activity type of person… I don’t camp, I don’t fish, I don’t hike… in order to see more landscape, it would have behooved me to drive around...yet…my brain would literally not allow for me to drive on the left side of the road despite becoming accustomed to it a bit more, The Lord of the Rings tour was cheesy and undoubtedly a tourist trap, what else could I shoot? I was told that I MUST go to Milford Sound in the Fiordland National Park, its one of the rare untouched natural parks/habitats left on the planet… that should be photo worthy right? That was my new goal.. to get to Milford Sound if I did nothing else in New Zealand… now… I can just take a bus and be there in a few hours, right? WRONG!!! From one of the the furthest city South- Queenstown, it still took 10 hours of traveling total to get to the Sound! Now, where am I?! 3-5 hours away from Queenstown by bus... argh!

I eventually made it- and because I was determined to make SOMETHING of my time- I ended up frantically checking into backpacker’s hostels in Queenstown a few times, all the while attempting to find anything nearby that I could shoot to make my trip feel worthy. I even had one of their world famous burgers at Fergburger- (admittedly a clever and delicious little hamburger joint in Queenstown) I didn’t however even get ONE photo of a sheep because the majority of my time was spent on buses traveling between cities.. I didn’t have a chance to eat lamb ( I know, when in Rome, but I didn’t have enough time!) I eventually made it to Doubtful Sound- it was an all day affair with more traveling than actual exploration of the area- and I am still hoping it was worth it- we did have a few strikes of luck in that on my tour we saw dolphins,penguins, and seals which are not always present for the tours.

The tour… was definitely worth it- worth the entire trip to New Zealand? I cannot tell a lie and say that it was… but, I have to say, that I always tell myself “I love being uncomfortable” and not in the sense of enjoying the feeling, but because it makes me step outside myself, to learn and grow. I struggled from the next to nothing activities available in Christchurch to the incredible distance between cities on even one of the islands.I made my way through Queenstown, Wanaka (where they apparently have a movie theatre with couches instead of seats and at intermission they serve you freshly baked cookies!), Manapouri, back to Christchurch and then flew to Auckland to get back to Australia.

It was not necessarily all in vain… the people, were absolutely the friendliest in the world- and I was extremely surprised, to this day cannot believe that they hitchhike as one of their main and accepted forms of transportation! I must have asked about 20 different people if they hitch, and if its safe… because in America, you hitch hike and you die! You end up on the evening news as missing or dead! It made me stop to think that I was behaving as though I was raised in a country of paranoid thieves and killers! (was that true? If even partially true? That America makes me not trust people? I can wax philosophic on that easily.. but I will end this extremely long entry soon) ☺

The sting of my confiscated honey was a hard one to bury throughout my time in New Zealand (and apparently up until today), the incredible expense I endured to get around to places without knowing where I was, and not truly accomplishing as much shooting as I would have liked- I basically wasted 2 weeks of time, only accomplishing shooting some absolutely majestic snow on mountains and traveling to Doubtful Sound (not a very encouraging name of a destination, eh?) but one of the most breathtaking- honestly- one of the few untouched places left in the world- it was magnificent, and I can’t say it was worth all the time, effort, and struggle, but perhaps if my photos sell as stock, I will change my mind. Despite the struggle, not realising I would have to FLY to Auckland- and freaking out every single day about how I was to get from the furthest Southern point on the South Island to Auckland in time to make it back to Melbourne- I found some outstanding new friends in New Zealand whose warmth and hospitality still rings in my memory every time I think about it. So, I suppose, that though I was given exactly what I wanted- to learn, grow, and be uncomfortable- I learned the geography of New Zealand, I learned that in order to visit- I might need to rob a bank to survive, and that there’s water separating the 2 islands… I can’t say that I am fondly looking back on my time there- but- perhaps a picture is worth 1,000 words afterall.. I’ll let you be the judge..but, I still want my honey back.







Goodbye to my beloved Australia- I can see the shape of the country from this airplane shot ;)

The view from the plane- still stuns me!


Purple :)


Pink fleurs


Gorgeous! Abundant plant life and flowers flourishing in the middle of the Winter, even!


Centre of Christchurch


Cool art museum in Christchurch


This helps for those of us that fail at history like I do, interesting how much the Maori culture is still relevant in the culture of New Zealand. I was told they even teach the Maori language in schools, still !


It turns out.. that I like old cars :)


This made me think it was part of a cottage from a fairytale :)


Native statue


I love the architecture of NZ, its completely different from Australia- and well here's some more English influence- I love the red telephone booths!!!


Not a sign you see everyday ;)


Hahahaha, I have no idea what these were there for- but some robots/transformers made out of cardboard boxes were randomly on a main street in Christchurch.


Tower in Lyttleton


Lyttleton


Forgive the dorky artist I am, I thought this was a cool image of raindrops on a clothes drying rack ;)


I like random things like this ;) In the middle of nature, too


Lake Tekapo


Doubtful Sound




A rarity- we got to see the seals :) Reminds me of Pier 39 in SF, albeit with a different backdrop ;)




Gorgeous close up of rock


Native bird (forgot its name) was happily eating banana chips, haha! :)



More of Doubtful Sound- untouched



Goodbye Doubtful Sound

31 July – August 2

You know how there some friends in life that are your confidantes? The people who you call when something goes wrong- or if something goes right…who you know will be there if you just need to vent, the people who make your day brighter with small things, who know your birthday without the reminder from facebook, the people who know what sorts of things you eat for dinner, and are genuinely concerned with you if all you can think about is a strange or interesting piece of mail? I cherish those friendships- and I adore the friendships that are instant and immediate-where you feel like you have known each other for years instead of just a few hours? Well, one of my dearest friends on Earth, Carly, had this sort of connection with a friend here in Sydney, Amanda. And, when I met Amanda, we also had this instant connection- what a gift, and in the wise words of another dear friend whom I have connected with in Australia, Thene “There is something to be said about connecting with people - it's really a - not so much a miracle but perhaps a blessing of life and being alive.” I couldn’t have said it better Thene ☺ I think that is both of those things- a miracle in a sense and a blessing of life and being alive. I am still taken aback by all the kindness and open hearts and minds that exist here- nothing seems to be troubling to people, they help you without the intention of receiving recognition and without the satisfaction or praise for helping… I had only chatted with Amanda online for most of this year, and when she picked me up from the train station with a big smile on her face and greeted me with a hug, I knew that we would get on very well.

Before I arrived in Sydney, Amanda offered to take me along on a roadtrip to the countryside of Sydney and a place very dear to her heart where she spent many years growing up- Mudgee. Mudgee, a small suburb of Sydney known for its wine and its honey, reminds me in a way of Stanley, although a bit more populated than Stanley, the charms of the countryside were abundant. The reason for the trip was to attend a 60th surprise birthday party planned for her uncle, and I was beyond flattered to not only have just met her and be welcomed into her home and her life, (though I felt like I knew her for years from chatting so much) but to go along to a personal function, such as a celebration as this with 75 members of her amazing family, I was truly at a loss for words. Amanda, is probably the most easygoing mum I have ever met- and after having a 15 yr old, an 11 yr old, and a 3 yr old and she is at the mere age 30, she is truly a gift of a friend and a remarkable human being. I also found out quickly that Amanda was a bit of a celebrity in Sydney- I was surprised as we sat at the McDonald’s drive thru for breakfast that they knew her by name. I sheepishly asked her, "um, how do they know your name?!" She happened to be picked to be on a television show whose premise was to search for Australias’s top psychic. It was called “The One” and I was extremely impressed that she was selected to be one of the contestants. After a few minutes of chatting with her, though, it was evident that she was someone extremely special. We chatted until the wee hours of the night and I must have cried about a dozen times after hearing all of her life stories- I encouraged her to write a book and thanked her for not judging me for being too sensitive upon our first meeting ;)☺ We headed to bed around 2 or 3 a.m. and as I was sleeping in her eldest son’s room- I looked up at the ceiling and saw the glow in the dark stars I once had in my own room at age 15, and smiled as I fell asleep.

The trip to Mudgee began early on Saturday morning, and off we went! Myself, Amanda, her 11 year old daughter Alannah, and her now 3 year old son Ajay, were in tow. With the Twilight soundtrack repeating on the CD player and a few stops for photos at abandoned train stations, we made good time through the splendor of the Blue Mountains and along through a huge apple town called Bilpin, the signs for housemade fresh pies and fruits and vegetables were entirely too tempting, but, we had a party to attend! Chit-chatting the entire way with a wonderful soundtrack and clear road ahead of us, we saw an enormous amount of roadkill. This is why I was referencing dead roos in my previous blog- I didn’t count, but we saw more dead kangaroos than any other animal.. there were also some foxes, some wombats, and other assorted Aussie animals- the occasional cat, etc. Apparently, these animals are not endangered, and it is actually quite dangerous to hit a kangaroo because they are a massive and muscular animal, it does a lot of damage to your car as well as kill them ☹

On a happier note..we arrived in the early evening from an extremely painless roadtrip (for myself anyway) I may actually change my mind about roadtrips- I generally hate them, and not all travel companions are created equally, but, the 4 of us did beautifully on the @5-6 hour trek North to Mudgee. We arrived at the hotel, and immediately I was introduced to about 5 of Amanda’s family members. I am generally very good with names and faces, but, when I meet several people at once, I tend to forget- but I was also immediately whisked away with 2 of Amanda’s aunties to go wine tasting. I wasn’t sure if the tasting would be free, so I shied away a bit until I realised it WAS free, and then it was over. We had about 7 glasses- (just tastings) and I was satisfied for the rest of the evening. Australian wine has always been among my favourites, and it was a treat to experience it firsthand and even organic wines, too !

We got some lunch and settled in- chatting with the family explaining what I was doing there and talking about my camera and my photography. You know- I picked a career that I love and that I enjoy, but, its always nice to know that no matter who I meet, when I tell them what I do- it is so well received, and a topic of conversation for hours potentially. After a few hours, we were off to the surprise party. Upon arrival, I thought for certain there were too many table settings- and then after about an hour, every single seat had been taken! There were at least 75 people at this birthday party- what a huge family! I feel like it was yet again another miracle to meet a friend that I connected with on many levels- and within 24 hours was meeting part of her family. The party was truly fantastic- with toasts, excellent food, and plenty of cake and balloons to keep the children occupied. After we headed back to the hotel- filled with warmth and love- we watched a special on TV about Michael Jackson (whom I still cannot believe has died).

The next morning- we headed over to Amanda's uncle Kevin’s house for breakfast. He announced at the party last night that he and his wife would be glad to have everyone over for breakfast. You can just tell- that he was a business man- he and his wife used to run a hotel- and this was absolutely a serious breakfast affair. There were probably about 30-50 people at any given time rotating between the inside and the backyard where there was a grill going to pick up your preferred protein- sausage, bacon, or ham, and toasters with butter and Vegemite waiting happily to be used. Inside was the egg station- fried, poached? How would you like yours? The amount of love present for this beloved family member was palpable and I was incredibly honoured to be a part of this special event.

We said our goodbyes and “Happy Birthday” wishes and headed on our way to do some honey tasting! Mudgee is known for its wine and its honey- so after sampling every single type of honey you can imagine- including honey with LAVENDER (which was scrumptious) I decided to get one jar, and in a moment- we were on our way back to Sydney.

Jamming to the same music we drove up with, and chatting a bit more- we were soaking in the last of the gorgeous countryside—we wanted to stop at a brilliant abandoned railroad track to take some photos- and en route- we were coming up very quickly to this small moving object. AN ANIMAL!!! Amanda was powering through the roads at about 120 km/hr so thankfully she had a good eye to spot the movement and was able to slow down in time. She screamed in delight, “ECHIDNA!!” and the grin on my face spread from ear to ear. I recall seeing an Echidna in the Taronga Zoo in Sydney 4 years ago, and adored how they were the Australian version of a porcupine. We pulled over, and marveled at seeing this creature up close- I snapped some photos, and Amanda’s uncle lovingly gathered the Echidna up into a towel and put him on the other side of the road to safety. We followed him to make sure he was ok- and he angrily dug himself into a hole to camouflage...at least we didn’t add to the astounding number of roadkill.

Arriving back in Sydney, we had some dinner and headed to bed- in my whirlwind weekend to the countryside, I felt this sense of belonging, and the natural wonder of the Earth resting happily in my memories.


They really are blue- Blue Mountains :)


Gorgeous trees of the countryside of Australia- I miss these trees!


Awesome old church en route to Mudgee- I think I will always love the contrast of yellow and blue


Abandoned Train Station- what an awesome location to shoot!



Train tracks and abandoned train station


Amanda just waiting for her train :) (she might be waiting for a while, lol)



Inside Abandoned Train Station #1


Capertee! Abandoned Train Station #2


Gnarly close up of a tree


Why did the Echidna cross the road?





Echidna close up!



Amanda's hilarious "Uncle from hell" desperately wanted a photo of strangling her on the train tracks- you will always have a laugh around this guy :)



Moon in the night sky

Second Week Down Under: 11th July- 18th July

Hello kids- thanks for tuning in yet again on my Aussie adventures. I just had the most glorious weekend in the countryside of Sydney thanks to my darling friend Amanda… I wish that I was caught up to the present.......maybe I can become an official nerd blogger and just continue to blog for an entire day so that I can catch up to the present? I think that only I would start a blog in the middle of my trip- go backwards, and then fall behind on moving forward??? Yea, quite possibly only me. I think this is the part of my personality that amuses me- that I am continually an absolutely silly noodle ☺

So- let’s continue our journey back in time- I really REALLY want to say emphatically and in Doc’s voice “let’s go back to the future!” but it just hasn’t worked yet- will you forgive me if I reference this in the next few blogs that I post? Ok, good.

My second week in Melbourne was much like the first- exploring everyday to my heart’s content, snapping photos of all the magical corners of the city, and learning my way around by memory and landmarks. (seriously, I have no idea what North, South, East, and West are.. but oh yea, that old looking tree and the McDonald’s on the corner? Ohhh yea, that’s how I know I am lost, so I know to go the other way now - such girl directions☺)

I continue to adore Melbourne and the many sides of its personality… I am learning to live in harmony among metres, kilometres, litres, Celsius, kilograms, kiljoules, and no pennies. Luckily, they use dollars here otherwise the math part of my brain might ACTUALLY and completely stop- that’s not to say that I haven’t had about 7 mental meltdowns per second here trying to convert measurements, temperatures, distances, and weight…all I know with any certainty is that my US dollar is earning me at least another quarter in Aussie dollars, and that’s sort of all the math I need to know right now.

I started my week with incredible fanatic anticipation of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince which was released on Wednesday 15th July- it was originally planned to be released on my birthday 17th July- but for some reason it was bumped up and I couldn’t have been more thrilled. I actually looked up release dates abroad before I left because I know the USA tends to have movies premiere before the rest of the world- I saw that HP was to be released in Australia in DECEMBER (perhaps that was the DVD release????) anyway, I was absolutely crushed thinking that I would have to wait friggin 3+ months for a film I have been awaiting eagerly and excitedly.. luckily, I was proved wrong- and had to entertain myself to keep my mind off going to a midnight 3-D release of the film that would have cost me about $25! (F, I thought NYC was expensive!)

I started off on another mini- mission- where in the hell did my sister and I stay last time we were here? It couldn’t have been far from the city centre- and there were more places to see- so off I went- trusty camera in hand, hoodie zipped up, Ipod shuffle (thanks Omri) settling into the same spot on the pocket of my jeans, and listening skills turned to “hyperaware” mode so I could learn more and more Aussie slang. I think at this point I could fake a fairly believable accent ☺

I ended up gravitating as I usually do to Chinatown (have to admit- New York seems to have the bloody coolest Chinatown outside of well CHINA and since I haven’t been to China yet, I will stand by that statement ☺) I found an incredibly quiet, yet fascinating Chinatown cleverly hidden in the middle of the city centre.. as I wandered down the nearly silent streets I found beautifully coloured buildings, interesting artwork, architecture, and of course the signature tidy restaurants sometimes complete with a girl standing outside with menus (I asked her if I could take her photo and she shyly accepted) It is always interesting to me to discover all the different Chinatowns of the world- perhaps that can be a new project? I have to also admit that though I have only been to LA, San Francisco, Boston, Washington DC, and New York’s Chinatowns, Melbourne’s is once again unique, memorable, somewhere that I would like to visit again. I could very well be biased at this point- and will now have to compare it to Sydney’s Chinatown that I will be heading off to this week. I seemed to find comfort and amazement in the beautiful blue brick wall, in the giant mask of China hanging randomly on an abandoned building, and delight in street names such as Celestial Avenue.

After going to Chinatown 2 days in a row, I saw Harry Potter, was quite pleased with the film despite some negative reviews and the annoyance at the tall, spiky haired woman who sat directly in front of me at the last minute, I enjoyed seeing the actors growing up and continually inhabiting the characters I have come to know and love. I then set off to visit a beautiful cemetery (no, I am not morbid, just enjoy the beauty and architecture of cemeteries).. it was interesting to me that people were buried in sections according to their branch of religion- I never think of Australia as an extremely religious place though I know Catholicism is a widespread religion here- I found some truly beautiful headstones and some that were so old they were collapsing and rotting away.

I ended the week celebrating my birthday twice and I usually celebrate for the entire month- but as I reached a milestone this year of turning that number after 29 which is still a bit difficult to say… (how about 29 + 12 months? That sounds MUCH better to me!) I experienced the unbelievable Aussie kindness again and had some new friends drive an HOUR to pick me up and take me out for a few drinks and a meal. The next day one of my temporary housemates made sushi for me since I had been bugging her about it for the first 2 weeks of my stay (every single day!!) Well.. she was Japanese, and .. I wanted sushi! ☺ This was yet again a heart-warming and reflective end to my second week in the Land Down Under.

I am convinced that this is the car they used to draw Cruella deVille's car for 101 Dalmations! I could just imagine her with that wild look in her eye tearing around the corners of the mountains to chase after the car with those puppies! This was the first of about 4-6 cars of a wedding party- the groom waved to me after I snapped more than a few photos of the car- just too cool to pass up :)


I love funny signs- and seeing a sign for "Taco Bill's" just made me laugh- don't you think TACO BILL is an excellent name for a Mexican restaurant in Australia?! Me, too !

An example of the secret alleyways in Melbourne- this one led me to Chinatown :)

My favourite wall- brilliant colours!


Chinese museum with the coolest looking guards.. ever?


Chinatown architecture


The Mask of China


No Chinatown would be complete without a window full of headless chickens!


Lovely girl patiently standing outside a Chinese restaurant with menus


My love for all things celestial inspired snapping this photo- if you may notice there is a sign for Target on the far left- nothing quite like a sign for Target with a dragon on it- I am thinking, it doesn't get much better than that :) This was also the moment that I remembered my sister and I stayed nearby due to me finding the Target store! Mission accomplished!


One of my favourite things about Australia- the best signs in the world.. they are polite even on their street signs!


Sparkling stones on the side of a building


Now how often do you see a sign for "Tax-Free Opals"?? Not often enough, I say!


Swanston Street, some of the iconic parts I have seen repeatedly- statues, churches, aboriginal artwork, and a glorious Winter blue sky


Funky statues in the middle of the sidewalk in Melbourne City Centre


Horse-drawn carriage Number 2, I still think it looks like a fairy tale when I look at them against the backdrop of Melbourne