Nov 2008

Ten hours later, the girls and I have finally arrived in Sydney at 8am on a bright, beautiful, Australian morning.

The drive in was just stunning, amongst rolling hills and giant cliffs. A slight fog surrounded the wondrous horizon as we approached, but quickly vanished to reveal a stunning city set behind a shimmering river, as we crossed over the Harbor Bridge. It truly was a sight to behold!

Now it is time to find our bearing. We booked a hostel tonight in the center of the city, and as such, we begin our quest to find a place to live, a job to support us, and some friends to make the trip worthwhile.

Wish us luck!!

love,
las chicas!

Oh what a crazy day us ladies had. After two hours in the blistering Australian sun, us dark-haired ladies begged for mercy and were so kindly allowed to enter the precious shade of the Bohemia cafe. There, we luckily switched from Scrabble to Spades after Coconut so mercilessly kicked our butts (I mean seriously who scores 52 points every other round in scrabble!?)

So what began as a lesiurely afternoon game of cards, turned into a 6 hour escapade of 18 rounds of cards. Caitlin and I taking the final lead and winning by a mere 20 points over 500.

As the clocks ticked 11pm we realized that indeed we were now officially old ladies drinking white wine, playing Spades, and all the happier for it. Oh how time does change us...

Off to celebrate Thanksgiving in el norte, and the other national holiday...Caitlin's Birthday!

besos,
Cris & Crew

So the ladies and I arrived in Byron Bay two nights ago, and I must say it was love at first sight.

Even amongst torrential downpours, we fell in love with the town's two winding streets filled with cafes, hippie shops, and unique little restaurants with names like "Why Not?".

The town peaks at Cape Byron where a lovely lighthouse rests on top of a large hill overlooking the land. There are beaches on either side, each with picturesque white sand and clear, blue waters and waves the size of avalanches. A surfer's paradise this place is, and quite nice for the rest of us too...

We are planning on staying here just a bit longer. The ocean shores are calling our names, and the wonderful vegetarian Indian restaurant is keeping our bellies full. This town has a little bit of everything for somebody, and we are trying to find that for each one of us.

Turns out it may also be a great place to celebrate Turkey Day...

Much love from Aussieland
Besitos,

3CK

Well our journey continues. We spent the last 3 days driving and camping on the beautiful Fraser Island, an island made completely of sand...

More on that trip to come.

Now we are off to Byron Bay, a beach town known to be one of the best in the land. We plan to hang out there for a few days, maybe take some surfing lessons (yea!) and finally get a little bit of time to just rest on the beach. Ha. I know, I know, but I seriously have only read like 10 pages of Great Expectations in two weeks. I got to get going on that one!

I will leave you with a few pictures of our journey - the winding road, the wonderful animals , and our lovely new car...Rhonda :-P

love,
the ladies

So we have begun our road-trippin journey with plenty of suprises along the way...

First was the amazing city of Rockhampton. A city Lonely Planet booasted as quaint with beautiful old-style buildings and a happening downtown area. NOT. All we could find were endless amounts of strip malls that reminded us all a bit of South Carolina and a Subway with no restroom or oil and vinegar (imagine my despise!)

Next was the lovely town of 1770. Yes a city named after a number. One of the only ones in the world I believe. Many backpackers before us had highly recommended the place, booasting a cool vibe and magnificent views. Upon arrival, we realized it was little more than a marina with a shop or two (neither of which were open!). Nonetheless, we managed to find one restaurant open past 9pm, in the middle of reconstruction. But "no worries mate" we found a toothless Aussie all to eager to give us dancing lessons involving all the construction moves: hammering, plastering, you name it... Go Kate on that one. She rocked the house. (pics to come)

But mostly I've been pretty proud of us. We slept 4 in the station wagon (me and caitlin balled up in the back) and managed to hike down most of the coast without a hitch. Unless you count Coconut's $150 speeding ticket. Ha. Heavy footed that girl is, I tell ya.

I did, however, realize I am a horribe left-side-of-the-road driver. Actually the girls had to tell me that after I nearly killed 2 bikers. Its actually quite harder than I imagined. Your body just naturally starts gliding to the left. And come on man, we are driving a boat!

After an unsucessful 2 hour attempt to find jobs in Brisbane, we are heading back up the coast tomorrow to see Steve Irwin's Zoo, Rainbow Beach, and Frasier Island. I'll do my best to update it as we go along. Until then, besitos to all and go OBAMA!!

love,
Cris, Cait, Kate, and Coco