I Found My Husband!

So, the running joke is that I would come over to Australia and find myself an Australian husband... Well, I have found him. He is currently in school and working towards becoming fire chief at the local fire station (unrelated) and further in the future hopes to be an astronaut. He is Australian, super cute, and sweet as can be and knows that I always win in a disagreement. We've been spending a lot of time together, but especially enjoy our evening cuddles. Surprisingly though he doesn't meet any of the usual requirements - He's Jewish, white, and younger than me... Anyways, as I'm sure you're dying to meet him, here he is:

So you're probably wondering how this all came about. Let me tell you a little story...

Michelle has a High School Musical nightie which she was to put on after bath time. Instead of getting dressed she was looking at it lying on the floor asking me questions about the boy and girl's name and hair color. She then started asking questions about how they know each other and if they are in love. Well, during this time Ben was apparently feeling a little left out so he decided to join in on the conversation and what follows is that conversation:
Ben: Michelle, you're a girl and I'm a boy, so when I grow up we can marry and then I'll kiss you.
Mich: But Ben, I'm in your family. You aren't supposed to marry people in your family.
Ben: (Pauses for a moment) But wait! Nikki is a girl and she is not actually family so when I grow up I can marry her!!
Just after this conversation I took the above video.

For the rest of the night he kept mentioning how he and I would get married when he's grown up. Gotta love Benjamin!!

Sydney - The Blue Mountains

Where I stayed at The Blue Mountains is actually in Katoomba, which is about 2 or so hours outside of Sydney. I previously wrote a post on some of the things I experienced during my bushwalking there at - http://dreamjourneytooz.blogspot.com/2013/01/the-blue-mtns-my-senses-in-writing.html . This post will be for some more detailed anecdotes of the trip as well as some pictures of the beautiful scenery.

My Hostel

In Katoomba I bought a bus pass that allows you to hop on and off the company's buses throughout your stay. I had everything planned out for my first excursion - what stop to get off at, what directions to turn, what things I will see, landmarks, etc. When I got on in the morning I told the bus driver, Jimmy, that I wanted to get off at stop 15. Well what I didn't know is that the bus doesn't stop at every stop. He kept mentioning things that I had seen in the guidebook, but wasn't putting stop numbers with them, so naturally, I missed my stop. At stop 17 I went to the front of the bus and told him that I wanted to get off at 15. He had completely forgotten and felt terrible. He dropped me off at stop 18, told me a different route, and told me he would pick me up at stop 17. I smiled politely and thanked him while inside I was a wreck. I got off the bus and walked towards the path with tears in my eyes. I had no idea where I was, didn't know which way to go, and didn't know what I'd be encountering on my walk. I decided, however, that I only have 2 days here and I needed to make the best of it, so I took a moment to collect myself and look at the guidebook and replan. Turned out that I ended up doing my originally planned route, just backwards, so it all worked out in the end. At the end of the day Jimmy gave a big sigh and looked quite relieved that I was there (at stop 14) waiting for the bus. Turns out I gave Jimmy quite a fright when I didn't turn up at stop 17 the first, second, or third time he went by there. I explained to him that once I got started, stop 17 was too soon to stop and before I knew it I was at the valley floor and I just kept going. When I told him the route I had taken he told me he was absolutely shocked that I had covered so much in such a "short" period of time (6 hours).

The Bus

I went to Katoomba alone, so naturally I would be bushwalking alone. The hostel had this neat sign in/sign out sheet for people bushwalking though for you to say where you were going when you left and when you plan to be back so that should something happen they would know when and where to look for you. As soon as I got off the bus and into the trees... slight anxiety set in as I realized just how much land was out there, how I'd be out there alone, and there are no railings along the cliff edges... anything, anything at all could happen... All I could think about were all those episodes of "I Shouldn't Be Alive" that I had watched where people go on trips/excursions and something goes terribly wrong and they almost die. Luckily, while all these awful thoughts ran through my head I had beautiful scenery to counteract them. After quite some time I passed someone walking the opposite direction and at one lookout I could see another lookout and saw people there, so I got over the whole fear of the fact that I might fall over the edge and no one would find me. It's just a weird kind of solitude.

A plus side to traveling/bushwalking alone is that you get to make all the decisions, which is a weird thing to like coming from someone who is so indecisive. I only had to stop when I was hungry or I could push myself through the hunger if I didn't want to stop right then. I only had to stop to rest when I was tired or I could push myself through the pain and fatigue and get to the top/destination faster. I got to do and see what I wanted to do and see when I wanted to do and see it.

In certain areas of The Mountains there are heaps of trees that are bare and pitch black because a year ago some idiot decided to light a match. Australia is a very dry place and because of that when the smallest bit of bush catches fire it spreads and spreads fast. They were going to clear the trees and replant, but they noticed some of them have recently begun sprouting new growths, so they have decided to let the trees do their own thing. There was just something about these black, burnt to a crisp, bare trees in the middle of these lush, gorgeous, full of life mountains...

As soon as I entered the bush I saw a butterfly, a few minutes later, another one. I think by the end of the first day I counted some 22 butterflies that had crossed my path. Constantly seeing them took my mind off the possible horrible tragedies that could occur from me bushwalking alone and kind of made me feel like I wasn't alone. At some point I decided to stand still when I spotted one. It flew over to me and around me and then next thing I know it lands on my backpack. Then I flew and landed on the bottom hem of my shorts and sat there for quite some time. If I wasn't looking I would have had no idea it landed in either spot. There was just something about such a fragile creature being so trusting (if butterflies can trust) that it would land on me, not once, but twice...

During one of my mud puzzles made of stones and sticks over sludge I misjudged and my right foot (closest to the edge) slid over the edge. There was that immediate increase in heart rate and rush of adrenaline as I thought, "Ah crap, here goes the beginning of my 'I Shouldn't Be Alive' episode..." but luckily there was a tree right in front of me straddling the path and the edge that I grabbed onto and steadied myself and then continued on my way with a bit more caution.

I had a bag water bottle with me and took a sip and then set it down on the rocks. There was about 1/4 left. I put all my stuff down next to it to take some pictures. When I was ready to go and my bag was packed back up I swung my backpack onto my back, knocking over my water bottle. No big deal... except that I had left the top popped from my drink earlier and the remaining water spilled out on to the rocks and dried up in seconds. Again, one of those events that occurs in that "I Shouldn't Be Alive" show. Luckily, I was semi-near the road since I was at the top of the cliff by this point and I just so happened to also be semi-near a random cafe. I went in and they gladly gave me 2.5 free drinks of water and refilled my water bottle for me.

On my 2nd full day I accidently left my phone on the bus and I didn't realize until I was already quite far into the mountains. Luckily, when I realized there was an Australian family nearby and the dad let me use his phone to call the bus company. Luckily, my phone was still on the bus and the driver (Bill) held on to it for me and I collected it a couple hours later. It was quite unsettling to be bushwalking with no phone (or watch) though... When I did get my phone back about 2 seconds later I was able to use it to help someone. I had just gotten my phone back when I walked on the bus and overheard the guy that came in after me telling the driver about his missing bag. Turns out he thinks he may have left it at some cafe. Everything of his was in his bag - phone, guidebook, hat, wallet, everything. I offered him my phone to call the cafe, but he said he didn't have their number, so I told him I would look it up. I found the number and called the place for him (because his English wasn't too good) and he told me the details they needed about what his bag looked like and where he had left it. When they said they had it and I told him the change on his face and in his body language was so visible. The relief when I said three words, "They have it". I know that feeling though. I have lost way too many things, some found some not, and that anxiety is the worst. I thought it was neat that when given back what I had "lost" I was then immediately able to use that item to help someone else find something they had lost.

I rode in a massive cable car from the valley floor up to a cliff edge and then rode one across the divide between two cliffs. Both of these offered brilliant views. It's just a shame there were so many people on the cars and windows... those were in the way too.

SkyWay

Look close enough and you'll see the CableWay (from the SkyWay)

Looking through the glass floor of the SkyWay

The main icon of the Blue Mountains is a rock formation called The Three Sisters. It's three rocks standing vertical off the same foundation rock. The cool thing is if you take a short path and then some very steep stairs down a ways you can actually walk across a bridge onto one of the Three Sisters.

If you look close enough you can see the bridge railing between the cliff side and the first of the Three Sisters

During my 2nd full day at the Blue Mountains Sydney hit it's record all time high of 45.7C/114.26F. The day before was quite hot as well - at least 40C. The one good thing about being in the mountains when it is this hot is that if you walk to the valley floor the temperature drops drastically. Believe it or not, there were times when I actually felt chilly at the bottom of the mountain, with all the trees covering overhead, and waterfalls and cascades around. I knew when I was coming up on a waterfall or cascades, even tiny ones, not just from hearing it or from having to create puzzles/paths with sticks and stones to get around the mud, but also from the almost instant change in temperature.

Now that, that was the good part of the mountains when it is that hot. The bad part about the mountains when it is that hot is that my hostel had NO A/C!!! Not just the rooms, even the lounge area and reception area didn't have A/C. It was absolutely miserable. My room had a fan way up on the wall by the ceiling, but it didn't work properly. The air only blew out of the sides of the fan, so I did what any rational person would and sat on top of locker in my shorts and sports bra and played cards for a couple hours because this was the only way to stay cool. Here is a link to my vlog regarding this situation: http://www.dreamjourneytooz.blogspot.com.au/2013/01/im-meeeelllllting-v9.html or you can watch it on YouTube here: http://youtu.be/KBYab4-vr10


Jimmy was the best tour guide / bus driver. He greeted every passenger in their native language, gave great commentary, told really cool stories about past passengers, left the doors open for us so we could get air circulation even though it was illegal, dropped me off twice as close to my hostel as he could even though it wasn't an actual stop, and so much more. On my last day in Katoomba I used the bus service to get to my message because they just so happened to have a stop near the spa. Bill picked me up, but I was so hoping that when I got out that Jimmy's bus would pick me up for the drive to the train station (which was about a 45 minute drive). I got out from my glorious massage (1st ever) and went to the stop. The bus came almost immediately and it was Jimmy!! We chatted most of the way to the train station and he dropped me off closer than he usually does. I made sure to thank him and tell him what an amazing guide he was and how much he added to my Blue Mountains experience. I also gave him a rave review when I went into the company's office (which is at the train station).

When bushwalking you have to make quite a number of decisions about which way you are going to go, when can you rest, how much work you want to do, etc etc. Well, unfortunately I came to a point in my walk that gave me two somewhat equally awful options... Option #1: Walk down some (by some I mean over 300) stairs, along a fairly long path, and then up 1,000 steep steep stairs. Option #2: Walk down some (again, over 300) stairs and then turn around and come back up those same stairs. Or... Option #3 (which in my head wasn't really an option because I wanted to see what was down the stairs) Don't walk down the stairs at all and just continue straight. Well, I went with Option #2. I'm very glad I chose to walk down the stairs as it took me deeper into the valley floor so there were more waterfalls and more lush, rainforest vegetation. When it came time to turn around I had to mentally prepare myself, count myself down, and then go full steam ahead. With just a few short breaks I made it back to the top of those stairs in much less time than I expected. So I then continued on with my journey. I turned the corner to find... more stairs!!! Keep in mind I have already climbed 300+ stairs after 3.5 hours or so of bushwalking (and other stair sets) in 40C+ heat. And these stairs... kept going. I kept telling myself, "Come on. You are almost there. It can't be much higher." At some point I told myself to stop telling myself that because it can ALWAYS get higher. So a little Note to Self: if you walk to the very bottom of the valley floor of a mountain... you WILL have to walk back up... However, when I reached the top of the cliff and realized just how far I had just pushed myself... I couldn't have been any prouder of my determination and perseverance.

And just because, here's a few of my favorites. =]

Sunset on the 1st night

Sydney - Zoo, Bondi/Tamarama, and Hillsong

On the days between locations, when I was at the grandparents' house, I tried to find stuff to do either on my own or with the family to make the most of my time in Sydney.

The first thing I did on one of my in between days was go to Taronga Zoo. I was checking out of my hostel on the day the family planned to go to the zoo so I met them there. I did some walking on my own since they had already been through the nocturnal and Australian sections. Some time later on I met up with them and we did a bit together. Other than the great view of the Harbour, the nocturnal exhibit, and the seal show... I honestly wasn't too impressed with the zoo. Part of the problem is that I've been to the Wildlife Habitat in Port Douglas where I got to sit with, pet, and feed the kangaroos and wallabies, so nothing measures up anymore. The other part is simply that... it's a zoo... it can only be but so different than any other zoo... they had a lot of the same animals as the zoo back in Melbourne and back home in Asheboro. I did get to have my first ride in a cable car there though, so that was cool. And I saw my first wombat and Tasmanian Devil.

The second thing I did on one of my in between days was go to Bondi Beach and Tamarama Beach. On the way to Bondi to start off the journey I got yelled at by an Aborginal for "stealing their pattern" (I was carrying a bag Gran had given me to use to go to the beach). Little did this lady know that that particular bag was bought by Gran and Daniel at an Aboriginal market entirely run by Aboriginals to sell their own original products and support the Aboriginal community. However she and the younger guy she was with were absolutely wasted (at 10am might I point out) and everyone on the bus was aware of it. Unfortunately alcohol is a known, huge problem in the majority of the Aboriginal communities. Anyways, sometime after that ordeal they got off the bus and just a couple stops later, so did I. I was at Bondi beach!!!

Because it was a weekday and the day started off cloudy, it wasn't super packed so that was nice and the sky cleared fairly quickly. There is this real sense of culture at Bondi, mostly created by the surfers, but the old buildings in the background and the occasional nudity added to that as well. I sat on the beach and watched the surfers as I ate my lunch... but not before I managed to surprise myself with an amazing feat - changing my entire outfit, on the beach, without ever exposing myself. Seriously, this required talent. The day started off somewhat chilly and cloudy so I wasn't sure if it was going to get hot enough for a bathing suit, so I had on pants and a t-shirt and packed my bathing suit. After 10 minutes or so of getting situated on the beach the sky started clearing and it started getting hot, but I didn't know where the bathrooms were and certainly didn't feel like trudging all the way to wherever they were just to change. I planned it out in my head before taking action and then went for it and was very pleased with the results. I maintained my modesty but ended up in my bathing suit and I didn't even have to get up.

 

I sat there for a bit and then packed up to head on to the coastal cliff edge walk that leads to a couple different beaches. The cliffs were gorgeous and offered fabulous views of the coast. I ended up at Tamarama Beach where I sat on a cliff edge that was under a cliff edge, so it was cool and shaded, kind of like a cave. Here, I had lunch, and watched more surfers do what they do. The beaches in Australia are different from the ones back home because when I look left or right down the shore back home all I can see is beach for miles in either direction, but here your line of sight is always cut short by a cliff/rocks/mountains. Tamarama Beach was the smallest beach I've seen here (or anywhere for that matter). It's a deep beach, meaning there is tons of sand going from the shore and then heading inland.

After I managed to pull myself away from this piece of paradise on the edge of Sydney I headed back to Bondi, but not before challenging my fears and sitting with my feet hanging over a cliff over the ocean. I don't even want to think about high it probably was. I sat on the beach and hung out in the water a bit at Bondi and then packed up and headed up the grassy hill for the shops. After some browsing I hopped on the bus and headed back to the house. As I was on the bus I couldn't believe that on the edge of this city is such beautiful beaches and little hidden gems like Tamarama.

The one other in between day that I decided to do something, was the Sunday I went to Hillsong Church. I have already written one post on this: http://www.dreamjourneytooz.blogspot.com/2013/01/hillsong-god-is-moving.html but I will write a bit more about my experience. The night before I signed up with their concierge service so they knew ahead of time that I was coming, had a packet of information ready for me (which was useful for my smashbook/scrapbook), had a seat saved for me, and they sat with me. It was big, but not as big as I was expecting. I feel like KPIC back home may be similar in size, which I've been to several times. Every seat wasn't filled though because it was their "early" service so that may have affected my perception  It was really cool to get to sing along live with Hillsong to songs I've practically grown up on. The other cool thing about Hillsong is that because their music has a particular sound and flow, even if you don't know the song it is easy to sing along. The message was so relevant to where I'm at right now and what I'm doing and the speaker used visual aids and analogies throughout to make his points which made the message very clear and quite entertaining actually. After the service (and after getting over the shock of the fact that Daniel was there, read the other post linked above) I went to their shop and bought a t-shirt because I'm a tourist and a Hillsong fan and that's just what you do. ;)

Sydney - The Bridge Climb

If you read my Christmas blog post you know that I was given a gift certificate to climb the Sydney Harbour Bridge. I was given the Platinum Certificate which allows you to climb the bridge at twilight giving you the best of all the bridge climb opportunities - blue sky while daylight, the sunset, and the city lights - all in the same climb.

When I arrived we filled out forms pretty much saying we'll follow the rules and won't sue them. We also got breathalyzed, which funny enough was my first time ever being breathalyzed. The lady couldn't understand why I didn't know what to do. Anyways, afterwards we got all geared up - jumpsuit (no jumping allowed), jumper, belt with the thing that connects you to the wire that runs along the bridge, hat, headphones and radio pack, and... I think that is everything. It all felt heavy at first but then I got used to it. Everything is connected to you in one way or another. The hat, headphones, and jumper are attached by this clip strap things, the radio is in a velcro pouch on the belt, glasses are connected with straps, your headlight is on a headband around your neck, your locker key is attached to a lanyard around your neck, and if you take a hankie that is attached to your wrist with an elastic band. You aren't allowed clips in your hair and your hair has to be tied back with an elastic. You aren't allowed dangling jewelry. You can't take up a camera or cellphone and your pockets must be empty. You have to go through a metal detector before you go up. All of this is to keep things from falling into the Harbour or onto the cars/trains below. I also found out that the jumpsuits are required by the city to be dark blue and gray to blend in with the bridge and sky as to not distract the drivers or take away from the beauty of the Bridge. When gearing up it was all so organized. Everything had its exact place and I pretty much felt like I was part of an assembly line except I was the thing being assembled. It made the whole process go very smoothly and quickly. There was even a ladder/bridge climbing practice piece that we all had to do before we could go out there. This whole process took about 45 minutes or so and then it was time to CLIMB!!

At the beginning of the climb you connect the ball on your belt to the wire along the wall. This wire runs all the way up, across, and down the bridge so you are connected at all times. To start you walk through a tunnel shaped like a coffin (whether or not this was done on purpose, I don't know) at the other end of the coffin shaped tunnel is a very narrow (about 24 inches wide) walkway. No big deal right? Except for the fact that this walkway only has a bar on either side to hold on to and keep you from falling, is quite high over a road, and the part you are walking on is just wooden planks. This was all quite unsettling until I looked straight and up and realized that I was under/in the Sydney Harbour Bridge. I could see the individual rivets, the pieces welded to other pieces holding things in place, and got a better idea of its true architecture. It felt like the walk way went on for quite some time as we ducked under low steel beams, stepped over steal beams, and squeezed between walls and beams. We finally got to the ladder portion, which was slow and awkward. The ladders are really steep and each step is really small and close to the next one so every time I took a step I hit my knee on the metal step. To avoid this painful ladder climbing I had to climb with my knees turned out... just felt and I know it looked extremely weird. The ladders were slightly anxiety producing because 1) they were so steep I was pretty much walking up completely perpendicular to the floor and 2) the side railings weren't on both sides the whole time.

When we finally got to the top of all the ladders and came out from under the bridge and were now on top of the bridge... it all started sinking in. Standing at the bottom corner of the Bridge if I looked straight I saw the arch of the bridge and if I looked to my right I saw the Opera House, Circular Quay (the main wharf in Sydney), and The Rocks. And up the steps along the arch of the bridge we went. We climbed for quite some time until we got to the first photo op - a picture on the bridge with the Opera House in the background. Photo ops also provide an opportunity for a break from the climbing. Once everyone got their picture we climbed further until it was time for a rest. Then climbed some more until we reached the summit where we took another photo. We crossed the bridge and spent some time looking over the railing in the center of the bridge as we stood over a 6 lane road and 2 train lines. On our way down the other side of the bridge we all stopped in our tracks as we saw colorful sparks in the sky behind the skyscrapers, then more, and then more again. On top of the Sydney Harbour Bridge looking out at the city lights we were watching fireworks be set off in the city over the buildings. Everyone was silent, including our tour leader, as we took in the moment.

Once the fireworks were over we continued down the steps to our next photo op with the city lights behind us (above pic) and then down the ladders (which weren't quite as awkward as up, but there was the added difficulty of doing it in the dark now). Then we began working our way in and around between/underneath the bridge and what do you know... more fireworks, but this time off a small boat in the Harbour right in front of us. Once again, we all went still and silent. It was at this moment that Sydney made me cry for the 2nd time. I was standing in/under/between the Sydney Harbour Bridge, a dream I've had for 12 years, looking over the glittering Harbour below with a beautiful display of spontaneous, colorful fireworks right in front of me... It was as if God was standing right behind me with His hands on my shoulders whispering, "Your dream has come true. This is all for you my love", as we watched His beautiful gift to me, together. Even now as I think about it... I get chills and teary eyed. As I've said since before I left for Australia - I wouldn't want to take this journey with anyone else. His love for me and how much He cares about what matters to me...... There just aren't words for it. =]

Once the fireworks were over we all clapped and cheered although it took me a moment to join in because I had forgotten there were other people around and I had to pull myself out of my moment. Our tear leader then informed us that stopping to watch both sets of fireworks had put us way behind schedule so for the rest of the way off/out of the bridge she didn't talk and we speed walked it back to where we started. I'll take it though for the moments I got to have while on the bridge.

Once we got back and went backwards through the assembly line getting de-geared it was time to buy pictures. Now, I'm not one to spend substantial amounts of money on things like this, but this time I let myself for a few reasons. 1) Because the climb was a gift, I didn't have the financial turmoil rolling around in my head that would have otherwise been there. 2) After 12 years of dreaming, I think a few pictures are worth it. And 3) Who knows if I'll ever get the opportunity to do this again. After purchasing my pictures I went down to the gift shop to give a 2nd look at a sweatshirt I had been eyeing earlier... and I bought it... even though it was ridiculously priced for a sweatshirt. Reasons for that purchase? They are the same as the other 3, but also my only jumpers here in Australia are white, light gray, and dark gray and I have really been wanting one with some color to brighten my days, so I went with bright pink (it is brighter than the picture lets on). =]

I must add that our tour leader, Jess, really helped make the experience everything it was. She was funny, personable, and knew tons of information (which is her job really). You never would have guessed we all just met her. It was like we were all her best friend for years. During our rest breaks while climbing she came by and talked to each of us. She played games while we waited for other groups to continue forward. She even got us to scare the mess out of the group in front of us. She whispered into her microphone that on the count of 3 we were going to all raise our hands and shout "woo-hoo" as loud as we could, so we did. : ) And when someone mentioned the lack of sunset due to clouds... she made sure to point out that at least it wasn't pouring down rain like it did a few days prior when all the climbers were up to their ankles in water as it poured down the steps on the arch and that at least it wasn't so hot that we were passing out like a boy on a climb a couple days prior... She gave us perspective. And then we had a set of fireworks and everyone forgot about the fact that we didn't get a sunset. : )

And so that concludes the moment my 12 year long dream came true. And that moment I had with my Heavenly Father during the fireworks... Yeah, hope I never forget that feeling. <3

***A special thanks to My Aussie Family (the Rowntrees) for giving me a gift way beyond what I ever would have expected and assisting in making this dream of mine a reality. =D ***