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Last days on the Road…..Farewell World

Over the course of this trip, its hasn’t necessarily been the things that I knew would be great that I’ve enjoyed the most, but the pleasant surprises. Most of the grand attractions I’ve seen look exactly as they do on a postcards – perhaps even better. I would say it’s the connections with people that I have valued and enjoyed the most. I love these random connections. Just when you think you have met enough people, had enough joy or enough frustration for that matter, a pleasant surprise pops up. This pleasant surprise happened in Sydney and came in the form of Marc from Barcelona, Spain, or Catalonia as he would probably prefer I say. Marc is 26, a IT guy and in Australia for a year to better his English. We met my first day in Sydney on a free walking tour (because free is my middle name). And … read more

3

The Down Under

Australia is a beautiful country (nick named the down under) and i have been able to see a bit more of it in the last few days. Nothing too special has occurred, but here are some pics. Feel free to skip the words and look at the pics. The Rainforest Where I was up in Cairns is a world heritage rainforest area. I hung out with some Servas friends the other day and their house is literally in the rainforest. Their backyard is more like a jungle than anything. You can also hear a grand waterfall from their house. Which i also got to see. I also went on a rainforest walk in Victoria, which is where i am now. We saw some 2000 year old trees, i took a pic in the trunk of one. The Great Open Road The Great Open Road is Australia’s answer to the Pacific Coast Highway … read more

8

The Reef Experience

Now I feel like I am on vacation. I am in Cairns, Australia, 15 hours ahead of EST, the temperature is about 86 degrees, there are beaches, rainforests and palm trees. It feels tropical. Australia is my last stop, country number 17, city number 70 i think and continent number 6. What a marathon. The Reef Experience Yesterday, I had the pleasure of snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef, probably the best coral in the world. Just for instance the Caribbean has 900 species in its coral and this one has 1,200. It was amazing, except i was supposed to scuba dive but they wouldn’t let me because i a finishing up my Malaria medicine. Snorkeling was fine, you can see almost everything from there. They take you out about 1.5 hours to the coral and you jump in the water with a wet suit on, goggles, your breathing tub … read more

2

Topping Off Japan

I was on a bus going to Mt. Fuji yesterday when my guide said ”its warm today so you can see plenty of people outside walking, but looking not so happy maybe because they are going to work, they not go to Mt. Fuji like us”I shook off my tiredness and thought, she’s right, i dont have to work today, I am going to Mt. Fuji the highest point in Japan. Sometimes this is unreal. I did in fact go to the base of Mt. Fuji yesterday. Its covered with snow and beautiful. You can not go any further than the 1st station as they call it because it is the off season. Most people climb from June to August i believe. What i didnt know is that Mt. Fuji (the Japanese Goddess as they say here) is actually a volcano. Albeit a dormant one.  To be more precise, she is actually … read more

4

The 6th Day

Day number 6 in Japan and I just arrived in Tokyo after an overnight bus ride. I will have to catch the bullet train next time. In light of my ever growing expense spreadsheet, I took the bus to save about $150. I can use that money for other things like taking a day trip to Mt. Fuji (the highest point in Japan).. Japan is probably one of the most expensive countries I have been in and definitely one of the most expensive places in Asia. For example a movie might cost you $1,800 yen which is essentially $22 dollars. A restaurant meal may cost you the same or more depending on where you eat, but you can get some cheap stuff as well. Like ramen at a restaurant my cost you 550 yen, sushi 1000+ at a restaurant, maybe 600+ at the grocery store. Sushi here tastes pretty much … read more