BREAKING NEWS

IT'S OVER!  I'M DONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mantas and puppies and wobbegongs, OH MY!!!

The only word for today is WOW.  It was my first day back at the boat, and I was excited to do some proper diving (ie NOT the Rocks in Bundy).  I was excited to see all of the crew again, and got busy catching up on the “goss” right away.  As I was walking to the boat, chatting away, a little blck speck caught my eye and stopped me dead in my tracks.  Six teeny tiny cocker spaniel puppies, all solid black, were rolling around in a heap in the grass and it was all I could do to tear myself away without hiding one in my tote bag.  Pretty sure I pierced Rachel’s eardrum with the squealing.  So that was a fun start to the day!!!

The ride out was not quite so lovely, especially when enhanced by last night’s tequila shots.  Hmmmm.  Great plan, that.  I figured I’d feel better after jumping the water, but sadly, bc of some crew drama, the only person available to drive the boat for the morning dive was not rescue certified, so I had to stay on the boat to do surface watch.  Right before the divers surfaced, though, we were treated to the amazing sight of a big manta ray coming to the surface.  Very cool to see.
During our afternoon dive in the lagoon, I was excited to notice the instructor point into a small cave and give the sign for shark.  I swam over and positioned myself in front of the opening to look for the telltale fin, but couldn’t see anything swimming around.  I shot a quizzical look in her direction, and she pointed down.  Aha!  Not just any shark, but a wobbegong!!!  It’s a funny name for a quite funny looking shark.  Very unusual and the first time I’ve seen one, so exciting stuff for me. 
On the way home, the boat slowed down and we heard screams from the upper deck.  As everyone rushed to the windows and decks, one of the crew announced over the microphone that they had spotted humpback whales and we would be stopping to watch – and, obviously, take about a zillion photos.  It turned out to be one adult and a calf.  The pair seemed delighted to have an audience, and repeatedly flipped their tails and waved their flukes at us.  Everyone on the boat oohed and ahhed in unison, cameras clicking away.  It was quite a spectacular sight, especially since they were very close to the boat.  I was completely captivated by the sheer size of the magnificent creatures.  We had a false alarm when we saw two more fins a little later, but they turned out to be dolphins.  You know it’s been a pretty awesome day when you see fins pop out of the water and think, oh, it’s just dolphins; no big deal.  WOW.

PUPPIES!!!!

So today I was here (where they have wifi - and beer):

And then this guy (typical Mitchell resident) came in trying to sell these guys:

And the pub bought one!!!  His name is Bruno (on the left) and he's so sweet & adorable I almost can't stand it.  The girls working in the pub are threatening to kidnap him and take him back to Sweden with them and I can't blame them.

Sadly I didn't manage to capture it in the photo, but please note the little bit of black noticeable below the brim of the man's hat.  I shit you not, it is the bottom of a tattoo - about two inches high - that says MUM.  Welcome to Mitchell, y'all.

Welcome to Mitchell, pop. 900 902

I have now officially arrived in the Outback proper.  Mitchell, as my guidebook pointed out, is a one-street town.  I was incorrect in my initial assumption that they don’t have so much as a stoplight – there is, in fact, one light on the bridge.  I stand corrected.  There is also one gas station, one grocery store, and at least three bar/motel/restaurants, AKA “hotels.”  In Australia, this is an all-encompassing term.  I arrived in town on a Greyhound bus with one other backpacker, a French girl, to begin a term of six weeks’ work at the Hotel Mitchell.  Upon my arrival, I was somewhat disheartened to realize that Mitchell makes Bundaberg look like a bustling metropolis.
It is certainly a stark contrast.  For one thing, the population is quite a contrast to that of Bundy.  There is an Aboriginal tribal land here and consequently a very large population of native people.  It seems that most of the townspeople are related in one form or another.  Certainly they all know one another, and I garnered a few odd looks on the (quite short) stroll to the grocery store on my first day.  Outsiders are most certainly welcomed in the friendly and affable manner typical of most Australians; despite what Paul Hogan may have led you to believe, there is less “g’day, mate” and more “howyagoing,” not so much  question as a polite greeting.  Even the local sheep (and one goat) seemed startled to see me as I passed by the field where they were grazing.
As in most small, quiet country towns, there is not much to do in Mitchell.  This is where the hotels come into play.  Between the bar, off-track betting on horse and dog races, and video slot machines (aka “pokies,” short for poker machines – still trying to wrap my head around that little peculiarity), we have managed to stay pretty well occupied during our working hours thus far.  In our off hours, there is also the illustrious diversion of television – all three channels.
On our first night in town, Muriel (the other barmaid) and I were treated to a rousing evening of karaoke interspersed with beer, pizza, more beer, a patron who insisted on spinning us around the, uh, dance floor, and more beer.  This made for a very interesting first day of employment, but we managed to recover after a brief post-breakfast nap.  Fortunately, the accommodation is actually quite comfortable, and superior to the house in Bundy in that we have a space heater.  Sadly, the room is not “en-suite,” and therefore casts us in the role of rednecks (locally referred to as “bogans”) per the official Jeff Foxworthy declaration that going to the bathroom in the middle of the night requires shoes and a flashlight.  To be fair, they do leave the lights on, but add a jacket to that list.  It’s damn cold at night.

Main St in Mitchell - butcher, bakery, grocery store, pharmacy, & that's about it.

Moving to the Outback!

So the time has come for me to find a job.  No, a PAYING job.  Sadly, I am not yet finished with my DM course/internship, but I am also low on funds, so off I go to the middle of nowhere to bartend & replenish my bank account!  I leave tonight for the 8 zillion hour bus ride to Mitchell, QLD.  The job includes a place to stay & meals, so I am very excited.  Off to pack, hopefully more updates soon (crossing my fingers that there is internet service at my new place)!  :-)

Tonight we're gonna party like it's...1770?

Two of the boat crew are leaving (Priscilla bc she's going to study for her skipper's license, and Tim bc he broke his leg drunkenly jumping over a fence; "oops"), so I stayed up in 1770 last night for the farewell festivities.  As you can see, a good time was had by all.

This was the beginning of the evening

The whole crew, complete with broken leg

Why yes, this is the boat captain.

Hard at work

The entertainment portion of the boat ride; a melodious duet of "On Top of Spaghetti."  Complete with ludicrous fake Italian accent.  For reals.

Can I come home with you???

I have never seen puppydog eyes on a fish before!!!  

This little guy was cracking me up yesterday.  We had a quiet day, so I went out in the lagoon by myself in the afternoon and was just sitting on the bottom taking photos when I noticed him swimming around my legs, tickling me with his fins.  He followed me around like a little lost puppy the entire time I was underwater, and would swim up and sit in my outstretched hand.  Too cute!!!  (btw, he 's a honeycomb grouper)

GEORGE!!!

This is George, as previously referenced here.  I tried to get a shot of us together, but he was feeling a little shy that day (also, I didn't bring him a snack - silly me).

Inventory

A list of the coolest things I have seen so far:
Hawksbill sea turtle

Loggerhead turtle

White tip reef shark

Manta ray
Spotted eagle ray

Blue spotted stingray

Scorpionfish

Common octopus

Barramundi

Christmas tree worms

Crown of thorns starfish

Cornetfish

Golden trumpetfish, AKA painted flutemouth

***Just a disclaimer that I did not personally take any of the photos in this entry

A bad day at the office

Seriously - we did not see a SINGLE turtle yesterday.  Rough life, I tell you.  The boat drivers had the day off, so we had to do both our dives inside the lagoon.  What we DID see on the second dive was a small school of these guys, bumphead parrotfish:

They were about 3 feet long - pretty weird, no???  After making it back to dry land, we had to contend with the evil sand flies that decided I was Dinner.  And that was the the worst part of my day.  Not too shabby...

Busy, busy, busy!

Wednesday was a public holiday here (ANZAC Day; similar to Veterans' Day in the US) so the boat was busier than normal this week.  I went out on lots of dives and got to see some really great things, especially in the last couple of days.

On Weds, the wind was really strong and on our first dive, there was a rip current on the surface.  We dropped into about 60 feet of water and started swimming headfirst into the current, which was still quite strong at that depth.  I ended up getting pulled away from the group since I was carrying the line to our dive flag floating on the surface.  I waited for a few minutes to see if they might swim back in my direction, then prepared to ascend and return to the boat.    I turned around just in time to see a huge manta ray* gliding gracefully past me!!!  Surprise!    I was so thrilled that I didn't even mind missing the rest of the dive, especially since the rest of the group didn't get lucky enough to see mantas.  This one had three sharksucker remoras under it, two attached and one just swimming along.  The free-swimming fish ventured closer to me and started giving me the eye.  I got the feeling that he had heard about me from his cousins in Belize.**

Remoras:  lazy little bastards.

*For those of you who don't dive, mantas (and whale sharks) are one of the most exciting, elusive things you can hope to find underwater.  Mantas can grow up to 20+ feet across and do not sting or bite.  Click here for more info & pics!
**Backstory here

Minor Differences

The old commute

The new commute

The old motorman

The new motorman (AKA Captain Mick)

The old office

The new office

So, this happened...

...

And then THIS happened:

No, James, they do not make real gila monsters that big.  Not even in Carefree.  Beer + no tv + Google = mucho hilarity, I tell you.  Our house is always an interesting place.

Best.Line.EVAR.

‘Hey, Ashley?  There are some puppies down here…”  I almost killed myself in my mad dash down the stairs (no easy task what with my monstrous post-Easter hangover) to see why puppies were in our yard.  Turns out they had gotten loose from the house across the street, but until we found their owner they were happy to roll around in the tall grass, chase each other, and try to eat my fingers.  The little Houdinis even managed an encore – after lunch, we found them hiding out under the car.  Definitely a very nice surprise, unlike the earlier discovery that I noticed after waking up to see my purse covered in blood stains.

Just in case the gouges from my recent diving incident weren’t enough, I evidently thought my legs needed a few more battle wounds.  And this, boys and girls, is why you don’t START drinking at 1pm.  Or if you do, you don’t continue  until 1am.  “Oops!”  I blame the Aussie country club owner who encouraged his friends to play ‘be your own bartender.’  Free beer is an even bigger enticement in a country where a 6 pack of Bud costs $16 (Australian!!!).  Happy Easter, indeed…

1770 Adventure

So yesterday I actually made it out to Southern Great Barrier Reef; woohoo, actual diving!!!  Boat days are a bit of an endurance trial.  I dragged myself out of bed a little after 5:30am, and the bus dropped us off at the house at 6:30pm.  Let's just say I had no trouble falling asleep.

Sadly, I forgot to bring my camera yesterday, but I am headed back to the boat tomorrow, so I will bring back plenty of photos to post.  Hopefully the underwater visibility will be somewhat improved so I can introduce you to George, the resident giant estuary cod at the place we dive, who's at least 4 feet long & about 300 pounds.

I managed to get my rescue diver certification wrapped up, which is a huge relief.  It resulted in a lot of REALLY perplexed Japanese tourists, I must say.  There was a small crowd gathered at the railing looking very concerned as I performed a simulated rescue on my "drowning" fellow DM trainee.  I was especially entertained by one woman who showed up for a day of sun and water adventure dressed in a long black velvet  skirt, black & gold brocade jacket, and loads of pearls.  We speculated that perhaps she had gotten her tours mixed up and would show up for a dinner theater engagement that night wearing her bikini...

Goooooooooonnnn!!!!

So I had quite the eventful day!  First off, I spent the entire day battling the after-effects of waaayyyy too much goon last night (Aussie slang term of the day!  Goon:  wine in 4L boxes that cost around $10).  One of the other DM trainees who’s staying in the house had friends in town, so we had an epic drunken poker tournament.  The guys couldn’t find a full deck of cards, so I volunteered my brand new, oh-so-fancy pink & green Lilly Pulitzer deck, not knowing that the lack of black suits would ultimately be my downfall.  Evidently when you’re drunk, it’s difficult to differentiate between a green club and a green spade.  Needless to say, much mocking ensued.  Fortunately, the buy-in was a grand total of $6 each.

Queasiness aside, I finally found a reasonably priced (for Oz!) hair salon and banished the appalling 2” roots I’ve been walking around with for weeks.  Even more exciting, I visited the doctor for my dive medical and got a clean bill of health!!!  I had a nasty case of otitis media with effusion, so I was reluctant to dive until it cleared up, but it looks like I’m in good shape now. 

I also had my first encounter with the Law down under – suffice it to say that they take their seatbelt laws rather seriously.  Not to worry, I lied my ass off & managed to escape with just a warning.  J

Life in Bundy

Intersection of the main st and the st we live on

So the main street in this town is called Bourbong St, but most of the signs have the G scratched off.  It’s especially funny when you consider the size of the “city” of Bundaberg.  Compared to the cities where I’ve lived, this place has very much of a small-town feel to it.  It’s been really nice so far since I don’t have a car; it’s a quick walk to the grocery stores and the dive shop.  The owners of the place where I’ll be doing my Divemaster internship have a house where the students all stay together for the low, low price of $90 AUS per week.  This is a comparative bargain, as the hostels in town run about $150; however, the quality of accommodation is reflected in the reduced rate, mostly notably in the lack of any internet service.  Fortunately, the local public library is only a short walk.  

I have managed to accomplish quite a bit so far – we started my Rescue Diver course and completed the pool training and the textbook & exam, and finished the Emergency First Response course and CPR training.  Sadly, the weather has been less than cooperative since my arrival – first we had heavy rains and flooding up north, and now we’ve moved on to high winds.  Hopefully things will quiet down soon so we I can finish up my courses and move on to my DM training!

God's Waiting Room

Ah, home sweet...hostel.  This is a portion of the garden area at my temporary home, the lovely Woolshed Backpackers in Hervey (pronounced Harvey - don't ask me) Bay, Queensland.  As you may have guessed from the title of this post, lifted directly from my guide book, the area is a little on the quiet side.  It's actually been a pretty nice change to just sit around and do nothing - well, almost nothing - for a little while.  I do have to work for two hours every morning for free accommodation.  Rough life, right?  Did you notice the hammocks?  :-)  My Kindle has definitely come in handy!

Aside from lounging, I have in fact been doing some waiting of my own.  My next move up the coast will be to either Bundaberg or Airlie Beach.  My destination will be decided by the dive shops where I have applied for internships.  Some shops offer a program, referred to as a traineeship, which involves unpaid work in exchange for "free" Divemaster training and work experience.  I have my fingers crossed for Airlie - I'll update as soon as I have any news!

Bridge to staff housing

Sydneyside - the Aussie Adventure begins!

Australian currency - much more colorful and interesting than we have at home.  How can you not love a currency that has a platypus on the 20 cent coin???

Sadly, this may have been one of the highlights of my unscheduled 2 day stopover in Sydney.  After a 15 hour flight and a week of partying like a rockstar in LA, I spent a large portion of my visit sleeping.  I did manage to drag myself out of bed long enough to notice that Sydney was about as appallingly expensive as NYC.  A cheap "schooner" of beer (less than a pint!!!) averaged about $5.  My hostel in King's Cross, one of the more *colorful* areas of the city, was $32 a night - obviously a much better deal than your average hotel room, but definitely on the high end in the world of backpackers.

I was disappointed to discover that Bad Religion had a show scheduled for the evening of the day I was due to depart.  They were playing as part of the Soundwave festival which ran over a few days.  I met some British & American guys who worked with some of the bands at the closest bar with A/C.  Did I mention it's bloody hot here???

I did accomplish two important things, despite my hours spent snoozing - I managed to open my Australian bank account, and of far greater importance, set up my local phone number!  Hooray!  If anyone feels like running up the long distance bill, just email me for my new #.  I'm also typically on Skype at least once a day.

Review of Jackaroo Hostel :
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g255060-d1950653-r125919075-Jackaroo_Hostel-Sydney_New_South_Wales.html#UR125919075

Life in LA LA Land...

So it seems there is a reason they call it Hollyweird.  This week was a whirlwind of the outrageous and bizarre, and gave new meaning to the phrase 'party like a rock star.'  I'll spare you the details, but the high points included:

-checking out Steel Panther at the House of Blues (and hearing them announce that they're off to tour Australia!)
-going to see Gilby Clarke at the Whisky (complete with new!improved!70s porn star stache!) with a stop-off at the Rainbow afterward (is any trip to LA complete without a drink at the Rainbow?  I THINK NOT.)

-possibly the best plate of homemade tagliatelle I have ever eaten at a restaurant not in NYC named after a street in NYC (thanks, Delancey)
-seeing my awesome LA friends!!!!!!  Love you girls!

This is Heather.  Her hat is fabulous.

NYC To Do List

So this is all the stuff I can think of that I want to do before I leave - please to be noting that 95% of the list is bars...BIG SHOCK!!!

Coyote(?)
Doc’s
Turkey’s Nest
Shake Shack
Holiday  RIP Stefan, all over again :-(
Grassroots
Trivia - Pete’s or Big Quiz Thing
Duff’s
Subway
Call Box
Temple

The Great Aussie Adventure!!!

Just to give you all an idea of where I will be for the next year!  The Whitsundays are a group of 85 islands off the NE coast of Queensland, between Brisbane & Cairns.  This area is known as the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef.  If you're interested in reading more about the region, click here! 

Feliz Navidad!

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Feliz Navidad, Merry Festivus, & HAPPY 2012!!!
(I realize this holiday greeting arrives a little late, but hey, when have you ever known me to be on time???)

2011 was quite a rollercoaster ride for me - in February, I was laid off from JSL after almost seven years.  I was fortunate to find a new home with one of my previous co-workers and started working at Carpet Couture in April.

During my time between jobs, I set off on an amazing two week scuba diving & fishing trip to beautiful and exotic Belize.  Some of my other travel highlights this past year included climbing ancient temple ruins and driving a Hummer through the jungles in Cancun, relaxing on the charming island of Isla Mujeres, exploring the picturesque streets of Old Montreal, and snuggling up to fuzzy alpacas at fiber festivals in both Maryland and Rhinebeck.
Outside of work & gallivanting around the world, I enjoyed weekly get-togethers through the year with both my knitting club, Girls Who Purl, and another group in the city, where I was lucky enough to meet a number of cool, fun girls who share my passion for fiber arts.
The other Big Event of the year for me was turning The Big Three Oh.  I was very nervous about the departure from my 20s, but my friend Maggy helped ease the transition with a girls’ weekend in Key West right before Halloween.  if you don’t know what Fantasy Fest is all about...I high recommend it!  Pretty sure we could have used a week of recovery when we arrived back home.
And now on to the new adventure that 2012 is bringing my way!!!  As some of you already know, I am headed off on an exciting new journey to the Land Down Under.  I have been granted a visa to work and travel in AUSTRALIA for up to a year!!!  I have given my notice at work and will be leaving NYC at the end of February, with a brief stopover in LA to visit friends, since it’s on the way.  I plan to continue my scuba training while I am overseas and working toward becoming a dive professional.  I will be making my home in the Whitsundays region, on the East coast of Queensland about halfway between Brisbane and Cairns.
If anyone is going to be in that part of the world, please let me know - I would love to have visitors!  Hopefully I will make a good local tour guide once I get settled in.  If you’re interested in following my (mis)adventures, I will be posting regular updates here!
I wish you & yours the happiest of new years & hope all is well in your lives!  :-)
XO
Ashley