Author Archives: djdiva100

Last day in Dalby!

We woke up early to go to church in the morning. I was expecting the church here to be tiny but there were a few hundred people there! It was really nice! I met the pastor there who was Scottish, he had moved to Australia back in the 60s, but hadn’t lost his Scottish accent at all! Which was quite funny to me! After the service finished, we all headed back to Karmyn’s place for lunch and a movie with a few of their friends. We had planned to go kayaking in the creek later that afternoon so headed out to borrow some kayaks. Neither Jess or Karmyn had kayaks, but they had just called round a few of their neighbours and asked to borrow some! So we went round to their houses and they helped us to load the kayaks into the ute. So so different from London life. We headed down to the lake and headed in with our kayaks! It was a fun few hours! There were 3 of us in mine and I kept worrying that we would fall in as it was rocking a bit but we didn’t luckily! Jess’s mum walked past to say hi and helped us take some nice photos!

We headed out to the evening service at church later and then for some Indian food afterwards with some of their friends. The weekend went so quickly but it was so much fun! I loved every minute of it and was grateful for the way things had worked out! I had planned to spend a few days in Byron Bay which is not too far from here before heading back to Sydney and Jess and Karmyn were off work the next day along with their friend Christina so we decided to all drive there together and spend the day together there.

Dalby day 2

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I went back to Jess’s house and got showered and changed and then we headed to Christina’s house to find her and Karmyn barbecuing! They had eggs, bacon, mushrooms and tomatoes on there! It looked amazing! My 1st Aussie BBQ!

We hung out for a while, had breakfast, and then I headed to Karmyn’s house and we just hung out for a few hours. It was really nice. I kinda wished I had longer here! It’s just very charming and chilled out. I really like it. After a few hours, we headed out to the Bunya mountains. We walked through the rainforest there and I saw some wallabies there!

Later in the evening, we had tickets for a dance performance so headed there. It was at Jess’s old school and her and Karmyn knew a few of the children performing. I was impressed with how many people were there attending and the show was really good, just very long! There were something like 30 different performances! The end was exciting though as the boyfriend of one of the ladies who organised the event got up on stage and proposed to her! She was clearly very surprised and said yes! Would have been pretty awkward if she said no in front of all the people there though right?

Welcome to Dalby!

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The drive to Dalby was a few hours. We had stopped for breakfast in the morning and for me to buy some more clothes as I wasn’t really prepared for the sudden change of plans. On the way, we drove for hours through what I would describe as nothingness!! There was just nothing around! I was anxious to see what Dalby was like! What the way they had described it, I had kinda imagined there was nothing there! I had jokingly questioned them in the past about whether they even had electricity! We arrived there and I was very pleasantly surprised! It was a small country town, but very cute! Not really what I was expecting at all! I liked it instantly! Here are a few pictures.

We dropped Karmyn off at her work as she was due to start and then went to Jess’s mum’s work where I was introduced to her mum who was lovely! We went back to her house afterwards and started on some laundry. Jess and Karmyn had told me that we were going out shooting that night and I was a bit apprehensive! I had absolutely no idea what to expect! We would also be camping out overnight which sounded fun I thought, as long as we don’t get attacked by any wild animals! This is Australia after all! We headed out that evening in Jess’s dad’s ute. I didn’t understand the word ute before I came to Australia but had learned that it was short for utility truck. Similar to what us Brits would call a pickup truck but everyone has them over here! We had to stop at a neighbours house to borrow some swag, another word I was unfamiliar with! Jess explained that it’s what you sleep in when you go camping out here, but no it’s not a sleeping bag, it’s better! I was intrigued!

Once we had picked up the swag, we headed to meet up with Karmyn who was also coming with her dad’s ute and Christina – one of their friends, and then to meet the guys. There were 3 guys coming out with us, one of who was Dan who was a qualified shooter with a license to go out and shoot the kangaroos and hares around here as they are considered pests. That kinda surprised me! We think of kangaroos as the animal that represents Australia but they’re actually pests here! For some reason, I was expecting Dan to be an old guy, but he was just 23 and not at all what I expected! We drove up to the outback where the kangaroos hang out. The drive there was my 1st experience of driving on a dirt road! You could barely see in front of you as a result of all the dust in the air being thrown up by the car in front. We parked up together and then all got on the back of Dan’s ute. I was scared but excited at the same time. It was 11pm and was dark and cold. I wasn’t prepared for the cold so we all got layered up and then started the drive. I was briefed on how this was done. Dan had a big spotlight on the back of the ute which was moved around as he was driving. We were to keep an eye out for anything moving and if we see anything, we were to bang on the top of the ute. At that point, Dan would turn the car off, we were all to keep quiet, and then he would get his shotgun out and shoot it. Oh yeah and close your ears when he gets the gun out because the gunshot was really loud! It took around 20 minutes driving before we saw something moving and all banged on top of the ute. As described, he gone his shotgun out, aimed it, and fired! He got it! We all got out and went to take a look. It was a hare with all it’s guts hanging out from where it was shot. My friends asked if I wanted to pose with it for them to take a picture. Why not I thought? You only live once right? This was definitely one of the strangest but also coolest experiences I had ever had! I had gone from sitting at my desk at the bank in London to going out shooting in the Aussie outback! Definitely a ‘check me out’ moment!

We were out there for a few hours. We didn’t see many kangaroos, and Dan explained that they mostly congregated in another area these days. We did see some though, although they were across the water so we couldn’t get to the one he shot. After a few hours, it was time for me to learn how to use the gun! We put a plastic bottle out as a target quite far away and then Dan taught me how to hold the gun, take aim, and shoot it. I took my 1st shot and it was really fun although I missed the target. On my 2nd shot though, he saw the bottle move and we put it down to beginners luck! We all took turns taking shots at it and then we headed to the area where we would be camping out. The boys were sleeping on the floor, but us girls were gonna sleep on the back of the ute. We put the trays of our 2 utes together to create a long area and set up the swags. Originally I had said I would just sleep inside the car. I thought it would be warmer and more comfortable but they actually had a pretty nice setup at the back so I decided I wanted to join them and get the full experience! Once inside the swag, it was actually pretty warm and comfy. I just hoped and prayed that I wouldn’t need to go to the toilet in the night as wandering around here in the dark wasn’t so appealing! I fell asleep pretty quickly. The next thing I remember was feeling like someone was shining a torch at my face! I opened my eyes to see it was the sun! Shining brightly over me! That was a pretty cool way to wake up! It was just after 6am and the others were all just about awake as well. We packed up and then drove out with plans to meet at Christina’s house for breakfast. Here are a few pictures from the night:

Melbourne day 4 – All’s well that ends well!

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This was my last day in Melbourne. Cath showed me around the St Kilda area in the morning. We walked down to the beach, and then drove down to Brighton beach houses, little wooden houses by the beach which people use to store their beach equipment and get changed. They sell for over $200,000! I couldn’t believe that! They look pretty cool though!

I then headed to the city to meet up with my friend Stacey who I volunteered with in India. We spent a few hours catching up and then I headed to get a bus to the airport to get my flight back to Sydney. I got to the airport in good time for my flight, but noticed that it had been delayed slightly. I checked in and then headed to the gate to wait only to hear an announcement 30 mins later saying that the flight had now been cancelled due to extreme weather conditions so we were to head back to the check in counters to find out our options. People were running out, clearly trying to get to the front of the queue to secure a seat on the next flight. As we were queuing, there was an announcement telling us that the last flight that evening was fully booked, and there were no flights the day after either! I checked with other airlines and their flights were all either fully booked or too expensive. I was stuck!

I sent a message to my friend Sabina to let her know that it looks like I won’t be able to get back to Sydney that night after all as well as to my friend Cath who I had been staying with. She called me straight away to say I’m more than welcome to come back and stay with her for a few more days if I need to which was really cool. I didn’t really want to spend another couple of days in Melbourne though as I had done all the things I really wanted to do there and with only a couple of weeks left in Australia, I wanted to make the most of it. I had been txting my friend Jess just a few hours prior, she lives in Dalby near Brisbane with my friend Karmyn. They had spent 2 years living in London and had gone back in Australia in June. For months, they had been asking when I would be coming to visit them. I was trying to arrange to go the following week. She had wanted me to come this weekend but I didn’t want to fly back to Sydney only to leave again the following day. But now the flight had been cancelled, it all seemed to be working out for this weekend. I sent her a message to let her know what was happening and got a reply straight away saying that it’s a sign that I’m supposed to come and she would drive the 3 hours to Brisbane airport to pick me up if I can get a flight. She was so excited for me to come and I loved it! I was really excited to see them as well after 6 months so I started looking at flights to Brisbane. I found one leaving late that night, it had also been delayed, but it was due to arrive in Brisbane at 1am. I sent her a message to ask if that was too late and got a reply to say no I was worth it and they would set off for the airport soon! So I booked the flight! I did kinda love the spontaneity of it all!
A few hours later, I arrived at Brisbane airport at 1am! And sure enough my friends were there to meet me! With a big sign with my name on it! It was very exciting to be reunited with them.

We drove to Toowomba, around an hour away where one of Karmyn’s relatives lived. He was away so was happy for us all to crash there for the night. We drove back to Dalby the following morning.

Melbourne day 3

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My friend was off work today so we spent the day exploring Melbourne. We started off with breakfast at a cool cafe called Las Chicas. The food there was great! There is a real cafe culture in Melbourne. Strangely, there are no chains around unlike London where you see Starbucks, Costa and Caffe Nero everywhere, just lots of cool independent places, some of which are hidden away in unsuspecting buildings, only frequented by those ‘in the know’! My friend explained that they were real coffee snobs and that new cafés spring up all the time, but they only have around a week to make a good impression. In that time, word will spread about whether the coffee is good or bad and the place will either instantly become popular or will be avoided! It sounded very cut-throat! I do really like the cafe culture though, it is pretty relaxing just sitting in a cafe reading and journaling when there is nowhere to rush to, especially on a day like today when it was very rainy. It seems the 37 degree heat I had arrived to had given me unrealistic expectations. Today was cold, windy and rainy. Almost like being back in London! Over breakfast, we planned how we could spend the day given the bad weather. My friend offered to take me to see Ramsay Street, where the soap Neighbours is based which sounded cool. We drove there after breakfast and it was pretty cool. The street is actually called Pin Oak Road, and people actually live in the houses, but they leave whenever there are any outside scenes to be shot for the show. I tried to take some photos, but it was raining pretty badly so I couldn’t get any good shots.

After that, we headed to an area called Fitzroy which is the ‘alternative’ area in Melbourne, full of funky shops and street art. Here are a few pictures:

We hung out there for a while and then headed to South Melbourne market followed by Hosier Lane – famous for the some of the best grafitti that the city has to offer:

After a short break, we headed out to the night market at Queen Victoria market. We had planned to get dinner at the market, and I didn’t realise how much of a challenge that would be. There were so many food options available from so many countries!! It was impossible to decide. There were stalls selling Spanish, French, Sri Lankan, Afghan, Jamaican, Texan, Argentinian, Nepalese, Polish, Filipino, and Vietnamese food, as well as Australian – kangaroo burgers, crocodile burgers, and ostrich burgers! Despite overeating due to being unable to decide on just 1 option, it was a very good day!

The Great Ocean Road

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When I asked my friend Cath for recommendations of things to do in Melbourne, the 1st thing she suggested was a drive along the Great Ocean Road. I hadn’t heard of it before and wondered what could be so special about it. I did some research online and found out that on TripAdvisor, it was rated as number 1 in the list of things to do in Melbourne with the reviews all gushing about how amazing it was! I looked into tours of the road and booked one for my 2nd day including an optional helicopter tour. I had never ridden in a helicopter before so was excited! I left my friend’s house at 7am for the tour which was going to take the whole day!

The Great Ocean Road is a coastal drive which starts just outside Melbourne and promises spectacular views. I can honestly say that it seriously surpassed my expectations and was easily the most beautiful place I have ever seen! It isn’t really a single place I guess, but over the course of the day, we made up to 9 stops along the road at spots that were so beautiful, I don’t really have the words to describe them so here are some pictures instead! 🙂

Our 1st stop was at Bell’s beach, a popular surfing beach:

Followed by a stop at the sign for the road to commemorate those who built it:

We stopped at a place called Lorne for morning tea, and then headed to a place called Otway National Park where koalas are known to hang out and we saw a few there although they were all curled up sleeping in the trees. Apparently koalas sleep for 20 hours a day!

We had lunch in an area called Apollo Bay, and then headed to a place called Maits rest where we did a rainforest walk:

We then headed to the 12 apostles where I did the helicopter ride! It was incredible and the views were just amazing!

After coming off the helicopter, I strolled down to the 12 apostles just to see them close up.

After this, I thought I had seen it all. I was ready to go home when our guide said if you thought that was cool, wait ’til you see the next stop! I couldn’t believe it could get any better, but he took us to a place called Loch Ard Gorge:

We stopped at a place called London Bridge after that, but my phone had died by that stage after taking hundreds of photos throughout the day! We then stopped at a small town called Colac for dinner, and then drove back to Melbourne. We didn’t get back until 10.30pm so it was an incredibly long day but totally worth it!!!

Melbourne

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After a couple of weeks in Sydney, I headed to Melbourne for a few days. I wanted to see Melbourne, just to see what it was like and how it compared to Sydney and also I have a few friends there who I have met in the last few months while volunteering so wanted to catch up with them. I flew from Sydney to Melbourne, it was just a 1 hour flight. I arrived to 37 degree heat! It was scorching! I wondered around the city, stopped for lunch at a restaurant outside and then followed a podcast which guided me around the little lane ways in the city. The city was definitely making a great impression on me within the 1st few hours! I hung out in the botanical gardens for an hour or so and then got a tram to my friend’s house. While looking for accommodation here, I was so surprised at how expensive it was for places that had pretty bad reviews! I had finally found a place that was over my budget, but had decent reviews at least. I was ready to book it, but then I let my friend Cath know I’ll be around. I had volunteered with her in Chiang Mai so mentioned that I would be staying in St Kilda and asked if she wanted to meet up for a drink at some point only to get a reply from her saying that she lives in St Kilda and has a spare room so I can come and stay with her! So that was pretty cool! She met me at the tram stop and took me to the flat which she shares with her sister. We spent some time chatting and catching up. She had some friends coming over for dinner that night so they arrived shortly after and we spent the evening together. Here are a few photos of Melbourne:

Welcome to Sydney!

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So after spending a few days relaxing in Khao Lak, I flew from Phuket to Bangkok and then Bangkok to Sydney! I arrived in Sydney at 6am and was expecting it to take a long time to get out of the airport. After watching many episodes of Nothing to Declare, a TV show about Australia’s Border Security, I was expecting to be greeted by sniffer dogs, 1,000 questions, and for my bags to be thoroughly analysed but instead, I was straight out in less than 15 mins. My friend picked me up from the airport, and we headed out for breakfast. My 1st thoughts driving out of the airport were that everything seemed so normal! Scarily so! After 5 months in Asia, it seemed so strange to be back to ‘normal’ living and tap water you could actually drink!! I caught up with my friend over breakfast, and then we headed back to her house where I slept for what seemed like the whole day! I hadn’t really slept in 2 days before arriving so pretty much just passed out!
Over the next couple of weeks, I got to see quite a lot of Sydney! I love it here, and here are some of the reasons why:
1. The Harbour – stunning stunning stunning! That pretty much just sums it up! The view is just beautiful! Just walking around Circular Quay in my 1st few days, looking out onto the harbour and seeing the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House, I was hit with the feeling of wow I’m really here!
2. The beaches – after spending time at the beaches in Cambodia, Thailand and Indonesia, I thought I had seen it all but I really hadn’t! The beaches here are just incredible! So far, I have been to Manly beach, Bronte, Bondi, Maroubra, Wollongong, and Cronulla, all of which I can’t speak highly enough of!
3. The atmosphere – I just love how laid back it is here! Especially compared to London! My usual brisk power walk I had perfected so well in London has been replaced with just a slow casual stroll here everywhere. Just taking life easy and enjoying the moment! It isn’t crazy crowded here like it is in London which makes everything so much more pleasant! No one pushing past you and having to fight your way through the crowd. Even in the tourist areas, it is still very pleasant. I have noticed that when crossing roads here, everyone actually waits for the green man! Even if there is nothing coming! Such a change from London where you just try and run across the road at the 1st chance you get because you have to get somewhere! I have loved just strolling through the city, and taking everything in while making pit stops at cafes and parks to just sit and enjoy!
4. The weather – granted I arrived at the beginning of summer, but the weather here is just beautiful! And there is something about knowing I am currently escaping the London winter that makes it that bit more satisfying!

Here are a few pictures, more to follow!

Sydney Harbour:

Botanical Gardens:

Wollongong:

Last day volunteering!

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So today is my last day at the orphanage here! I leave tomorrow morning. That also means it is my last day of volunteering! After 5 months! It does feel kinda strange knowing it is over now. Reflecting over the last 5 months, I have seen and experienced so much! I still remember my 1st day at the slums in Goa, feeling a bit overwhelmed and wondering what I had let myself in for! It has been an amazing time though. Every child I have met has left such an impression on me! From the girls in the slums and the orphanage in India to the children in the slums of Cambodia, so happy to be able to go to school, to the girls in Thailand, survivors of human trafficking, and now the children here who have either been orphaned or abandoned. It has been a lot to take in. Back home in London, I would hear the stories about all the injustice in the world, all the people suffering and living in horrendous conditions. I would think gosh that’s horrible! And then think well I can’t really change any of that, give a bit of money to at least feel like I’m doing something, and then go back to living my life and hope that maybe one day it will be different or I will be in a position to do more about it. But there is something about being here and getting to know the people that changes things. I feel a new found determination to help them. To try and make their lives better. Even if it is just for the few that I have met. So although this is the end, it isn’t really. It is just the beginning.

I have spent the last couple of days finishing off the work I am doing here. The Christmas cards are now available for sale at the following link:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/BaanSanFan

In addition to the cards, I have also designed some 2014 calendars which are available for sale at the same link so please take a look and purchase some! They will be available for sale until Monday evening to allow time to package and send them out in time for Christmas. As well as working on the cards and calendars, I spent yesterday evening emailing 80 hotels! All of the hotels in Khao Lak which is the tourist area nearby to see if they are interested in buying some of the products produced at the orphanage. I have had a few positive responses today, asking about prices and asking if they can come and take a look at the orphanage and the farm here so I am happy about that. I will continue to follow up on those leads even after I leave here tomorrow. I also worked on designing a new sign for the front of the orphanage so that people driving past can be aware of it. I hope I can continue to help the orphanage even after I have gone because they really need the help.

Here are a few pictures of the calendar and Christmas cards:

Life at the orphanage

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My time here has gone so quickly! I only have a few days left now. I will be leaving here on Thursday and will spend a few days in Khao Lak before flying to Sydney on the 18th. I have been enjoying my time here. I have had to get used to rural life again though. As Sam who owns the orphanage says, we are in the jungle! So I have had to get used to cold showers again, being eaten by mosquitoes constantly, and the lizards that live in our house. I have resolved to start embracing them a little as they keep the insects away, although seeing one jump out of my bag of cookies earlier was a little much for me! Similarly, the other volunteer opened the kettle a few days ago, and a lizard jumped out of it! It Aside from this though, it is great being here. It feels a bit like a retreat, it is very peaceful. Here are a few pictures:

Below is a picture of the children here entertaining themselves with a game which involved flicking a marble!

In terms of the work I am doing here, we do jobs around the orphanage, helping with the washing up which is a bigger task than I am used to with all the children here, helping around the garden, sweeping up leaves etc, and helping with the packaging of the products they sell. We recently had an order for 200 mini soaps, so it was all hands on deck to prepare the order. We had a little production line going with wrapping the soap with film, then with paper which had to be perfectly folded, then sticking the labels onto the paper. Most of what I have been doing though has been trying to increase the awareness of the orphanage and help to find ways for them to raise funds. I have been working on producing Christmas cards which they can sell, which hopefully should be available in the next day or 2. And then I have been contacting local businesses to ask if they are interested in selling the products made here. I am also working on improving the donation options they offer by promoting monthly giving instead of one-off donations to give them more regular income. Fundraising is very important for them here due to their lack of outside support. The land which the orphanage is built on was purchased by a Swiss doctor and missionary. However, he was unable to provide financial support for more than a few years, and for the last 7 years, they have had no outside support. Gai told me about how for the next 2 years, she cried constantly and prayed asking how she would be able to take care of the children here with no money. Slowly, they started getting ideas of ways to make some money from their farm here by selling some of the organic produce that they were making. Gai told me that since then, a lot of the orphanages in the area also lost their outside supporters and were forced to close down. She told me that the Thai government like to paint a rosy picture and say that Thailand is a great country and there are no problems so supporters move on to support poorer countries like Laos and Myanmar, but so much help is still needed here.

Sam and Gai try to take us for trips to the local sights when they get time. We recently went on a trip to the Tsunami memorial park. The orphanage is in an area called Phang-Nga which was devastated by the Tsunami with the death toll here crossing 4,000 people.