Breen and Charlotte's Adventures...

Well this is it, we have just 2 more days and we are home… We have spent the last 5 weeks in Boston. The first 2 and a half weeks spent chilling out at Breens brother Dannys and his wife Jamie, who have been the best!! We have really been looked after. It was great seeing them and was nice to stay somewhere homely after all the travelling and hostels. They live in a really nice little town called Billerica with their gorgeous dog Maeve about half hour outside of Boston.

A gang of us went camping up in Vermont, great fun, lots of food and beer! Went swimming in a lake and hiking.

On 17th Sept, Breens sis Eva and her boyfriend James came over. We went to a Red Sox Baseball game which was fun and had great atmosphere. The next day the 4 of us headed down to New York for the weekend. We ate out at a cool restaurant called Tree, if anyone is visiting New York soon, GO THERE! Its so nice. We just missed Josh Hartnett in there by an hour!! But the main guy in Law and Order was in there, not so exciting I know but still, it was someone famous! We also saw Matt Dillon crossing the road with a newspaper!

We went to the top of the Empire State Building at sunset, the most amazing view of the city! And we toured around 2 days on bikes, which is the best way to see the city. Got a glimpse of the Statue of Liberty, went to Battery Park Gardens, rode over the Brooklyn Bridge, and visited the beautiful Central Park.

Had a drunken night out in a cool bar I don’t remember the name of and got stuck in a lift due to jumping up and down in it!!. We also visited Central Station which is gorgeous and looks way to nice to be a station, more like a ball room with the chandeliers! Also I loved Times Square which was buzzing!

Overall I loved New York, it’s a cool city with a lot going on and so many great restaurants. However, we met quite a lot of rude and stressed people that need to chill out so that dampened my view on the people there. I suppose rushing around is just their way of life. Give me Hawaii any day!!!

After New York we drove up to Newport, Rhode Island for a night of camping. Newport is a cute little town that’s immaculate and for the very rich! We had a nice night camping and had a bbq then the next day we went in for a surf on Easton Beach, small waves but fun.

We headed back to Dannys for a night to chill out then next day it was up and out and over to a hotel near the city where the build up of a wedding we were invited to was taking place. It was basically a few days of a lot of drink and food! And a little shopping in between. The day after the wedding a boat was organized for the wedding party around Boston Harbour, it was such a gorgeous day for it. I was feeling pretty ropey after the drink but the sea air soon sorted me out!

We are now now relaxing after the mad week and preparing to go home!! Hoping we both find jobs, so to you all reading this blog, please keep an eye out for us! I am hoping to go back to Cork but I know there aren’t many jobs there at the moment.

I hope you have all enjoyed reading the blog, its been fun doing all these things so I can tell you all!!!

Its sad this year has come to an end which seems so fast, but looking forward to the future!

Take care all and get travelling if you can!!

Charlotte and Breen xxx

Kia Ora! Bula! Aloha! nearly at the end of our travels! Will just fill you in on the North Island of New Zealand, the week in Fiji and week in Hawaii.

We got the ferry from Picton at the top of the South Island and headed through the Queen Charlotte Sounds which were stunning. Got to Wellington and just stayed a night and headed out. As it was a Monday night and we were dying to find somewhere to drink we came across an Irish pub open (of course) and walked in to meet one of Breens friends working behind the bar! Small world..

Had a small look around Wellington but as it was seriously raining and windy so couldn’t see much. Visited Te Papa a really cool museum there full of Maori history. We then drove on to a small town called Okahune and stayed in a really grotty YHA hostel, wont be staying with another one of them!

Next day we went towards Lake Taupo where we wanted to do a skydive. The only thing was Breen thought he was too heavy as 104kg was the limit. So we decided when we got there if he was over the weight limit I would wait and we would do it together another time, but he was bang on the target so it was ok to do. I suddenly felt sick as realised we were going to do a jump from 12,000 ft that day!! I wasn’t ready at all but it was the best way to do it. Was really excited as always wanted to do one but also felt a bit sick! We went up in a tiny plane, about 8 of us and I was jumping out first!! But it was so cool, such a mad rush to jump out of a plane and hurtle towards the ground. Then when the parachute went up it was so peaceful just floating down to earth, I got to control the chute as well.

Was buzzing for a long time after that!

Stayed in Rainbow Lodge there which was one of the nicest hostels in New Zealand and hired bikes the next day for a bike ride. It was strange to think it was winter as was really sunny and warm. It had been a while since on a bike so took a bit of getting used to! Loved it. We stopped off at some natural hot water springs and had a dip.

Next Stop, Rotorua, the stinkyest town ever due to all the sulphur around (Central Backpackers). It was disgusting and we didn’t want to hang around there to long. That evening we did a traditional Maori night which was really interesting. We watched them perform the haka and different Maori dances and fights and learnt a bit about the history. Then we had stuffed ourselves on the buffet they provided. The meat was gorgeous, they slow cooked it in the ground the traditional way, its called Hangi (pronounced Hungi). Breen went to TOWN on that and we can safely say we got our money’s worth :0)

We then went for a walk and saw the silver fern the New Zealand uses for its national symbol, some cold water springs and some glow worms.

Waitomo (Juno Hall)

Here we were going to visit the glow worm caves but decided to save our money for other things. The hostel had a tennis court so we all played loads of tennis. It was so funny as there was a pet deer in the field beside the court and it managed to get in and took ages to get it out. It was charging at Breen and eating Colins jumper! Very funny.

Raglan (Raglan Surf School Accommodation)

We stayed here 2 nights. Raglan was a really cute, small surf town. The best surf in New Zealand. Myself, Colin and Breen hired some foam boards and wetties and headed down to the beach. Ross was dying with a hangover and came in but lasted about 2 minutes and went back to the car to sleep! It was FREEZING. We surf in Ireland in January and it doesn’t bother me but this was so cold, didn’t last to long. It was really fun though as had been months since we had surfed! Again, we had sunny weather.

Auckland (Nomads Fat Camel + Fusion)

Monday 10th August we drove up to our last stop, Auckland. Stayed in a really grotty hostel for the first 2 nights that had no windows so was really stuffy with the 4 of us in there. Then on the last night we moved to a nicer one. For the 3 days we stayed we just wandered around the city. Nice enough but nothing to special about it.

Fiji Time!

13th August we flew to Nadi, Fiji. Weather wasn’t great when landed! But was warm and thats all we wanted after New Zealand! We stayed near the airport in Nomads Skylodge for a night then up early to get a boat across to one of the islands, Kuata. It was very simple living but really gorgeous. The weather was really stormy when we got there which was disappointing but it gradually got better. We stayed there for 2 nights. We had a little hut that was looking right over the beach and the place was full of hammocks. Perfect! The people were so friendly and one of the nights the “Bula Boys” performed for us! They did traditional Fijian dances and then we all got up and joined in! Was good fun and really sound people staying there.

We snorkelled here one of the days for hours. So many colourful fish to see and the water was really clear. Myself and Breen in our element.

After the 2 days we hoped on the boat again and went further up the Yasawas (group of islands) and stopped at Naviti. This resort was a step up from the last place but still preferred the first place. Again we stayed in a hut over looking the beach. The food was very simple but tasty.

Collected so many shells they were gorgeous in Fiji.

The weather really improved for that last few days in Fiji. We went on a snorkel trip to swim with Manta Rays. Normally there are quite a few but we just had one sighting but was amazing swimming above it. It was massive! Then we went to a place called Coral Gardens and did some more snorkelling!

The last 3 nights of our stay was in Aquarius on the Mainland on Nadi beach. Nothing close to as stunning as the islands but somewhere just to chill out and save money!! Just spent days reading in hammocks, its a tough life...

Hawai’i!! (Oahu)

Hawaii, our 2nd favourite place after New Zealand. We landed in Honolulu on 21st August and were met by the friends we were staying with at 7am. We were greeted with traditional Lei’s around our neck (flowers) which was really cool. The first thing that hit us was the heat, the humidity was crazy there but apparently a little more than normal so we hit a really hot week.

The first day even though we were like zombies with the lack of sleep we went out with Jason and Tiffany to a bar (Dukes) near the beach at Waikiki. Then we went to Kelly O’Neils for a few more and buffet dinner in a gorgeous restaurant by the sea.
Next day it was up and out again with Jason to go scuba diving at a site called 3 tables on the North shore. That was really fun as we weren’t expecting to go but Jason really wanted to so he already planned it. It involved swimming through lava tubes which we’ve never done before. That evening a big group of us went out to see a tribute band called Led Zepplica! That was a good laugh, they were really good.

By Sunday we were wrecked so we just took it easy and went to a beach on the South East called Waimanalo. Monday we went for a hike with Tiffany’s brother, Patrick and his girlfriend. It was a pretty tough hike including climbing up the sides of waterfalls using rope! So it was a little like abseiling coming down but was well worth it.

The rest of the week was spent exploring the north shore, and visiting my favourite little surf town, Hale’iwa where I could of spent a fortune, if I had the money..... We saw all the surf spots such as Waimea Bay and Ehukai beach where the famous Pipeline wave break, though as it was summer the North shore was completely flat, but come winter 20-40ft waves! It was pretty cool to sit there and imagine how crazy it would be there at a surf competition. We watch kids on some pretty big waves, they were tiny but made it look easy!

There was also a beach we visited where there are tons of turtles! We saw a few coming out of the water to eat food off the rocks and another huge one was just sitting on the beach sunbathing. I loved them!

There was a spot on the North called Sharks cove which was great for snorkelling. Loads of people there.

We visited Pearl harbour and went out on a boat to visit USS Arizona Memorial and went around a Submarine. It was really interesting, and crazy to thing what happened on Dec 7th 1941 and that we were stood there.

One afternoon we went to Waikiki but not the nicest beach, completely crowded with people and even more out in the sea trying to catch waves. We hired boards one morning and went out but couldn’t catch much as it was pretty calm, but still it was nice to try and surf in Hawaii.

The last evening we went for a meal with Tiffany mum and a few others. It was in a hotel where there was a massive fish tank with rays and tons of fish. During dinner a diver went down to wish someone a happy birthday and swam around feeding the fish!

We were really sad leaving Hawaii, the people were so friendly and the weather always gorgeous. Even if it rained it would only last a few minutes.

I will definitely go back there to see the other islands.

A long journey then to Boston! 5 hour flight to LA, about 7 hours waiting in airport then 5 hour flight to New York, JFK, train into Manhattan then 4 hour Chinatown bus to Boston! Was pretty wrecked when we got here but all good now! So thats it so far.... one more update at the end of Boston and we will be home. I can’t believe how fast this year has gone, but its been the best one!!

July 20th we flew from Melbourne to Brisbane and then onto Christchurch on the South Island. The first thing that hit us was the cold!! It hadn’t been that cold in Sydney or Melbourne and we met up with Colin and Ross who we were doing the NZ with. Ross is from Canada who we met working on the farm. Spent a few days hanging out in the city and went out for few drinks for my birthday. Its a nice little city but not to much to do so we hired the car and drove down the East coast. We wanted to head through the middle (Arthurs Pass) but the road was closed due to snow so we headed down the East to Dunedin. We were driving for around 3 hours when I realised I had left my bag at a McDonalds that we had stopped at!! So had to turn and drive 2 hours back to collect it! So that put us out a bit..... BUT we stayed at a really cool hippy hostel called chillawhile as a result. Plans changing is what travel is all about so it was all good.

We then headed towards Dunedin and had a quick look about, its a really nice little city. On the way to Dunedin we stopped at the Moeraki Boulders which are perfectly formed spheres of rock on the beach which is a phenomenon and really cool looking, got some great pics there.

From Dunedin we drove to Te Anau over towards the west coast. Lovely little town with a massive lake and snow capped mountains surrounding it. Stayed a night and drove up to Milford Sound with the most stunning scenery on the way stopping at Mirror Lake which as you can see from the pics is spectacular. We had perfect blue sky sunny weather, its the 2nd most wettest place in the world so we were very lucky! There is a boat trip you see around the sound but we were saving our money for other things and felt we had seen plenty of the gorgeous scenery around.
We headed back and stayed in Te Anau another night then drove up to Queenstown stopping for the coldest lake side picnic ever!

Queenstown is a cool little town with a nice buzz to it. Snow boarders and skiers walking around everywhere. Here we hiked up a hill where the gondola is (to save money!!) and did the lugeing. These little go karts that go flying down a track on the hill! So much fun  then took the gondola back down for free! Then it was straight to the famous Fergburger!!! A really good burger and so filling!! Couldn’t move after it.

The highlight for me though, was trying skiing. We just did a days ski at Cardronas near Wanaka. Myself and Colin did a lesson in the morning while Ross who has been skiing since he was 5 went off doing the black slopes and jumps etc. Breen went off with him as hes pretty good too. After lunch myself and Colin skipped the 2nd lesson and just went and tried the beginner slopes, and loved it. Bit scary at first but soon got into it. Im hooked on skiing now. There was a really thick fog that came in over the slopes and it snowed quite a bit but that just added to the experience.

We stayed in Queenstown for 3 nights and then drove to Wanaka stopping off at Arrowtown, a cute old little town where they used to mine gold. Wanaka, again another stunning town! We went straight for puzzleworld!! Which was lots of cool pictures and rooms that made you feel dizzy. Then we had a run around the fun maze which was exhausting!

After staying one night in Wanaka we made the long trip to Franz Josef on the west coast. This is the home of the Franz Josef glacier. When myself and Breen went to book in for a hike up the glacier we were told the forecast was extremely heavy rain but we decided to do it anyway as when else will we get to walk on a glacier?!

Up early the next day to get kitted out with our hiking boots, waterproof jackets and trousers. We set off in the rain which wasn’t to heavy and the visibility was much better than I expected so was really pleased about that. The hike itself was brilliant and we had to put crampons on to our boots so that we had some grip on the ice. It was surrounded by rainforest which is quite unusual. On the way back down from the glacier the rain got alot heavier and we could feel the water getting in everywhere so we got wet and cold pretty fast. Just within an hour the rain had made the streams and waterfalls running off the rainforest really heavy and fast and we had to wade through some rapids up to our knees to get back to the bus!! Got pretty wet and cold but was well worth it.

The Accident

Ok so we had a scary little accident on our way, its quite hard to put into words but here goes....Headed back to the hostel for hot showers and food then headed on towards Greymouth where we had a hostel booked. Colin was driving as myself and Breen were tired and slept in the back. After a while Colin asked and could I take over driving. I said that would be no problem and just pull in anywhere. So he pulled over to a view point. It was a layby then up a hill up to the point. We got half way up the hill and it was in the wrong gear and the next minute Colin started reversing quite fast backwards and we were then heading backwards down a 50 degree slope of a mountain. It all happened so fast . But I remember thinking this cannot be happening. The scariest thing was that we were going down very steep and fast in a car and we didn’t know what was behind us or how far we were going to fall. It was lashing rain and we took out one or two small trees. We then hit a rock that wedged the car to a halt. My whole body went weak with panic and started to shake. I wanted to get out but Breen said for no one to move to see if the car was going to move again. Then we all got out. Ross had to climb to the back seat as his door wouldn’t open as was dented. Also the wing mirror his side had been broken off.

We clambered up back onto the road and tried to call a tow truck but had no signal so waved a really kind girl down who took us all to the next town to call someone. We waited an hour in a cafe for the truck and then went to get the car out. When we went back to the site and looked down to where the car had fallen we just couldn’t believe what had happened. The tow truck guy was so sound, he got the car out and it actually started and all the lights worked, just a small bit dented and the wing mirror broken. He checked it out and said it was pulling alot to the left so wouldn’t advise we drive onwards to Greymouth which was half an hour away. He drove us all to the hostel we had booked there which he didn’t have to do on a Friday night so we really appreciated it. That night we had a few drinks. That was one hell of a day! But the main thing was none of us were hurt but it was scary that it could of been so much worse if that rock hadn’t of been there.

Amazingly the next day we could just pick up another car from the rental company and as we were fully insured didn’t have to pay anything for the damage.

From Greymouth we drove through Arthurs Pass back to Christchurch. Again it was really sunny and blue skies, we have been so lucky with the weather apart from the glacier its been sunny!

Stopped off at Christchurch to see a friend of Colin and Breens and drove up to Kaikoura. That was a long day driving so got to the hostel quite late. It was an early night as we were up at 6.30am for whale watching!!! I was so excited about this and it was well worth the money. We went out on the boat and saw 4 giant sperm whales and to finish off a pod of 1000 dusky dolphins!! They were everywhere around the boat and some were jumping in the air. It was amazing. Got some wicked pictures and it was lovely watching the sun come up. That day in Kaikoura it was really hot and the sea was such a gorgeous shade of blue. We had our lunch on the beach and could of almost sunbathed! All I can say is check the pictures out!

Wow that was a lot of typing. I’m sure your all jealous at this stage! But this trip is flying and cant believe we are home in 2 months time, back to reality, not looking forward to that!! We stayed in Picton last night right at the ferry. Sequoia Hostel was one of the best we stayed in, and had the nicest hot tub! We all went in last night with a beer. Im on the ferry typing this sailing to the North Island. So ill update the north island soon.

Miss you all but see some of you very soon................

Signin out...
C & B xxx

Sat 13th June, left the farm wahoo!! Freedom! But at the same time really miss the people we met there. Such an interesting gang! And some friends for life. Won’t miss psycho Jenny though.....had a big night out in Cairns with the guys from the farm and then myself and Breen made a last minute decision and decided to get a tent and go camping up north in Cape Tribulation. We headed up to Port Douglas first for a night or two then on to Cape Tribulation where our good friend Fiona worked at a campsite and did us a deal! (thanks Fi!)

Cape Tribulation

Only one word to describe Cape Trib, Paradise! We just hung out on the beach for a week and soaked up the sun. It was surrounded by the Daintree rainforest so it felt like being on a desert island sometimes. There was a lovely look out point where we went and chilled one day and watched a turtle for ages swimming about and coming up for air.

One of the highlights was when myself and Breen were jogging along the beach one day and heard our names being called, it was a group from the farm that were sat on the beach ! We didn’t know they were coming up for the weekend and vice versa. Was a really nice surprise and had a really great night on the beach star gazing, drinking and listening to Sylvain (our French friend) playing guitar around a fire.

One drunken night myself Fiona and Breen were walking back from a pub in the pitch black when a car pulled up and said to be careful as there was a snake crossing the road! If they hadn’t of warned us we would for sure have stepped on it! It turned out to be a Python, it was so long. Its not poisonous but its a constrictor so its bad enough. But still cool to see a snake so close, didn’t really see any on the farm!

On the way back down to Cairns we did a crocodile tour along the Daintree river and saw one croc on the bank sunbathing!The tide was high so thats why we didn’t see many more, they were all submerged.

Cairns

Then back down to Cairns for another week and caught up with a few people and basically partied away the week!! Cairns has brilliant nightlife and the U.S Navy and Marines were docked for the week so it was packed and there was a good buzz in the air. Had a good laugh with them as you will see in the pics!
Had a lovely BBQ by the lagoon one night with a friend we made in our room Howard from London and another few people we met, and Breen and friend Niamh did a bungy jump one of the days! We also went and dived the Great Barrier Reef which was really cool. Myself, Breen, Ross and his dad went out on our own which was cool! Then in the afternoon went snorkelling and hovered over a turtle for ages, that was amazing.

Sydney

After the week we flew down to Sydney to stay with my first cousin Paul, his wife Julie and cute little boy Max. Had a lovely few days there, thanks so much for putting us up! Sydney was very different in the cold! Was a bit of a shock to the system from 30C Cairns but was still lovely and sunny. Visited Bondi beach which was nice and empty just a few surfers out and did the walk from Bondi to Bronte.

Tasmania

After Sydney we flew on to Hobart in Tasmania where it was so much colder!! And so was the hostel. We went to bed in hats, scarf, gloves and layers! It was freezing. We visited the Salamanaca Market which was massive and had loads of cool stuff, then rented a car and travelled up the east coast towards Wineglass Bay. We were really lucky and got some sunny weather viewing this.

Headed on up the coast which was gorgeous and onto Launceston. This is where I started to feel really ill! And came down with a cold. Just in time for Breens birthday! Spent most of the day in bed but then ventured out to have a look at the gorge there and then on for meal and cinema.

Melbourne

Next day we were flying over to Melbourne! No time to rest! I was really looking forward to going back as I loved the city. Before we flew we did a brewery tour at Boags. Boags is really good beer thats made in Tasmania only. Several free beers later, we headed on to the airport. We stayed with our friends Colin B and Katie. It was really nice of them to put us up for the week. While in Melbourne myself, Breen Colin and my friend Becky who was travelling through Melbourne hired a car and drove along the Great Ocean Road to the 12 Apostles. We got some really lovely weather for this, but we totally misjudged the distance from the city! Thought would be about 3 hours, more like 5 or 6! Including stops. Was hoping to get a surf in Torquay in the afternoon but didn’t have time so gutted about that as havnt surfed in a long time!....Just hung out and sorted bits out for the rest of the week and had one last night out in Melbourne before it was time for New Zealand!

I have been told I write to much on this blog so I will do my best to keep it short, but Im not promising anything!

29th March, we took the bus from Cairns to a place called Mareeba where we were picked up by our landlord, Jack. Then taken to a tiny blip of a place called Walkamin. It is literally in the middle of no where in between Mareeba a small town and Atherton, an even smaller town! This is all situated on an area called the Tablelands.

Jack and Jenny are our landlords and they have their own house and 2 other houses on their property. One is named the backpackers and the other is the 'The Big House'. We got lucky and lived in the Big house which is the nicer out of the two and had our own room where as most rooms were set out like hostels. The only thing I hate about our house is its over run with cockroaches. They are in all the cupboards and always in the bathroom, its disgusting! There is also another house a short distance down the road they call 'The Ghetto'. You will see why when you see the pictures... Its a complete shed of a place and only a few guys live manage to stick it out living there along with the bats, rats and possums.... and another house called Ashley's a bit further up. So all together about 40 backpackers under Jack and Jenny.

Myself and Breen both started on the same Banana farm called Tremarchis. This was both quite a big shock for us. Firstly the early morning (had to get up at 5.30am) and secondly because we have been lazy backpackers for several months and hard work came as a bit of a shock to us. Breen is now loving his new title as 'Professional Humper', this means he does the hardest job on a Banana Farm. Himself and another guy has to chop down the massive bunches of bananas with a machete. This is very tough work. I ended up with the other girls in the shed, splitting and packing the Bananas – exciting stuff! I also had to go out and de-leaf the banana trees with a long pole with a curved machete on the end. It was tough enough work but I much preferred the outdoor work to the packing in the shed.

The Tremarchi family were not the most pleasant! They have quite a reputation for being very unfriendly and for firing a lot of their staff. They look down on backpackers even though I think backpackers are some of the hardest working out there. Here we wouldn't really be aloud to chat much and a few minutes were always cut off from our breaks. The boss was a 21 yr old slave driver, who looked like he was just out of nappies and we have heard many stories about him and the farm!

I stayed for about 7 weeks until I got offered picking Zucchinis 7 days a week. I jumped at the chance as I was only getting 3 days a week which was only barely covering rent and food. Bananas are all year round but really slow up in their winter which is the time we worked there. Though when I say winter, its 28C every day!

We also got extra work on Saturdays at a Strawberry Farm. Though unfortunately we didn't actually get to pick strawberries. Here we pulled up irrigation, pull down fencing, prune trees and I got to drive my first tractor!! I was lucky to get this job as they were looking for all guys originally but I managed to get in and prove myself that I can work just as hard as the men. One things for sure, most of the people around here are sexist.

I was delighted when I got offered the Zuchinni picking! This involved getting up at 5.30am and starting work at 6.30am picking Zuchinnis for about 5 hours, then washing them and boxing them. This was work for a small family run farm and they were really nice to work for especially after coming from the Tremarchis. We were actually aloud to talk! It was a pleasure working for them.

I worked their for a month every day without a day off and the time just flew.

In our house there is 11 people. There is a family from Bulgaria who are being sponsored by Jack and Jenny and then countless backpackers streaming in and out. We have met people from all around the world since being here, Korea, Chili, France, Canada, Germany, Bulgaria, Ireland and UK, and they have all been the nicest people.

The only thing to do on a day off here is to head to the local waterhole. Its also a waterfall but its dried up now as as its the dry season, apparently its gorgeous in full flow in the wet season. To get there you have to hike through long grass then up a mountain side which is pretty dangerous. But once your there is so worth it. The water is ice cold and there are several levels you can jump off.

Friday Nights are party nights as you will see from some of the pics. Generally everyone goes down to the Ghetto due to Jenny, Jacks girlfriend/business partner ??? (they aren't married and they dont share a bedroom, no one is sure what they are to each other!)

That brings me onto the subject of Jenny.....Ill try and sum her up in a nutshell as too much has happened to explain. She is in one word, a Psycho!! She is an alcoholic who used to work as a prison warden and that really says a lot of how she behaves. She patrols the place like it is a prison and we all feel like prisoners at times! Shes a hypocrite as she drinks most nights but has a go at us if we are having a get together and a few drinks on a friday night after working hard all week. We don't want to wreck the place, just unwind with a few drinks but she doesnt seem to get that. She is convinced that all backpackers are out to get drunk and destroy the place! She regularly goes down to the Backpackers house (which is nearer her house) telling them to be quiet, to clean up or she will just walk in and turn the TV off and tell them to go to bed! She regularly comes into our house and turns lights off. Shes extremely patronising and is constantly on the warpath. She kicks people out for barely any reason. She banned a quiz night one of the girls was trying to organise. She said to someone else that she thought Breen was arrogant and didnt know what to make of me, and she wouldn't let a guy who is diabetic take one of the cars into town to get a supply of insulin as he was running low – thats how crazy this women is and that really is only a small bit about this women!!but enough about her....

I have to say I didnt see as many spiders and snakes as I thought I would! And when I did see spiders they didnt seem to bother me that much even thought they were the size of my hand! We saw one massive snake while here but we were safely in a car! It was a night tiger and was huge lying across the road. We also heard from Jack that there was a Taipan in our garden which is one of the most deadliest in Australia, you would have about 10 minutes to get to an anti venom unit after being bitten, so thats a bit scary. Seen tons of mossies, frogs, cockroaches (our housemates) and cute geckos that live in our house also but they are great as they eat the mossies! We also have Kookaburras constantly outside our house in the morning and at night. They are such noisy birds and sounds like monkeys!Also seen a few wallabies and helped free some while working on the strawberry farm.

Its been a really amazing experience working on different farms and living in the country for a while. We are surrounded by gorgeous scenery and have witnessed the most stunning sunrises and sunsets ever. We are both feeling really fit and healthy and are now ready for some more travelling!! Bring on New Zealand, Fiji, Hawaii and America!