Around the World and Back: So long, Australia

Xin chao from Cat Ba Island, Vietnam! I am chomping at the bit to talk about Asia, but I set a goal for myself to wrap up our Australia trip in a nice little box before moving on to this portion of the travels. I've also been re-reading some of my old blog posts and reading some other travel blogs... some of these blog posts are just too damn long. Sorry, everyone! New goal is to entertain you without putting you to sleep, and more frequently!

We decided to give the old WWOOFing one last go, and I must say although there was lots of fun to be had, I don't think I'll be in a hurry to jump back on the WWOOFing train. As beautiful of a system as it could be, I just think it is too easy to abuse and just ends up misleading volunteers who have a genuine interest in learning to farm. A few great things came out of our last attempt at WWOOFing in Belivah, Queensland (~30 min from both Brisbane and the Gold Coast). Firstly, our hosts were really into yoga and nutrition, so I was a very happy camper. We spent a lot of time learning about proper food combining and also how to eat well on a very tight budget. About half our mornings began with yoga which definitely filled a need I'd had for awhile. The rest of our working days mostly involved helping with the renovation of a run-down rental house: sanding, painting, marinating in chemicals... you know, the usual WWOOF host tricks! But we were in great company with our lovely Chilean friends, Amanda and Camilo, and from Hong Kong: Sidney and Ryan. While WWOOFing has failed to teach me much in the way of farming techniques, it has introduced me to so many lovely people, and for that I feel so lucky.

After about 2 weeks in Belivah, we rented a trusty Jucy van again and headed down the east coast, stopping in Brisbane, Byron Bay, Burleigh Heads for a reunion with my childhood friend Nicola, Port Macquarie, the Blue Mountains, and finished up our trip in Sydney. I must say, I really enjoyed both Brisbane and Sydney, and would have loved to spend more time there. We had some more great Airbnb experiences (is Airbnb sponsoring me yet?) and I once again got to enjoy being carted around by Brian as he has been reunited with his drivers license. :) The drive was really low-key; we didn't plan it out much and just kind of did whatever we wanted each day, so it wasn't over-stuffed with sight seeing. Just a nice relaxing cruise down the coast!

How bittersweet it was to board the plane to KL from Sydney! We had such an incredible year; so many wonderful friends, great travels, and hilarious work situations. As excited as we were to head to Asia, it was really sad to leave the people who had helped make our year so special. There'll always be a little place in our hearts for Melbs. And as home-time draws nearer and nearer I feel I have to apologize, Melbourne, for complaining about your AMAZING transportation system, which I am already missing as I'm filled in on the dismal state of the transportation system in Seattle... coming home will be filled with its own special challenges and adventures :)

But the fun's not over yet! We spent about 3 weeks in Malaysia and have been in Vietnam for about a week. Two more weeks here, three weeks in the Philippines, home on December 3. So much going on, keep posted...