Untethered

As we spend more time with the locals, we are learning some pretty funny Aussie slang.  Words like "gobsmacked" (meaning you have been astonished/surprised) or "ah, you are goin up in the woop, woop "(meaning you are traveling somewhere very far away).  We haven't heard a ton of slang in Palm Cove as so many here are visitors like us including the help in the restaurants.  We've met waiters/waitresses from all over the globe.  But when you do happen along a true Aussie, it can be quite the challenge to actually get the gist of things at times.  Similar to the Bahamians, if the locals are talking to themselves, the slang and dialects can be so thick that it is difficult to understand much of anything.  That being said, everyone we've met has been helpful and friendly. Yesterday we took a day boat trip out to Fitzroy Island which sits just off the coast of Cairns.  It is a good sized island and hosts several miles of mountain hiking as well as swim...

Our stay in Palm Cove started with lunch at a lovely sea side cafe where we snacked on some really tasty lamb stuffed olives.  While there, we began visiting with our table neighbors who happened to be Kiwi's (New Zealanders).  They had come to Palm Cove for some warmer temps and sunshine.  As we shared our stories, we learned that this couple had traveled Canada for two years exploring the countryside when they were in college.  They spoke of the incredible kindness of the folks in Canada who opened their homes to them for lodging and friendship.  So when this couple learned that we would be visiting New Zealand next spring, they offered their home as a place to stay if our schedule allowed.  In their mind, it was paying back all of the kindness afforded them so many years ago.  How cool is that!  We exchanged information and plan to give them a buzz when we get to New Zealand.  This week, we took our first trip into the rainforest using t...

For us, checking out the parks and Botanical Gardens is always a "must do" no matter the locale we are visiting.  We enjoy being outdoors more than touring a museum and are always on the lookout for birds.  Of course in Australia, EVERY bird is a new bird for us so imagine our delight as we strolled through the many green spaces of Sydney.  We checked out Hyde Park, The Domain, Barangaroo Reserve and the Royal Botanic Gardens. Queensland Bottle Tree used by the Aboriginals for water during times of drought. By day two, we had seen 30 new bird species with our favorite being the Rainbow Lorikeet.  They are relatively common in Australia but we haven't tired of spotting them yet!  Many of the birds we've identified to date would be considered exotic in the US.  (cockatoos, parrots, bee-eaters, kookaburras & sun birds) Rainbow Lorikeet Our most productive bird watching day occurred on day 3 as we visited Centennial Park and happened to meet ...

We left Hawaii on Thursday, Sept. 12 at 11:00 AM and arrived in Sydney, Australia on Friday, Sept 13 at 8:00 PM.  We literally chased the sun as we headed west around the globe.  Needless to say, our biological clocks are messing with us at the moment as we repeatedly awake by 4:00 am looking for a cup of coffee while all sane Aussies are still sound asleep. Our trip started with a lesson.  Initially, we couldn't check in for our flight to Australia as we had not booked a departure flight back out of the country.  Since we are heading to New Zealand after we leave Australia, Dan had to quickly book something for us for our planned exit date of March, '20.  The lesson is...........that each country will require us to have an exit booked in advance of entering.  Thank goodness for helpful Hawaiian Airlines staff and Travelocity/cell phones! We spent 3.5 days "metro" hiking around Sydney averaging 12-15 miles per day.  We find the city to be an i...

The second half of our Hawaii time took us to the east and south shore of Kauai.  We stayed at a lovely condo with great ocean views in an area known as the Royal Coconut coast.  The ocean here is called Kaui Mau meaning constant ocean. The towns in this area feel more authentic with locally owned & operated stores and restaurants.  We had one of our best meals at Ono's Family Restaurant where breakfast options include fried rice or hash browns served along side your eggs and Portuguese sausage. From here we set off to explore the drier side of the island including the Napali coast and Waimea Canyon.  The Napali coast sits on the remote western side.  We opted to take a dinner cruise with Blue Dolphin Charters on a Catamaran to enjoy the scenery and a beautiful sunset.  Along the way, we had the good fortune to spot Spinner Dolphins which thrilled us with their spinning acrobatics as the leapt out of the water.  The "Cathedrals" on...

Our adventures have begun with a lovely trip to Hawaii.  We chose to visit Kauai which is known as the Garden Isle.  It is a ruggedly beautiful island with nearly half of it being inaccessible due to its mountainous terrain.  We started our stay on the North Shore of the island.  This is the wettest part of the island based on the trade winds so everything is lush and green year round.  Our home base on the North Shore was Princeville, a huge plantation that was turned into a resort town and a perfect locale to explore the northwestern side of the island. Kauai is a hikers paradise offering a wide range of distances and difficulty.  Given the terrain, nearly every hike includes a steep ascent so flatlanders beware!  However, the views are so totally worth the effort. View of the Wildlife Refuge from the top of the trail Places we hiked included Hanalei National Wildlife Refuge, the Kileau Lighthouse, Ho'opi'i Falls, the Wai Koa plantation a...

As world nomads, we've opted to become truly untethered and not keep a storage shed for any of our toys or belongings.  So, our last week of August was filled with many fun activities as we said goodbye to our many toys.  Enjoying our last game of golf with our clubs Dan was able to sell nearly all of our toys including our golf clubs, bicycles, and paddle board.  In addition, we were able to help out the local housekeeper and maintenance guy with lots of household items we had brought with us but really didn't need at the VRBOs we've stayed in.  Our last big item to sell was Dan's Q5.  That happened on Friday and just like that...............we are now truly untethered from every material possession except for our financial assets and go-forward luggage. Everything we own is in these 4 bags plus 2 back packs. Hurricane Dorian accelerated goodbyes to our new friends at Ponce Inlet as a mandatory evacuation was put in place for all residents.  ...