So I am currently in Port Macquarie, NSW. My friend and I are making our way down the east coast of Australia. I haven't been surfing due to a chest cold so I decided to go to the hospital..... but it wasn't a people hospital it was a Koala Hospital....
It was totally cute and set up the same way any human hospital is set up....
It had a patient list on a board as you entered the Hospital, althought this patient list was public information... I guess there is no privacy act with Koalas.... It had an emergency room, which was a bit slower paced that I am used, or maybe I just caught in a down moment.....
They had an ICU inside, but unfortunately only medical staff and family were permitted in the ICU, so even though I am a human nurse I didn't qualify....
They had a medical ward, with hospital beds, the beds looked a bit different then I am used to but lined up in the same.... they even had a long term care wing, where the Koalas have been released back to the wild but unfortunately didn't make it on their own...
The kitchen staff were great serving up eucalyptus plants for meals... and the paitents looked like they were enjoying their stay at the hospital...
From Port Macquarie I am heading south to New Castle where I meet my friend Georgia and then down to Sydney for awhile....
Hope you all are having a beautiful day, heard it was cold at home, hope everyone is staying warm, Love Jamie XXX
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Byron Bay, Yamba and Bellingen
Finally after 3 weeks, my friend and I were able to pull ourselves away from Byron Bay and its crazy energy.... We had our final dinner at an Italian restaurant and I loved every minute of it...
but I can't believe I forgot to tell you the best part of my trip to Byron Bay... my dream of swimming with dolphins finally came true.... repeatedly..... each morning when I went out for a surf the dolphins would come close, you'd see the birds fly in the air and feed off the fish the dolphins were feeding off of and then you'd see the dolphins breech right close to you.... the closest I got was about 5 feet... it wasn't what I imagined, hanging onto the fin swimming joyfully as they jump and play with you but it was still beautiful and I was always excited to see them....
After leaving Byron my tent mate and I decided to continue on together by Greyhound to Yamba.... Yamba is a really cool little surf town, we stayed at the best hostel ever!! totally brand new, it even had rain heads in the showers... pure luxary.... the surfing was fun, a bit small but clean.... apparently Yamba can go off and is home to Mr. Billabong.... we drove past his 18 million dollar vacation home still in construction.... we also had a fun afternoon of rock jumping into these fresh water swimming holes and touring around to see what beaches in Yamba have to offer.....
After Yamba we continued on to Bellingen, another quaint town... this time a bit more in land... it was very lush... so a nice change of scenery.... at the hostel we could pitch our tent and create our home. Over our 2 day stay there I had a lazy float down the river on an inner tube, a beautiful relaxing wander around town... and an awesome 3 hour hike through the rainforest in Dorrigo National Park.
We are slowly making our way south to Sydney where I am going to meet my friends and stay for Christmas.... I'll be sure to add more photos soon... Have a beautiful day!! Jamie
but I can't believe I forgot to tell you the best part of my trip to Byron Bay... my dream of swimming with dolphins finally came true.... repeatedly..... each morning when I went out for a surf the dolphins would come close, you'd see the birds fly in the air and feed off the fish the dolphins were feeding off of and then you'd see the dolphins breech right close to you.... the closest I got was about 5 feet... it wasn't what I imagined, hanging onto the fin swimming joyfully as they jump and play with you but it was still beautiful and I was always excited to see them....
After leaving Byron my tent mate and I decided to continue on together by Greyhound to Yamba.... Yamba is a really cool little surf town, we stayed at the best hostel ever!! totally brand new, it even had rain heads in the showers... pure luxary.... the surfing was fun, a bit small but clean.... apparently Yamba can go off and is home to Mr. Billabong.... we drove past his 18 million dollar vacation home still in construction.... we also had a fun afternoon of rock jumping into these fresh water swimming holes and touring around to see what beaches in Yamba have to offer.....
After Yamba we continued on to Bellingen, another quaint town... this time a bit more in land... it was very lush... so a nice change of scenery.... at the hostel we could pitch our tent and create our home. Over our 2 day stay there I had a lazy float down the river on an inner tube, a beautiful relaxing wander around town... and an awesome 3 hour hike through the rainforest in Dorrigo National Park.
We are slowly making our way south to Sydney where I am going to meet my friends and stay for Christmas.... I'll be sure to add more photos soon... Have a beautiful day!! Jamie
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Coolongatta to Byron Bay
I know its been a couple of weeks since I have entered a blog, but I went through a bit of a down phase in my travels.... My second day on the Gold Coast in Coolongatta I went out surfing. The wind changed direction and set up Rainbow Bay or Snapper Rocks beautifully... The waves were rolling in clean and small. I had a beautiful ride that took me quite far down the beach. I paddled out for more and pinched a nerve in my neck/shoulder. I got out of the surf and was quite bummed, but was optimistic that it would get better. So that afternoon I left the Gold Coast and carried on to Byron Bay in New South Wales on the North Coast.
Byron Bay is a small town with a lot tourists. It kind of reminds me of Whistler but with a surfing vibe to it instead of a skiing/mountain biking vibe. It is got a hippie flair with loads of healing/ massage centers. So I took full advantage of the massage, in hopes to help heal my shoulder so I could get out and surf again. With a bit of time, one of the massage therapists in town and the massage therapist from Canada I became friends with in the Hostel, my shoulder has almost healed and I can get out surfing again. The second part to my down phase in my travels was the weather, it poured rain for a few days. Thankfully these past few days the weather has turned for the better, the sun is shining once again and the surf has been a lot of fun. Its shoulder season here for surfing so the swell is small, but I am not complaining, I like the smaller waves.
Byron Bay night life includes going to the local pub for a few drinks to listen to a variety of live musicians. In fact every where you go in Byron someone is singing or playing the guitar or the drums... you can hang at the beach each day and listen to live music all around you. I absolutely love it....
I stayed in the Hostel for the first week in Byron but have now moved to the luxurious camping spot down the road. The kitchen area overlooks one of the surfing spots called the pass so each morning I can check out the surf while having my breakfast.
Hope you enjoy the pictures, sending lots of love... Jamie
Byron Bay is a small town with a lot tourists. It kind of reminds me of Whistler but with a surfing vibe to it instead of a skiing/mountain biking vibe. It is got a hippie flair with loads of healing/ massage centers. So I took full advantage of the massage, in hopes to help heal my shoulder so I could get out and surf again. With a bit of time, one of the massage therapists in town and the massage therapist from Canada I became friends with in the Hostel, my shoulder has almost healed and I can get out surfing again. The second part to my down phase in my travels was the weather, it poured rain for a few days. Thankfully these past few days the weather has turned for the better, the sun is shining once again and the surf has been a lot of fun. Its shoulder season here for surfing so the swell is small, but I am not complaining, I like the smaller waves.
Byron Bay night life includes going to the local pub for a few drinks to listen to a variety of live musicians. In fact every where you go in Byron someone is singing or playing the guitar or the drums... you can hang at the beach each day and listen to live music all around you. I absolutely love it....
I stayed in the Hostel for the first week in Byron but have now moved to the luxurious camping spot down the road. The kitchen area overlooks one of the surfing spots called the pass so each morning I can check out the surf while having my breakfast.
Hope you enjoy the pictures, sending lots of love... Jamie
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)