Back to Oz, meeting friends and family

Started my return to Australia in Adelaide, where I was 'finally' seeing Tess again (haha after saying goodbye to her in New Zealand about a week ago). After having had a couple of flights throughout Australia without any trouble, I was shocked how I was treated at customs coming into Adelaide. I felt like being on Border Security, I was in that same area, same situation. Bags were checked, lots of questions were asked, two of them read through my journal to check if I hadn't been working or looking for work (luckily I've been writing in English so no questions there), doubt was raised on how I was able to travel for so long without working, just because she wasn't really listening, yes my last job lasted for about 16months but I've been working full-time for the last 3..eventually everything was fine and I was cleared to go!

Met Tess at the bus stop and she took me to her house, it's so weird seeing each other again and in a different country but very exciting too. Went to the center at night for a tour around the city, a couple of (free) drinks and some kind of an old carnival festival with a laid back atmosphere, a bunch of food (including Dutch Poffertjes and Oliebollen) and 'freakshows'. I only stayed in Adelaide for a night, left at 6pm the next day and Tess had to work so I went to explore the city on my own. Definitely want to come back here someday, loved it..there might not be too much to do but I just liked it :). Had lunch with Tess at where she works, which is Central Market, wow I would love working there! And totally random, met up with Ellen and her boyfriend, friend from back home, who happened to be in Adelaide. A quick drink with them and a waive off from Tess and I left Adelaide by taking my first Greyhound bus for an 11hour ride to Coober Pedy.

Coober Pedy...wow...totally deserted haha. Only reason I wanted to stay here is because my sister once told me that you can sleep underground here..sounded exciting! Arrived in Coober Pedy at 5am and could jump straight into bed, 6.5meters underground. I must say, I loved it..it was so quiet, I had no idea what time it was and of course there was no daylight. Went out for a walk around the city later that day and it was totally deserted, lots of aboriginals on the streets and a few cars. Walked for a couple of hours and ended up at an old opal mine which they turned into a museum. They displayed the life of opal miners, both at work and after (how they lived in rooms they had built underground), pretty interesting. And as a true trooper, I looked for my own opal outside, found a couple of small pieces :)!

After sleeping for a couple of more hours, I was being dropped up at the bus terminal again for a 7 or 8hour bus ride to Alice Springs. Arrived in Alice Springs and noticed again that there were a lot of aboriginals on the street, just hanging around and drinking at night (I later learned that this is because they only discovered alcohol about 60years ago, so they are going nuts with it now). Went to my hostel, bottom bed, air conditioning and a swimming pool. Woehoe looks good but no time to hang around here because I had a date with Momma JoJo (also someone I met during my time in New Zealand)!!! And what a great date we had, going back to her hotel to hang in and around the pool, check out the sunset and went out for dinner and drinks! It was great seeing her again :)! Said our goodbyes and both went to bed early because we both had our Uluru/Kings Canyon tour the next morning at 5 or 6am, a 3day/2nights for me.

The tour was pretty neat. I spend most my time with a couple of Dutch guys, a Swedish and English guy and a girl from Switzerland. We learned about the aboriginal culture, flora and fauna, helped cooking and washing up (of which I was banned from on day 2 because I did too much already), saw Uluru, some wildlife and my two highlights: Kings Canyon and sleeping under a million stars in a swag. A swag is sort of a sleeping bag with a thin mattress built in and it also included a pillow. Falling asleep under a million stars, seeing the milky way again. It was magical! And as for Kings Canyon, getting up at 4am again, starting our 10k hike at 5am up the Heart Attack Hill was not my favorite moment haha. But I loved the rest of Kings Canyon, just walking through massive rocks and having some of the best views and not to forget my little Lion King moment haha.

Next destination on the list: Perth, meeting more family and seeing Dutchie Floor and Ozzie Dave again (also from New Zealand). Arrived in Perth after some delays and eventually a change in flight and went to Gelorup by bus after I finally found the bus stop. Got picked up at the bus stop in Gelorup by family. Met my grandfathers sister (my great aunt) and some of her children (2^nd cousins) and grandchildren (3^rd cousins). It was great meeting more family and we hit it off straight away, might have been because of the beers at night ;), guess it's all in the family. I liked hearing about some of the history my great aunt told me and reading her Dutch recipe book from when she was younger (where I was amazed reading a recipe for our Dutch 'kroketten', which they used to make themselves. I explained that nobody really does that anymore as they are pretty cheap). They showed me around Bunbury/Gelorup as much as they could but a lot was just getting to know each other and meeting more family that they had invited over. Also went to The Pinnacles, Floors life long dream haha. Got picked up by Dave for a mini roadtrip of 3days/2nights, of which one was with Floors host family and the other one in the back of Daves ute at a caravan park. The Pinnacles were pretty cool but after seeing tens of rocks sticking out of the ground, they're all the same. Went back to the family for my last couple of days here, did more fun stuff and went fishing for the first time ever..didn't catch anything though. Said goodbye, but told them I would be back, just as I told the other family members I spent Christmas with.

Last stop in Australia, Darwin, jeez...so humid and hot!!! Didn't do too much in Darwin. Met a 60 or maybe 70 year old guy in the hostel on my first night, who offered to show me around the next day. And met a Dutch girl and later on 3ozzies. Went to the Crocossaurus with the Dutch girl, lots of crocs, big crocs..biggest weighed 800kg!! And held a little snake and a blue tongue lizard. Got back in time for lunch and my private tour around the city in his van (sounds dodgy I know, but it really wasn't). Saw most of the city, lots of the harbor, fish and eventually the museum. The day ended by him buying a life mud crab and some mussels, telling me I had to help him eat it..now we all know I am not the biggest seafood fan..and I told him but he wouldn't take no for an answer. Luckily he also invited the other Dutch girl, who was in heaven with this royal meal so she ate most of it. I did try the mussels and ate the crab right from the shell..yikes..would never think I would but I guess it wasn't too bad. We hung out with the Ozzies at night.

I also visited a couple of markets on Sunday, not much to see, lots of food of which one sold SATAY AYAM and LONTONG..made my day!!! MJUM! When I went to a travel agency to book a jumping croc cruise I discovered I had my dates mixed up and was flying the next day instead of the day after that..so no cruise for me this time.

Had a one night stopover in Sydney before flying back to Fiji. Location of the hostel was fine, but didn't care much for the hostel itself. It was pretty close to the hotel I stayed in before with Robert and Dennis which was pretty strange. Walking the same streets without them, good memories though :).

Got ready to leave for Fiji and when it was my turn at the check in counter, she said I couldn't be checked in because I had no ticket out of Fiji. So just to get this clear, last time they almost didn't let me leave Fiji because I didn't have my ticket out of NZ printed and now they don't want to let me in?! Sigh..tried to go online and book it, but no luck, even with Simone’s help (aunt in the States), still no luck. So finally went to the Flight Center, where I knew they were going to overcharge me but time was ticking...so fine, just book it. Took a while..tick tack...time to pay..argh credit card declined, when he said that it happened before, I asked my card back and ran to the ATM where I used both my Debit and Credit card twice (because of the withdrawal limits) and I finally had the money together, paid the ticket and ran back to the check in counter where I arrived 2min before they would close. Yes made it! And they NEVER even looked at the ticket I just booked! Anyway, went through security..they scanned my bag for explosives, yup POSITIVE..haha you have got to be kidding me...after retesting it again and again for more than one negative I was cleared and they blamed the machine. Made my way to the gate..and surprise surprise, the flight was delayed..this must have been one of my unluckiest day ever...but at least I wasn't too late. After an 1,5hour delay, we were good to go and I was once again flying to Fiji!