Maybe in Oz

There was a wonderful snorkelling spot called the Blue Hole a short walk from the resort so we went there a couple times and frolicked with the fishies.  The weather was perfect and the water was warm so it was a very relaxing few days. The Blue Hole Fish in the Blue Hole More fish in the Blue Hole Blue starfish we found in the rocks Pretty sunset at the Blue Hole We also took a small boat up the coast to a place called the Blue Cave.  The boat trip in itself was worth the journey as it took us along unspoiled coastline for some amazing views. The coastline from the boat near the Blue Cave We got to the Blue Cave at low tide which made the opening just big enough to snorkel through.  Inside the cave was huge and the bottom was covered in clean white sand so it made the blue water of the cave spectacular.  A small hole at the top of the cave let a shaft of light through.  It was quite a spectacular place t...

We enjoyed a lovely escape from early in Vanuatu.  We flew from Melbourne to Brisbane on Friday and then it was just a quick 2 hour flight from there.  We landed in the main city Port Vila where we stayed for the first day relaxing and enjoying the sunshine, some smoked Marlin pizza, and some Vanuatu beers.  Then we flew to Tanna for our volcano adventure. Phil getting into the holiday spirit We stayed at Tanna Evergreen Resort for a few days, and though the word resort makes it sound fancy keep in mind that the main (only) road on the island is a dirt road so it's all relative. The road on Tanna There were just a couple tiny resorts where we stayed and then a couple even tinier ones near the volcano.  Other than that, there were just small villages of locals living very simplistic lives involving fishing, singing, and wearing penis sheaths for clothing. Our "Resort" Fishing on the reef The resort was up a small hill from the water and we spe...

My husband and I just got back from an awesome week in Vanuatu.  The main reason we went there was to see "the world's most accessible active volcano" Mt Yassur on the island of Tanna.  Yeah we've seen volcanos before and tend to enjoy travelling in geothermal areas but our experience with this volcano was beyond anything we've seen before. To get to the volcano we were driven1.5 hours on a rough dirt track to the remote area of this already remote island.  We got there at dusk, just in time to take the amazing views from the front of the volcano.  We got out of the car for a few minutes and could hear booms in the background as ash would occasionally blow through.   Then we had another 10 minute drive up the back of side of the volcano.  The road we drove up had steaming venting out in some places and other places were covered with ferns and trees.  It was an interesting contrast between the ash and plant life. The very distinct start of the vol...

It's been two year since we took that leap of faith, packed everything up, and moved to the other side of the world site unseen.  Seems like it was just a few months ago so I guess that saying is true - time flies when you're having fun.  Yes at times we miss the people and prices in the states, but in general the quality of life over here is much better.  It also doesn't hurt that a tropical island in the South Pacific is just a short 4-hour flight away!  But I digress... I'm so glad I took the plunge and applied for the job.  It was weird how it all happened - I had been thinking about it for a few days then decided not to.  Then one day two completely different people mentioned the job to me within a few minutes and it got me thinking again.  Finally I realised that I would really regret not applying.  And it's true.  If we had passed up these amazing experiences we've been having we would have missed out on a life long education on a ...

I've had a busy couple of weeks with a work trip to the States.  Between travelling to San Diego, DeSoto, and Mabank, accompanying a customer to a test, and squeezing in visits to family and friends in between, it was a long (fun) and tiring trip.  It didn't end when I got to the airport though.  My flight from DFW was 3 hours late leaving, and so when I walked off the plane in LA I was handed a packet with shuttle, food, and hotel vouchers and was informed that I was not going to make that night's flight back to Oz. Fortunately I had an extra change of clothes and my phone charger in my backpack because that's all I had to get me through the next day.  The airline put me (along with the others who also missed the flight) in a hotel in San Pedro, which happened to be just a few minutes from my friends Liz and Ryan who I hadn't been able to catch up with on this trip.  They rescued me and we enjoyed a nice lunch and afternoon in Long Beach.  It was great t...