Our first houses, new job, new uni degree and more new countries!

Our first house, new job, new uni degree and more new countries!

So when we got home we did some painting on the unit as the contract to sell it would take a coupla weeks. We were checking out heaps of houses and I was doing plenty of surfing. Went camping at North Haven with mum and Dad, got some fun waves at Crowdy head ones on Sunday at Saltwater. Stayed at Kew at a rest area on Friday night then went out for dinner with them at the club on Saturday. Had an awesome time at Cog and stayed in a nice pub and then went and had a feed at the markets after I surfed. We accepted an offer in our place and we’re pretty excited, looking at heaps of places while we wait for it all to go through. Download was sick! Slayer went off as always and Behemoth was awesome too. Was some other good bands and the next morning I had some fun waves at MacMasters beach. Had a few jams with Anoxikk which was great! Made on offer on Greenway which was sick! Shell went to see Roxanne and Aurora. Went for a drive to Tocal with Shell Saturday morning before she went to the Wine machine gig. Went home for a weekend and got sick waves at Darkum Saturday twice and a few Sunday. Camped at Darkum headland Friday night, looked at a house in Sandy on Saturday morning, visited the Tarrants and then had lunch with nan and pa.  Emperor went off! They played some other sick songs as well as Anthems.

       We loved it in China! Went to Daming Lake and Black Tiger Spring in Jinan on the bullet train at over 300 K’s an hour. Then our luxury hotel room after a great feed and a few beers. Climbed the spectacular Great Wall and then had a nice dinner and a bath for our last night in Beijing. Went to the Forbidden city and Tiananmen Square the first full day by ourselves and then went to the street market and I ate a spider and snake after a few beers. On our first day we went to the temple of heaven for a while then crashed early as we were buggered after the flight. Had a day to ourselves, enjoyed our amazing hotel and had a bit of a look around. Cruised along the Yangtze River! Had a few beers in the sun in the arvo on Cliff’s deck looking at the amazing view and swapped a beer for some oranges with a little smiley local fella in a boat. Went up Shenmong stream which was lovely. Shell was crook so I went on the Tribe of the three gorges tour myself, it was so beautiful. Brilliant colours in the trees and water and the mist lingering around the mountains topped it all off. We went to a museum and I went up a big building for a view of Shanghai, Michelle was a bit scared. We then went on a night cruise and looked at all the lights which was pretty cool. Went to the Master of nets garden and walked along the Grand canal in Suzhou which were stunning. Went to a gorgeous garden in Hangzhou. We went for a walk up Mount Tai and had another great view. Just chilled our last day on the boat and the next day we checked out the city of Chongqing which was lovely. We had a great time and the hotels have all been really flash. Then we went back to start moving into our first house! Moved all our stuff in on Friday and had a few beers that arv and a relax in our new bath! I had a surf on Saturday morning at Nobbys and then we unpacked our stuff and got the last of our stuff from Skilton then had a few beers again. Unpacked again on Sunday and then we went out to the Bero Bowlo for dinner. We were a bit sad to say goodbye to the little unit we made look so nice but this place is great and so far we love the quiet and the views out the back. Took rubbish to the dump and put the antenna up amongst other things like cut some wood with the chainsaw. Got the garden looking pretty nice and some things. Cut down a heap of trees to get a better view out the back yesty. Was surfing about 3 times a week and jamming a bit too. Went to The Newy Comedy fest and stayed at a hotel in Newy and had a great night. Karnivool was sick! Mum and dad came down and we fixed the carport and a few other things. Shells preschool got exceeding on assessment so she’s stoked. Went down to Ulladulla for the long weekend. Freecamped at Kiama blowhole the first night which was beautiful. Found no waves the next day but went to some garage sales and had a nice drive. Had a barbie at Col and Rhonda’s with everyone then got some fun waves at Dolphin point. Had a quiet night at Ray and Jackie’s on the last night then headed home after seeing Joy. We did half of one side of the fence and some other things one weekend then Dumped a lot of fence and green waste on another weekend that I had PD on Saturday. Went on a school camp to Sydney on a Thursday and Friday. Finished the fence and mowed the lawn on the weekend before we headed to Bali!

Bali and South America

       Went to Bali! Had a big one with the Krepo’s. Had sick waves at Middles and then had another pretty big one with all the boys in Kuta. Got sick waves at Bingin with John and Krepo then headed over to Lembongan. Had fun waves at Mahana point and a couple at Playgrounds. Had a couple of great dives too and saw a turtle and a Napoleon fish. We then parted ways with the Krepo’s and it was just us in Sanur. I had some good waves at Sanur reef and then sick ones at Hyatt reef. The wind was howling early so we went up to Candi Dasa. Had sick waves at Jasri the first time, surfing right up to the stairs and then walking back out to the jump stairs and striving back into the line up. The next day was a bit small so headed back to Sanur. The wind stayed up so I surfed Airport lefts the next couple of days which was pumping. On the last day I surfed Sanur reef by again. Had a great birthday holiday with my gorgeous wife and some good mates!  Did plenty of surfing and filled in our garage and put up a carport. Went to Gin Gin for Shell’s Reunion Saturday after the big drive up the inland highway. Camped outside Warialda Friday night and saw Clare at Dalby. Her reunion was fun then had lunch with the Perry clan Sunday and then went to Roy’s. Then went to the Beddows’. Had a great time with Kara and Mitch at Airlie beach. Went to the waterfall, fishing on a boat and ate a fish I caught and generally just had a great time with them drinking and stuff. Had a great time with Kate’s mob too, the kids were really cute. Had solid waves at Saltwater yesterday and did an air on the last wave, loving the new board. Stayed in a funky railway hotel at Taree as it was raining Saturday night. Had more solid ones at Emerald with Rob on Saturday after staying at their joint Friday night. Had a couple at cabs then Mullaway that morning and then sick ones that arvo. Had dinner with Kayden and Kerry at the pub Thursday night after lunch with nan and pa. Had fun little ones that day at Mullaway. Had a night to ourselves Wednesday and two good surfs at Mullaway that day. Had dinner with mum and dad and nan and pa on Tuesday night after another two good surfs at Mullaway. Heaps of fun! Went to Byron for Renee and Shaun’s wedding. Had a great night. Camped at Macksville Thursday night and had a couple of drinks. Camped at Byron Friday night then got a hotel at Port Mac Saturday night and went out for a yum Greek feed. Had a few waves at Town beach that arv and Sunday morning. Pretty scary with all the fires around. Went to Krepos 40th and had a ball. Stayed at a nice motel in Nambucca last night. Had some little waves at back Hastings Saturday, Caba Sunday and Shelly beach this morning. Went to Opeth and they went off! Surfed tiny Macmasters Sunday morning after crashing there. We loved it in Cuba! At Playa Giron, drunk as it seems to be the done thing here! I snorkelled today at a Cenote and then we proceeded to make the most of the all you can drink deal that come with the 15 bucks each for admission and food too. What a fantastic tourism model! The snorkelling was pretty good, the food was OK and the booze was plentiful, Shell was on Mojitos and I was on Cuba Libre. We had a quiet night last night in Havana, got refused service, we reckon they thought we were yanks. We then got bakery food, a coupla beers and a bottle of Havana club and downed that in our room. The night before we were in Mexico city for the night and we got drunk at the airport, yes there is a pattern here. Our first night we in LA, we went to the Santa Monica pier and had a nice feed on sunset. We then went back to the hotel, no drinks that time. We were knackered from the flight, I slept most of the long flight from Fiji but the sleeping pills really wiped me this time. The light to Fiji was good, didn’t take long. We’re loving Cuba so far, the old cars are everywhere and we got one from the bus stop here and out to the Cenote. My belly was a bit ordinary yesty after the half cooked hamburger I ate for breaky but I’m all good now after the huge feed of lobster I just had for 10 bucks from the lovely people at our Casa. Our dive in Cuba at Punta Perdiz was great, clean water and undamaged reef. Quite a few fish, a wreck and a cave swim through. We went for a nice walk along the beach that afternoon and had Navidad cena with the owners of our Casa. The next day we went back to La Habana and loooed around old town at the endless supply of old cars and buildings. We then flew to Bogota and the first night we had a few drinks at a few little bars. The next day we went on a bike tour and it was a fun way to see the city. Heaps of street art, funny banter from our guide and we played Terra, a traditional Colombian game that is a little crazy. That night all went down hill when we found an Irish Bar with happy hour jugs and then a nightclub. We partied until the early hours then continued back at our room. Needless to say the next day we slept in and then went to the Monserrate with beautiful views over the city and farmlands over the range. That was our first grog free night! Had a lovely Arabic feed (in Bogota of all places!) and then watched a movie. The last full day in Bogota we went to the Cathedral Del Sal and admired the sculptures and the cute old town on the way there. We had another big last night so we behaved in our ‘King room  with spa’ (for an extra $20 bucks which was hidden in the property details and the AC is crap!) resting our bodies in preparation for New Years Eve in Montanita, which is said to be the party capital of this side of South America! We were a bit sad to leave Colombia and due to not booking we were unable to get a bus overland and missed some things we wanted to see but the local buses take even longer and are said to be unsafe so we’ll be back!

       We loved in Huanchaco, Peru! Got there early morning after a hot and sweaty bus ride from Mancora. Had two surfs that were pretty fun then had a few beers and crashed early as we were knackered. Had two surfs again that were fun too then had a few drinks tonight on the balcony at our hotel. Didn’t get to Chicama or Pacasmayo as it was too small for them but that’s cool. Headed to Lima then Cusco, no more waves but lots of adventure ahead! Had some long, fun lefts in Mancora and a few beers the first night but we were really tired so crashed early. It was a harsh, hot and dusty place so we headed here after a couple of days. Had a few beers and another sleep yesterday after a surf. Before Mancora we were at Montañita for New Years and a couple more days. Had a few surfs on the fun rights and lots of partying. NYE we had rums watching the sun go down then had dinner and beers then to a club then back to the beach to ring in the New year. Had a great night then kept partying the next morning. We went out again that night after I surfed and were out til about 5 at another club then the beach. The last night we laid low and got on the luxury bus to Mancora. Having an absolute blast and still have so much great stuff ahead too! It’d been a huge year! China, 40th in Bali, sold our second home, bought our first house, started a new job and now we’re here! We were on the Peru Hop bus to Puno! We spent the morning in Pisac after getting there last night from Ollantaytambo. I went for a walk this morning and took some cool bird photos. We then had a few beers in Cusco and a shower at our hotel. Had a few beers last night and some Sambuca type stuff from here after cruising around the cute old town and market. Walked around Ollantaytambo for a while and took a heap of photos as it is also a pretty little village. We got in late Saturday night after the trip back from Machu Picchu. It was breathtaking. The city itself of course but also the surrounding mountainous landscape and the trip there through different altitudes of farmland was beautiful. The last hour along the shed drops into the Rio Grande was terrifying. We were stoked to get there Friday night and find that we had a nice hotel and we crashed pretty early in preparation for the 4:30 start to be on the mountain for sunrise over the ancient city. We spent the morning there then walked back to get on the bus back to Ollantaytambo. Before Machu Picchu we had a couple of nights in Cusco. It’s a beautiful city, old churches in the square surrounded by the lush green mountains on all sides. The cobblestone streets lined with the bright colours of their traditional arts and crafts. Before Cusco we were in Lima for a night after a long bus ride from Huanchaco. We had a couple of beers on the rooftop of our hotel but didn’t take long to crash. We are loving Peru. In a couple of days we went from surfing on the edge of the desert to flying over the snow capped mountains into lush green patchwork farmland and then into the Sacred valley surrounded by ruins and traditional little villages. We were then looking forward to chilling on this bus for a while and heading back into the desert to experience some of the other wonders of this diverse and vibrant country. I found out that I got accepted into the scholarship so we were pretty stoked about that too and had to celebrate of course! We were back in Lima. Sad to be leaving after a fantastic time in this amazing country. We’re having a few quiet beers at the airport hotel before an early flight back to Mexico City. We stayed in Miraflores on our second last night at a nice hotel but left as they were bashing a wall down from 8am and had no water most of the day. We went for a walk down the beach and had a nice feed before getting on the airport bus. Got in late last night after a great last day on the Peru Hop bus where we went to the Ballestas Islands in the morning and watched hundreds of seals eating some of the thousands of seabirds that were perched on the cliffs or flying around fishing in the rich waters. We then went to the national reserve which was again desert meeting the sea but this time there were also sheer cliffs and apostle like rock formations reminiscent of the Great Ocean Road and a beautiful red sanded beach. We then stopped on the way back to Lima at Casa San Jose, an ornate Spanish Colonial homestead which is now a hotel with a horrific past of slavery and exploitation. The tunnels underneath the foundations were stolen Africans were smuggled and ‘sorted’ were as awful as the stories about their treatment. On our one night in Paracas we had a huge night of drinking and dancing after a fun day of wine and Pisco tasting followed by sandboarding and buzzing around on the juiced up Dune buggies at Huacachina Oasis. The night before that was a quiet one as we got in late after a huge day of travel from Arequipa. On the way we went to the Nazca lines on sunset which was spectacular, we even got some extremely rare drops of rain and watched a rainbow, lighting and thunderstorm over the desert from afar. The night before was another quiet one after an all nighter previously. Shell was booked on for a cooking class which was unfortunately canned due to lack of numbers. I went whitewater rafting which was heaps of fun and then came back to sleep a bit more. We had a few beers in the square the night before and then went to a rooftop club then back to another hostel until the sun came up. That day we’d had a walk around the beautiful old town and caught up on some sleep from the couple of night in a row of overnight buses. In Puno we started on a floating island made of reeds by a people who fled Spanish rule out into the massive Lake Titicaca and built these Islands. We then continued onto Uros Island which has a native culture that predates Incan civilisation and there remains evidence. It is stunning. Reminded me a little of some of the Mediterranean islands we’d been and was so nice to see the simple way the people continue to live and look after their land. So as I said we were sad to be leaving but have a few more days in transit at Mexico City, Los Angeles and particularly Fiji where we planned to do some exploring so it’s not over quite yet! Celebrated Australia Day at home. I had some little waves at Nobby head this arv after mowing the lawn and some other stuff this morning. Stayed at the backpackers again Saturday night and just went to bed after the flight from Fiji. Got there early in the morning and had a swim at the beach and then in the pool and then slept until about lunchtime then had a few drinks before and on the plane. Had some drinks in our hotel at LA then slept in the next day and went for a walk and a feed. Walked around some markets and had some drinks in Mexico City in our funky little hotel. It was a long trip home and pretty cruisy but was good in a way to rest up after such an awesome holiday. We did so many different things but barely scratched the surface of what is on offer in those countries let alone the rest of the continent so we walked away with a renewed vigour to get our selves working and living over there. Most likely in Mexico.

Another house but no more countries for now!

 

Did plenty of surfing and got stuck into the house. Booked some holidays and went to see Tool which was awesome. Started a master’s degree at uni on a scholarship that gives me permanent job at the end! Booked a holiday to NZ but had to postpone it and our other holidays due to COVID! The virus hurt us in terms of holidays but we got to keep working and get heaps of work done on the house so we weren’t too bummed. I also worked from home quite a bit so that lifestyle allowed me to surf and work on the house a lot. It also made us camp more and travel in Oz which was great too. Had quite a bit of family time too, going home to visit and even looked at some places at home and nearly bought a place at Sandy that came to no avail due to asbestos. Ended up buying another place on the same street in Woodberry, renting it to Helen an old friend of ours while we fix it up. As we haven’t got enough to do here! Before she even moved in we put a new kitchen in, the last of the stuff we got from the demolition in Sydney. Not bad, three grand for 2 kitchens and a bathroom! Plenty of camping going on at Mungo Brush and Forster and a weekend away in the Blue Mountains too. Had a visit from Carl which was cool, had a few beers of course! Built a deck on the back of our place which ended up being another bathroom and room also to the side that we used as a shed with plenty of help from dad. Went to Crescent and had a great weekend as always. We then had a holiday up home after we finally got the bathroom at 28 finished late Friday arv and jumped in the van to start our holiday. Only made it for dinner at Karuah RSL and then had a bottle of wine watching the moon rise over the river and freecamped. Had a beautiful drive up Thunderbolt’s way and then had lunch at the pub. Had a swim in the waterhole and then sat by the fire looking at the trees. Had plenty of waves at home and Forster on the way back too. Had a great time with mum and dad. Nan and pa came over for dinner and we had dinner with Kerry and Beelin. Went to a couple of wineries and did a bit of work in their garden. Started working only three days a week which was great, plenty of time for uni and working on houses. Shell had been saying I should do it. Went for a Sydney weekender around the rocks and loved it. Was getting great marks for uni so I was stoked. At the end of the year we went north. On the way up we Stayed with Luke and G and had fun ones at Broady with him in the morning. We then stayed at Alex head, went out to dinner just us two after a few days with Roy, Roxanne, Aurora and Chris. Had fun waves at Alex head and the back of Pt Cartwright. Had breaky and a coupla beers with Carl in Noosa on the way out. We then went to Agnes for a couple of days. One great free camp at Workman’s and also free one at Yandaran on the way. Had fun waves there and a great bush walk. We then had a great but wet few days over Christmas at Mackay with all my family. We mostly hung at the park but went out looking around and to a pub on the last full day. It was nice and cool too. Next was an awesome camp in Eungella with Playtpus, Bandicoots, Ring tailed Possum and Paddymelons. Then it was Home Hill, free camping and had a feed at the pub. Got there after a snorkel at Bowen through the day. Had an awesome New Years at Magnetic Island, went for a dive that wasn’t great but saw a few fish and had a great snorkel the next day. So it’d been a year like no other, we’d cancelled all overseas holidays indefinitely and not even travelled here much. We got to do a heap of work on our houses that we wouldn’t have normally and seen family a lot more though. We were still hoping that the New Year would bring some more adventures though!