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We had just spent most of our time “blessing out” on the beaches in a land where pedicures and full body massages are cheaper than the beer (and that’s saying something).
We explored the rainforest and emerged virtually unscathed. We did have to move to higher ground in the middle of the night as a rampaging river threatened to engulf our hut. Besides that, we returned to Bangkok with nothing more than a nasty bruise from an elephant ride and a chip on my freshly pedicured toe.
So when Bangkok failed to live up to all of the seediness that Murray Head and Tim Rice had promised, we were looking for a challenge. A challenge we weren’t quite sure that we’d get from returning to English-speaking countries.
What were we to do?
We returned to an idea we discussed and scrapped early on in trip planning — us in a camper van. We did a little research and found that despite the Australian dollar reaching a 20-year high against the U.S. dollar, we could totally swing it. So with just a few clicks at a Kings Cross (again, not as seedy as promised) cyber café, we made a commitment to spend two weeks driving eastern Australia in a vehicle that looked not at all unlike the Mystery Machine.
We met and instantly loved our camper van. It offered us so much freedom. Trapped on a bus or train you don’t get to see things like you do on the open road. You don’t get to stop at The Big Pineapple or have your picture taken with the “World’s Largest Ned Kelly.” If you want to go 20 minutes out of your way to see a giant gum boot or prawn, you can. We made the rules. We went where we wanted to when we wanted to and loved every minute of it.
Driving on the left side of the road wasn’t so much of a problem as driving on the right side of the car (not to mention shifting with the left hand). After spending five months being a passenger in former British colonies driving on the left seemed natural, just as soon as we remembered which side the driver was supposed to get in on.
We loved exploring the grocery stores and actually being able to afford steak again. Cooking it was a little different, though. I had always envisioned a charcoal grill when I heard the phrase “throw another shrimp on the barbie.” Therefore, I was more than a little surprised when I was confronted with the electric griddle that we found at most parks.
We loved Australia. We fell in love with Sydney. We loved walking around at 2 in the morning, feeling completely safe.
We feigned drowning at Bondi Beach in order to be rescued by her famous lifesavers. We went whale watching and cuddled koalas. We fed wallabies and sailed the Great Barrier Reef. We rode the Ghost Train at Luna Park and explored the Outback. Oz proved to be a wonderful adventure, and we can’t wait to return.
We left Oz with a heavy heart, but we were more than excited to explore New Zealand. It turned out to be an amazing adventure. We met our friend Holly and had a fabulous time. We put on jeans for the first time in eight months as the temperature dipped into the 40s, quite a change for two girls who hadn’t experienced temperatures below 80 for the past seven months.
We soaked in the hot springs at Hanmer and fell in love with the 41 Celsius pool. We hiked through mountains to waterfalls and cruised the sounds. We saw sea lions and stood inches away from penguins. We flew across a gorge and were stunned by scenery far more beautiful than any film could convey. We were held spellbound while watching the Haka and thoroughly enjoyed our Hungi feast.
Our trip seemed to be on fast forward as we drove our way around New Zealand. We had a last supper at a pizza place called Hell and said goodbye to Holly (actually we screamed it from the alley at 4 a.m.), then it was off to Fiji.
We felt right at home in Fiji and split our time exploring the mainland and relaxing in hammocks on the islands. On the mainland we enjoyed Nadi and the Sand Dunes at Lautoka.
We also indulged in two of our favorite obsessions — mine for Bollywood, specifically Salman Khan. I got to see the two movies I had been waiting for since we left India: “Om Shanti Om” and “Saawariya.” And Nic was able to indulge in her obsession for the restaurant Chicken Express.
On the islands we
scrambled up mountains, kayaked and snorkeled with barracuda. We recovered in hammocks and spent our evenings singing karaoke with our new friends Emma and Nia. We also confronted some of our fears. We met with huge spiders (bodies the size of 50-cent pieces), giant roaches (five inches long), snakes and bush rats, but for me, the karaoke thing was by far the scariest.
Back in Nadi, we celebrated Fiji style at the Bula Festival. We waited almost two hours for the parade to start. Nothing new there as it seems some of the gaps in the Steamboat Days Parade are that long.
We contemplated going on the ricketiest (and fastest) Ferris wheel I’ve ever seen but opted out as our travel insurance had just run out. We met our friends for one last night of singing at a club that turned out to have no karaoke machine despite being called a karaoke club and which turned out to be “the roughest club in Nadi” according to our hotelier.
Leaving Fiji was the hardest of all. How do you leave a 90 degree paradise and head to cold London?
We had a great time exploring London at
Christmas. The lights were simply beautiful, and we ended up making some great new friends. Our friend Malissa set up a connection, and we were treated to dinner by her friends, Tunji and Funlola.
We moved on to Ireland and decided that after all that practice driving throughout Australia and New Zealand, we were ready to take on the narrow roads of Ireland.
We got out of Dublin, much to the relief of our budget, and enjoyed Rathdrum and Kilkenny. We met a lovely actress named Marcie who has encouraged us to perfect our North Country accents and start an epidemic with the phrase “lung cancer, luv” which sounds hysterical when pronounced with said accent.
We then started the long journey home with the heaviest hearts of all.
We are both excited to
see what new adventures
life holds for us when we return. We just know we could keep going for another couple years at least. We found some challenges on
the road but not enough to stop us from traveling. We just need to come back and make more money for the next go around. So, watch this space.
Donna Strumski is a 20-something, singleton gypsy who just completed her journey from London to Dublin — the long way round.
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