Australia Fly Over

You never realize where you are living until you are thousands of feet in the air looking down at life below. I had been living in Australia for 7 months before I experienced the country from above, rather than on a map. And wow it was even more beautiful then I imagined. This picture was taken while flying over the rocky, red outback. There is such a vast amount of empty land in the middle of Australia that it is crazy no one lives there, but it is perfectly untouched and gorgeous. I remember sitting in that window seat so excited to get back down on the land and begin driving through that vast range of red desert. 

Long Reef

This beautiful mossy green oasis was only a ten minute run from where I lived in Sydney for 5 months. Upon arriving last September I knew very little about Australia. All I knew was that I wanted to live on the beach. And that I did. For the first 2 months I lived in a hostel in the Northern Beaches that was literally 10 steps from the warm white sand. I soon moved out of my beloved 6 bed dorm to a 7 bedroom house with my own double bedroom (Pure Luxury). However, I did not move far. My house was located just down the road. Which meant I was still on the beach, the reef, and now next to a beautiful lagoon perfect for paddle boarding. Every day after work I would run along the beach and the reef and watch the sunset from the top of that green hill in the first image. Here I have walked out along the water covered rocks to explore the nature of the reef. In those pools lie shells, coral, seaweed, and many living organisms. Even though it was a cloudy day the reef was still as beautiful as ever to me. 

Uluru aka
Big Red Rock

Well my first road trip through Australia took me about 2,000 miles to this massive red rock in the middle of no where. Now when I say no where I mean absolutely nothing around, but this rock and that red sand on the ground. Oh and a campsite to sleep at. Uluru or Ayres Rock is not only a big rock, but a massive part of the Aboriginal culture. Here is where they hold some of their cultures most sacred ceremonies and parts of the rock aren't even allowed to be photographed because it is so special to them.

While in this picture we happened to get a day of sunshine. When we first arrived it was pouring rain for about 3 days. (A strange occurrence in the desert). But it actually allowed a rare opportunity to see the waterfalls cascade down the massive rock. Being able to see this natural rock formation in the middle of the outback was a great learning experience about the land and aboriginal culture.

Great Ocean Road

Thankfully my second attempt to take on this beautiful Southern Australia coastal road was a success. After visiting Melbourne my three friends and I began the camping part of our 2,000 mile road trip and the Great Ocean road was the first leg of it. The road consists of miles of beautiful beaches and rocky coast line. The whole road took us 3 days to complete from Melbourne to Adelaide. We saw beautiful sunsets, sky's filled with stars and the Milky-way, the craziest lighting storm I have ever experienced, and of course surfers, kangaroos, and koalas. Driving along roads like this always help to clarify why I moved to Australia to work and travel for a year. 

Sunsets

The best part about living out of a car with all of your possessions with you is being able to see every sunrise and sunset. And in the outback they are absolutely beautiful. In the first image here we are sitting on top of hill in Alice Springs passing around a bottle of whiskey taking in the beautiful landscape around us. This Gumtree in the foreground is a very popular tree you can find all over Australia and reminds me of peaceful care free times.

Shortly after this sunset we went back to our campsite and were greeted by a bonfire full of other backpackers who had been living out of tents there for months. The best part of traveling is meeting new people and these people where the true version of hippies. We stayed up all night with them drinking around the fire and talking about where we had been, what we wanted to see, and how life is an incredible journey. Times like these are moments you would never experience working a normal desk job your whole life. But these are experiences where you truly learn about others, yourself, and the world.

New Zealand

A place straight out of the movies... literally it is Middle Earth in the Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit. I have never seen a place like this with beautiful green rolling hills, snow capped mountains, mirror lakes, white sand beaches and soooo many sheep. The countries landscape is truly gorgeous no matter what direction you look in. Here I spent 3 weeks on bus tour with about 40 other backpackers discovering all the hidden gems New Zealand has to offer. We went hiking, swimming, white water rafting, kayaking, and so much more. There is an endless supply of nature and jaw dropping hikes. I only wish I was in better shape. Damn did that hiking kill me, but so worth the views.

Thailand

Since I was living in Australia my parents decided to plan a trip to meet me in Thailand about half way through. Boy was Thailand a cultural shock. I had never been to Asia before and seeing how poor the people live among others who are quite wealthy was a very big eye opener. Still the Thai people were some of the happiest and kindest people I have ever met. We traveled the whole country from Bangkok to the North, to the southern beaches and the beaches by far were my favorite spot. Absolutely gorgeous white sand and clear blue water.

Here I climbed to the top of Koh Samui to see from above how these three islands connect during low tide. While my family and I got very sick on the Thai food we ate it did not ruin the fact that we were in a country so diverse from our own and I now have new outlook on Asia.

Whitsundays

My second massive road trip in Australia was about 1,500 miles down the east coast from Cairns to Sydney. My friend from the UK and I bought a 1994 Ford Falcon for $1,500 to drive and live in for the next 2 months. While the car was our home and had everything we owned in it, we treated ourselves to amazing excursion out to the Whitsundays where we stayed on a boat for three days. Here we slept on the deck under the stars, snorkeled with sea turtles in the Great Barrier Reef, ate, drank, and played games with the 20 other backpackers on-board from all over the world, and visited the beautiful White Haven beach with sand so pure you can brush your teeth and wash your hair with it. While sea sickness is usually a big problem for me all my worries were gone when we walked the trail to see this unbelievable view and relax in some of the purest sand in the world.

Queensland

Where the rain forest meets the reef. Here I lived in my favorite hostel of all time with some amazing people for five weeks. Wake up, eat, relax at the lagoon, drink, party, sleep repeat was about all I did for a month straight. While the coastline and beaches are beautiful and the weather is the perfect temperature, you cannot swim in the sea. This is due to deadly salt water crocodiles that will literally eat you if you go in the water. Crazy to think about, but why the Crocodile Hunter was so popular. However, because the rain forest is so close to the beach you get beautiful hikes, breathtaking waterfalls, and lots of farms.

While living in tropical paradise I had friends from college come out to visit and we all went scuba diving in the Great Barrier Reef. I was terrified at first at the thought of breathing under water, but my friend was our scuba instructor and it was actually one of the coolest experiences. Definitely on the top of the list with skydiving.

Sydney on
New Years Eve

So Sydney is by far my favorite place in all of Australia. Mainly because I lived here for 7 months. This allowed me the amazing opportunity to experience New Years Eve on the harbor in the second country in the world to celebrate 2016. I was even lucky enough to have my best friend from home come out to Australia to celebrate with me.

We camped out on the grass for 12 hours surrounded by thousands of people with food and drinks. The crowds were so big the line for the toilets was 2 hours long. The fireworks show was so worth the wait. They not only set them off over the bridge, but in 3 locations all around the harbor. At midnight the sky was lite up and it was truly an unforgettable way to ring in the New Year.

Jarvis Bay

If I had to pick the perfect proposal spot this would be it. On my last mini road trip in Franny our Ford Falcon we drove down from Sydney to Jarvis Bay. It is said have the whitest sand in the world and is by far quite a beautiful spot. Here we were the only people on the beach taking in the gorgeous blue waters around us. It was absolute serenity and I couldn't have asked for better last adventure before leaving Australia for New Zealand. Beaches like these make me so grateful for my life and all I have done in the last year.

Colombia

Well it only took 2 plane rides, a 3 hour bus ride, and a boat ride to arrive at our treehouse abode in Trigana, but boy was it worth the 3 days of travel. Below you can see the 3 story treehouse we called home for 2 weeks. Situated in a very remote beach destination with only 30 houses and the next closest town an hour and a half walk away this beach paradise was an escape from the rest of the world. Here we had to gather our own food, walk 30 mins to the farm for fresh meat, and survive off small tiendas that carried very basic supplies and bread wasn't even one of them.

It was such a simply way of living in the jungle and all the people were perfectly content with the lazy laid back lifestyle. Our days mainly consisted of eggs and arepas for breakfast, a short jungle hike or beach trek, traveling to multiple tiendas to gather the food we needed for lunch and dinner consisting of lots of potatoes, relaxing in our tree house hammocks and enjoying the local beer either at the house or at one of the very few bars. Overall, it was an experience of a lifetime to live amongst the local villagers and really immerse ourselves in their simply way of life. 

Panama

After being in a the small town of Trigana for almost a week we decided to take short boat ride over to Panama. We had originally planned only a staying a day, but after the first we just didn't want to leave. We arrived in the small town of Capurganá, where we then took another very tiny boat ride to some small village. Here, we were able to hike right over the Colombian border into Panama to a beautiful isolated beach. The sea was so blue and the location was perfect for sun bathing the day way.

However, while there we witnessed about a hundred African refugees trying to walk from Brazil to Costa Rica being brought in by boats to the beach front. We were confused as to what was happening until we asked one of the guards. They had apparently caught the refugees in the mountains trying to cross a closed off border and were now holding them there until further order. It was incredibly sad to see these women, children and men living this way and I truly hope that they made it wherever they needed to be safely.

We then walked back over the hill top border to Capurganá were we spent our night drinking with locals and eating the best Pizza made by an Italian man I ever had (even better than in Italy). Although it could be that I just hadn't had real food in over a week or so anything other than rice and potatoes was good. 

Hurraz, Peru

Well, maybe I should have worked out a little bit more before arriving in the middle of the Andes. There were times where I thought I was never going to make it to the top of some of these amazing hikes, but boy was the struggle worth the view. Here you can see some of the gorgeous blue glacier fed lakes and mountains that we climbed. We reached nearly 5,000 meters and even saw a small avalanche. Hiking up to places like these really make you appreciate just how beautiful and amazing nature and this world are.

Lima and Machu Picchu

Lima was a beautiful city situated right on the cliffs over looking the ocean. The view was gorgeous from Miraflores and we even had a chance to go paragliding right off the cliffs edge. The city was lively and filled with tons of great food spots and parks, but the Parque de las Augas was by far the coolest. Unlike most parks that are busy during the day this park comes alive at night with amazing fountains all lit up in an array of colors. It is truly mesmerizing and site to behold. 

However, the real winner of Peru was Machu Picchu. Upon arrive we stayed a night Cusco an old city filled with gorgeous architecture and tons of shops, bars, and places to eat. We even went to world highest Irish Pub at 3,000 meters. From here we took the train to Angas Calientes another awesome town where that the railway runs right through and is located in the middle of the mountains. This is the last stop before Machu Picchu. 

Machu Picchu is defiantly a site to behold and obvious as to why it is one of the wonders of the world. This historic site is amazing to walk around and still a mysery as to how and why it was built. But whatever reason it may be it a true work of art. 

Melbourne,Saint Kilda

While traveling, everyone viewing my Instagram and Facebook thinks life is perfect and easy. But traveling is far from easy, you just learn to embrace the difficult with the great and learn from it. This sunset picture is a perfect example of that. To the ordinary eye this seems like I am enjoying a beautiful sunset on the beach. And while that is true the story behind how I got here was not so easy.

The day before we tried to venture to Phillips Island to see the penguin parade. However, we ended up getting off the train at the wrong stop, walking 2 miles down this road to a deserted town only to find out the ferry wasn't running because of rough waves and another train was not coming for 2 hours. Needless to say we never made it to Phillips Island. The next day we tried to rent a car which had a dead battery to drive the Great Ocean Road. We then found out that part of the road was closed because of bush fires. Therefore, we did not get to drive on the Great Ocean Road, but had already paid for the car. This is when we decided to drive to Saint Kilda instead. Here we did enjoy a beautiful sunset which made all those problems seem to go away. Until we returned to our car to find a $100 parking ticket.

Moral is behind ever beautiful photo is story that isn't told. And while traveling looks like all fun and great times those are equally mixed with lots of struggles and obstacles. Those are the times where you truly learn how to survive. You learn lessons and skills you can't learn without getting out there and experiencing the world.