Windfarms and Jaws

Several weeks ago, I made the trip down to the South-Western tip of Australia and spent the week in Albany. As I accompanied Jeremy for his work, I had the week to explore the natural surroundings of the coast, spend time at the bays of the recent great-white shark attack, and view the spectacular Albany Wind Farm and Wallop Tree Top Valley.
Just 2 weeks prior to my visit, the coastline that is infiltrated with Western Oz surfers was disturbed by a great-white attack. A surfer was attacked early in the morning, but survived by the help of an onlooker from shore who came out to rescue him.
When you pull into the bay and beach area, I felt an overwhelming similarity to the site of "Jaws'" New England Town, Amity. A peaceful and quiet beach town that looks like bliss. We spent one afternoon walking the beach, and after Jeremy insisted jumping in the water for a cool down. I spent those 10 minutes scouring the waters for any dark objects. No fun. Luckily, there was nothing in site, but some other onlookers where giving us looks like we were insane foreigners. Which...we kinda are :-) No one else was in the water. (above pic is the new "amity", the bay of great whites)
(side note) 2 weeks after we returned home, there is an article in the newspaper with a photo of 2 swimmers in that bay with a giant black fin about 4 feet from them. Creepy!
During one of my days, I took a visit to the Albany Windfarm. Located right on the coast, the farm consists of twelve 1800 kW wind turbines. The wind farm produces about 77,000,000 units of electricity, but this depends on how windy the year is. The amount of energy supplies about 15,000 homes with electricity, and is "equivalent to about 75% of the City of Albany's electricity requirements" Now thats cool. The wind farm lowers greenhouse gas emissions by about 77,000 tonnes per year which is over 5000 family-households.
That should cover my daily ranting on tree-hugging.
Shall we not forget my trip to the animal farm. I always visit animal farms it seems, and this trip was no different. How could I pass up the opportunity to hold koala's and feed kangaroos? Well of course, I couldn't. And as usual, I was in personal heaven and want to live on a farm. And I want a pig. Big surprise.

"A Green Oasis in a Concrete Jungle"

City Farm Perth- "heaven on earth"

It's about time I do a bio on this lovely, fantastic, world-saving place that I spend so much of my time since living in Perth, Western Australia at.

Located at a former scrap metal yard and battery recycling plant, City Farm is living proof that chemically-infused lands can be transformed into living wonders of sustainability.

City Farm is a live-demonstration of Permaculture principles and sustainability practices meeting an urban-city environment. We find that being environmentally conscious and responsible DOES and can work in all regions, despite obstacles put forth before us.

City Farm promotes environmental awareness and responsible practices. They serve as a community resource and education center. Amongst the list of things that City Farm does for the community: workshop center, permaculture garden, grey water recycling program, worm farms, composting, creation of habitiat for native flora and fauna, artisan markets and organic growers markets- they also work with local schools that have incorporated the Department of Environmental Conservations "wastewise program" into their curriculum. The WasteWise program is an innovative program that encourages schools to grow their own lunch gardens, minimize waste and excess garbage by recycling, using reusable resources, and encouraging students AND their parents to be conscious of the environment. The programs have been incredibly successful and many schools have banned the use of plastic wrapping (for lunches), decreased their waste substantially, and now grow their own fresh organic veggies to serve at lunch! This also provides a great educational tool for parents as their children come home with new ideas and an enivornmentally responsible conscience.

That's my basic schpiel on what City Farm does. Now a little more... The place is run by 2 incredibly dedicated people- Rosanne and Thom Scott. These two put their blood and sweat into the place, working unimaginable hours to keep the place running. Without them, City Farm wouldn't be what it is today. They also have a group of incredibly dedicated volunteers who manage the day-to-day activities and happenings; the horticulturist Andrew who maintains the nursery which contains plants, seedlings and small fruit bushes for sale; the daily feeding of the rabbits, guinea pigs, pheasants, and chooks (mama chook just had some babies chicks and at any given minute you will see them wandering around the site at their own free-will); our handyman Prof who does everything from welding and building, to changing light bulbs; Helen our experienced Coffee girl who serves coffee at events and the Organic Growers Market, and the list goes on.


Since my arrival in Perth at the beginning of April, I immediately became involved in the day-to-day happenings at City Farm. My most recent and current project is to take on the role as "coordinator of the Artisans Market". In my 3 months in Perth, I have developed a monthly artisans market where we feature all local vendors and their handmade crafts. Our last market had about 20 vendors, live music and entertainment, kids activities, and yummy biodynamic sausage and tofu sizzles.

Our next market takes place this saturday and we can only hope for no rain. I also work at our weekly organic growers market on Saturday mornings.

As a volunteer-run, not-for-profit organization, City Farm lacks the necessary funding to complete all the desired projects. As my work at City Farm is 90% volunteer, ideally, I would love to have the opportunity to work as a fulltime employee and really focus on more specific projects. Hopefully in the near future this can happen.

Check out the webpage at http://www.cityfarmperth.org.au/ and look for yourself how City Farm is a working example how to minimize our impact on earth!

land down under

It has been 8 weeks since my arrival on the world’s largest island. 8 weeks living in a country that is also considered a continent. 8 weeks located on the same continent with the largest living organism ever, The Great Barrier Reef. 56 days on the driest, flattest environment.. 56 days of survival where the world’s deadliest creatures exist. I am in the only country where they eat and hunt their national emblem. I think there are more things that can kill you here than any other place in the world. My fear of sharks has not been unwarranted. Although I am repeatedly told that you are more likely to be struck by lightening than attacked by a shark, I have read about 6 shark attacks on the island/country/continent since my ARRIVAL. Some may say that these take places hundreds, thousands of miles away from where I am, and from each other- however, I have not heard about 5 people being struck by lightening since my arrival. Great Whites are not cool in my book. Surfing is not on my list of things to do in the near future anymore.

So this is Australia. The land down under. The outback. Crocodile Dundees’ territory. Steve Irwin’s holy land.

Don’t get too nervous about my wellbeing. I have not been affected by any of the potential dangers that are oh-so-present in this bizarre mass of land that is inhabited solely on the coastlines. However, I am located in the most isolated city in the world, Perth, Western Australia. It doesn’t feel like I’m isolated though. Perth is a beautiful city that I have become quite fond of in my 6 weeks here. Located thousands of miles from the well-known cities of Sydney, Brisbane, and Melbourne- it’s quite easy to get lost in the laid-back, environmentally friendly, and outdoorsy atmosphere of Perth.

I am living in a cute suburb which is only a 15 minute bike ride into the city center. Lucky for me, the Railroad system is not only efficient, inexpensive, and run on gas, but there is also an extensive bike route that runs throughout the entire city, suburbs, and parallel to the rail stations. Biker friendly places are cool. And, so I have purchased myself a bicycle to get around town. There are always times when we try to take the cheap-way out of a purchase. In my case, I opted to look in the newspaper for the cheapest bike I could find. Knowing absolutely nothing about bicycles, and also suffering my overwhelming desire to buy anything, I quickly agreed to a bicycle at an old man’s house because he told me it was just serviced and there were brand new tires. That sounds awesome. I started to regret my decision on the ride home when I was looking at my bike questioning WHY I would EVER agree to purchase a HOT PINK bicycle. I hate pink. This was the first mistake, and soon I would learn that I would pay the price for my cheapness. Just because the bike has new tires I have learned this means nothing as far as performance. Unfortunately, the tires and brakes are not adjusted properly and to make a long technical description of my bikes problems short (unless you know something about bikes, in which case, please email me so you can tell me how to fix it), I have had to dismantle the front brake, and rely and use only the back one. The gears also have a mind of their own and change without warning or initiation by me…which can be quite a surprise, and an unpleasant one for that matter. So my bike is now permanently stuck in the gear that it chooses for the week, and unless I am willing to hold the gears in place with my hand, I must accept it.

Since I am still unemployed, I am waiting to get my bike fixed. However, I already know what the people at the bikeshop will tell me. For the amount of money I will have to put into my bike to properly fix it, it will be cheaper and better for me to purchase an entirely “new” used bike that is $200. This is something that I am not looking forward to, and therefore, I will continue to ride my pink rocket as long as possible.

Moving on from my bike woes. I have adjusted to the Australian lingo without problem. It helps living with Jeremy Nath and Liz. In fact, I forget that I am a foreigner and wonder why people look at me weird or don’t understand me when I speak to them. I’ve learned what Australian Footy is, and I understand the rules. I’ve come to the sad realization that I will never be able to watch a baseball game here. They don’t believe in baseball in oz. It’s sad. I have finally learned the color associated with each money-bill and no longer look like a fool searching for the right change. I stopped throwing the little gold coins out when I realized that they are worth $ 2, and are quite valuable although easy to lose.
Most of all, I have learned that I must stay on the left side of the road when riding my bicycle and driving, to look right before left, and that the turn-signal is located where the windshield wipers are in America, and vice-a-versa. I successfully scared Jeremy s#@%less when I first took the car on the road.

Life has been good in Australia this far. One of these day’s I’ll venture out of the ‘burbs and see the real outback.. Although, it doesn’t seem like the trek cross-country is as easy as it sounds. Hot, dry, desolate climate and scenery create a difficult journey, but it will be well worth it when finally done. The locals refer to anything that is remotely rural as the bush. At some point, the bush becomes the outback. Eventually, you’ll return to the bush, than hit a city, and than hit the ocean. I think that’s fair to say about the entire continent as far as location

For those of you whom are concerned with the possibility of me never returning home, have no worries, I’m not staying here forever.
I did finally see kangaroos and koalas last week which was pivotal to confirm that I am actually IN Australia. The roo’s were amazing and I was able to get sooo close to them before I decided to run wildly through the field of 50, creating a chaotic scene of Marsupials hopping all around me in a total frenzy. It was awesome. The Koalas looked like some of the laziest and happiest creatures alive. I was tempted to climb the tree and cuddle one til I saw the enormous claws that protrude out of their paws.

Hopefully one of these days someone will employ me and put me to work. I’ve been keeping busy doing volunteer work at the Organic Farm and Garden which is a super place. And I’ve invested in a pair of padded-butt biker shorts, which make me feel somewhat less of a dork, and more like a serious biker despite my old-school white-mushroom helmet and hot pink bicycle. At least my butt is no longer sore.

Gettin down in Kuala Lumpur

On my quest to hit 4 continents in 9 days I have arrived (and will soon be leaving) Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia.
I sensed that I was slightly overdressed in my jeans, longsleeve shirt, and down vest after my long and arduous plane ride from Sweden. To my excuse, Sweden was really cold and winter clothing was necessary. It was NOT necessary in KL however, as the temperature at 7am was easily 90 degrees, total humidity.

I arrived to a distant friend, Eric, who greeted me in the Sentral Train Station. As we loaded my bags into his car, I casually walked in stride to the passengers door. He stopped me midway and asked me where I was going. Than he quickly informed and reminded me that they drive on the opposite side here, and what is known as the passenger side is the driver. Oops. My bad. Good start. Feeling slightly silly with a person I've only known for 6 minutes.

Kuala Lumpur is the meeting point of cultures. The diversity is tremendous and this is apparant as you stroll around the city streets. Malay's, Chinese, and Indians all pack the street as they coexist in Malaysia's capital city. Muslims, Buddhists, and Arabics all have their seperate worshipping sites in a variety of locations. If the United States is known as a "melting pot" of races and religions, KL is up there in competition for their diversity in culture.

2 things that will come to the immediate attention of a new arrival into KL are the abundance of malls and shopping centers, and the KL twin towers.
There are about 7 malls within a 10 minute walk from my hotel. And these aren't small malls. They are enormous. Overwhelming. Obtrusively large. These monstrocities are asking you to get lost. 7 stories and endless turns and nooks to walk through. How does anyone have money here? It's tempting to indulge yourself in retail therapy.
The other site, which is still somewhat obtrusive but much more pleasant on the eyes are the KL twin towers. These are the largest twin towers in the world. There is a quick recognition upon first glance. This is because you have seen them in movies such as "Entrapment", with Sean Connery and catherine Zeta-Jones. They try to cross the two towers via cable-wire on newyears. Not so smart.
At night the city lights turn on and the streets are filled with noise and glowing neons. It's actually quite beautiful to look at. The hustle and bustle never stops which sounds worse than it is. Although it can be somewhat overwhelming, its actually quite a spectacle.
And than there is the food...
This is not a place to go if watching your waist. As the diversity in culture is wide, so is the availability of different types of food. Indian, Thai, Japanese, Chinese, Malay.... you name it, they have it. It's beyond delicious and the food alone could keep you here for days on end.

But I don't have days on end. And it's probably a good thing. Tomorrow I leave for Australia. The land down under is my next stop in this quick 9 day trip that has already landed me from New York to Sweden, to Malaysia...and now to Australia.

they don't speak spanish in sweden

(I thought this picture was funny. Don't hold your child's hand while crossing the street sign... just dropkick them instead. Go Sweden)

After a brief trip back to NY where I spent 3 weeks innundated with TDO (things to do), such as..selling my car, acquiring a working visa, and the other oddball chores that must be attended to while home..I have left.

I arrived in Stockholm, Sweden this morning after a pleasant overnight plane ride. Pleasant, minus waking up stifling hot and trying to turn on my overhead light to find out that it would only shine directly on the girl sleeping next to me. No help at all for me.

So now I am in the country of Pippi Longstocking, Abba, Volvo, the Vikings (although I don't see any walking around) H&M, and of course, Blue eyed Blonde babes.
Did I forget to mention its freezing here? I leave New York enroute to Australia. When I think of a trip to Australia, I think of warm breezes, beautiful beaches, greatwhite sharks and crocodiles. I certaintly don't think about stopping off in Sweden where I freeze my butt off while walking around this afternoon. I had to return to the hostel to put an additional 3 layers of clothing on. I look homeless. As usual.
I took the hostel up on its free walking tour offer late this afternoon. Perhaps if I wasn't concentrated on my nose freezing off and my inability to smile because my face was frozen, I would have enjoyed it more. But I did pass the house where the red hair, pigtailed child who was the first in childrens stories to be a rebel was created. I have a special bond with Pippi. Perhaps because I dressed up as her when I was 7, and 19, for Halloween. I don't think at the age of 7 I realized that she was so rambunctious and disorderly. And than at the age of 19 I was disappointed I couldn't have followed in her shoes, or stockings, when I was younger so I was living vicariously through the character. Whatever it is, I like her.

My biggest problem of the day? I keep trying to speak spanish to these people when they speak swedish to me. They don't speak spanish in sweden. So i've learned. This is a difficult concept for me to grasp as the last dozen of so countries I have visited all share the same language which makes traveling and communicating REALLY easy. Its not easy here and I feel somewhat stupid. Luckily, I head to Northern Sweden tomorrow to visit my swede boys, and I will no longer need to fend for myself. Although, its even colder up there than Stockholm.

Choose your own adventure

It´s like reading a classic CYOA book. You begin the novel with all the opportunities imaginable, right at your fingertips.
Do you go with instinct, safety, greed?
Each decision you make has a significant consequence, and all lead to a new direction in your travels (or life). Each opens up new opportunity and possibilities.

I have come to the end of the chapter where I now choose my own, and next, adventure.

Choice A: I could continue my original plans-- go to Utila, Honduras (the Bay Islands) and complete my dive-master course for the next 2 months. This is no specific plan or outcome upon finishing, and I don´t know where it will lead me next. Although, as part of all ¨choose your own adventure¨books, you never really know what´s ahead.
A majority of the time, playing it safe in Choose Your Own Adventure never brings you to the lions den, you never get robbed, thrown into the eye of a hurricane, or break your leg. However, you also never have much thrill. The kids who play the safe route in CYOA books always end up somewhat bored and unattached. Not that taking my divemaster is boring, but it is following the ordinary plan. The intended route. Not deviating from the schedule.

or I could go with Choice B: Take a leap of faith and chance it. Put a kebosh on my Honduras plans and go home early. Try something totally new and perhaps risky. Not dangerous, but certainly different. There is only one way to move on from the constant normalcy of life, you have to take chances. You take risks with hopes that they will pay off. The kids who enjoy CYOA books the most where the kids who were living in the now. They weren´t thinking the rationality of the future, they were taking each opportunity as it came.

Choice B is certaintly the bigger gamble. Higher risk. However, high risk pays off high reward, if you hit the pot. It could go sour and you can lose drastically as well. But isn´t it better to try and fail, than to fail to try?

Solution? In this case, take the risk. When normally siding with safety and taking a sure bet, the risk can often be worth it. Without taking a chance you never have the opportunity to win big. Who wants to sit around with mediocrity and no spark forever? Settling with average is no way to live.

We now choose choice B. Take the risky option that looks like fun and has potential for rewards.

It looks like I´m going to the land of Oz.

Our individuality is all, all that we have. There are those who barter it for security, those who repress it for what they believe is the betterment of the whole society, but blessed in the twinkle of the morning star is the one who nurtures it and rides it, in grace and love and wit, from peculiar station to peculiar station along life's bitersweet route --Jitterbug Perfume

It´s always just one more day...

It´s never easy getting to a new destination. The constant desire to spend ¨just one more day¨ in your current location is overwhelming and always an obstacle. However, we all know that it´s never one more day and it´s easy to get stuck in a town that you never imagined you would spend more than 5 hours in.
It happens, and in reality, it happens all the time when you are traveling.

I had expectations of arriving to the Bay Islands in Honduras 2 weeks ago. I am still not there, but I am really close in location! Belize was a convenient stop on my route to Honduras after leaving Mexico. After all, I didn have to go THROUGH Belize to get to Honduras, so it only made sense to spend a few days. A few days turned into 8, but I am now close to my original destination.

But than you meet these great people on the boat ride, or the bus ride, and with a snap of the fingers, you have a new plan or destination. Everyone told me La Ceiba was a grungy, undesireable place in Honduras and I should only use it as the jump'off point to get to the Bay Islands. They were wrong.
La Ceiba has character and vibrance ringing from the center. We were lucky enough to meet a canadian fellow doing volunteer work on our bus here. He has become our unofficial tour guide.
Last evening we attended the soccer match with the local team, Victoria. Luckily for us, it wasn´t as insane as some of the games get here. However, I don´t know any sporting event in the USA where fireworks are lit within the fan section. We were standing in the heart of the crazies. Big drums surround us (which not only did I get to assist in holding, but I got to play them as well!!) as the locals chant and scream the songs that I couldn´t understand any words to. They run to the left, than push to the right. Keep a watchful eye at all times or else you may get caught offguard, and falling off these bleachers won´t be pleasant. When Victoria finally scored, the entire section runs down the bleachers to the bottom, and than back up. Imagine hundreds, thousands of rowdy fans in a giant mosh storming around the benches. Insanity I tell you.
The center of the stadium is the Revolutionary section, so I am told. Here, a group of truly insane fellows with no shirts sit. They are impartial to a team. They are fenced in. Their only purpose is to be loud and rowdy. They scream for both teams. They harass both teams. They are the Revolutionaries and I am in awe of them.

Today was a brilliant afternoon.
Tour Guide Dan took my friend and I on a hike. We went through the mountains 2 hours to a magnificient waterfall. It was a stunning site, and after a long and sweaty trip to arrive we were given the best refreshment by standing at the bottom and taking in the heavy water flowing on our head. The other amazement? When you stood halfway up the waterfall in the jungle, you could see the ocean in the distance.
Our walk back was a continuance of a terrific day. After hitching a ride we arrived at the school that TourGuide Dan volunteers for. The school is located 1 hour out of La Ceiba, in the middle of the mountains for the children that live in the forest area. The majority of these children have never attended any type of school before because the distance is too far. The newly designed one-room school is the first opportunity for these people to have an education. In the 3 months since its implementation, they have almost 30 kids attending, ranging in age from 5 to 15.
What an opportunity this has created for these children living in the mountains.
Dan showed us around the school, which isn´t much to see being its only one room. We also stopped by one of the houses of his student where we were greeted by 5 excited children, and 2 lovely parents.
The people in Honduras have been so kind and friendly which creates a positive vibe for traveling.
It always amazes me that the countries with the toughest reputation on crime and poverty tend to be the most welcoming and friendly.

and than there were 2...

It´s that time when saying goodbyes starts having an impact. Although part of the fun and thrill of traveling is the people you meet along the way, you always know that you will part ways eventually...whether it be in 3 days or 3 weeks.
To think that I arrived with Jess in Mexico City 2 months ago seems like eternity. We had a brilliant experience throughout Southern Mexico during that time, with extended stays on the West coast where we met the first Aussie gang. Leaving them was definitely sad and we wondered when we´d find another group. And as Ive mentioned in previous posts, it didn´t take long to form a new 7 point-posse in the Yucutan, composing of 2 more Aussie boys, 2 Swedes, and our Irish mate Paul who we met a month earlier. And quickly enough, the group has dissipated.
Jess finally has left. She is enroute to London where she will be working and living for the next year. It´s been 7 months with that girl and there is something special to say about that. Its been a wondrous and unexpected friendship and I couldn´t have asked for a better traveling buddy.
So than there were 3- Jeremy, Paul, and Lisa.
Jeremy left today...flying back to Australia via Los Angeles. Another sad departure.
And now, there is 2.
I am still with Irish Paul and we will be making our way to Belize tomorrow. After some consideration on how I will be getting to Honduras, I was easily convinced to come through Belize for a few days and revisit the old country that I spent a semester at 3 years ago.

playa del carmen and isla de mujeres

As a backpacker, traveling in tourist-spots can always be overwhelming. Maybe I had some of these thoughts in South America when we visited Cusco, Peru (Machu Picchu), or Patagonia in Chile. However, this is totally different. We arrived in tourist-central Playa del Carmen and although no one immediately said so, I think we all wished to turn around and head back to Tulum. We were on the main avenue in Playa surrounded by obnoxious vendors, tourists wearing stupid Mexico shirts and other paraphernalia, and there is a Walmart across the street from our hostel. This is not what we were looking for. The beaches are crowded and dirty. I can’t walk down the street without a store owner yelling at me to look at his necklaces. Why did we come here? Well, I have no idea why we did, but if we are here…we might as well take advantage and do what’s best…go Scuba Diving.
The diving was brilliant. There is something so special and amazing about Caribbean water. The visibility doesn’t get any better and the variety of marine life is astounding.
We saw about 8 giant sea-turtles which made the expensive dive worth it immediately. Our hostel is filled with a great international crowd and as usual we find ourselves having a blast with Israelis, Swedes, Serbians, and Aussies. After 3 days we decide to move on to Isla Mujeres, a small island off of Cancun. The 20 minute ferry ride takes us to another paradise-island…still touristy but not as bad as Cancun and Playa del Carmen. The entire island is 8kilometers so my new running pal, Aussie Jeremy and I take on the island. Everyone rides around in golf carts and I am just another American here in a Mexican resort town. More importantly, we watched the Giants game last night against GreenBay…and you know what that means…my GMen are going to the Superbowl! Epic night. Rough morning. Irish Paul and Aussie Jeremy and myself are heading to a new destination tomorrow. Where we are going I cannot say (although I DO know), because it may or may not be illegal. No worries though, Mom and Dad know where I will be and I have contacts. There will be updates next week after I return. Jess leaves next Sunday which is sad. We have been together for almost 6 months now and I think it will be really weird without her anymore. However, she is moving on and heading to London for work so after a long amazing time together, will be parting ways.