Fiji!

BULA! (Thats Fijian for Hello!) Fiji was truly paradise. Mom and I stayed at the Westin resort, but the surrounding hotels were owned by the same company, so we had the run of 3 beautiful hotels while we were there. We spent most of our time relaxing under a thatched hut on the beach, alternately swimming the in the gorgeous warm ocean or the sparkling pool. I probably cant even explain how gorgeous and relaxing it was. It was also really refreshing that it wasnt so built up like other destinations. The hotels were only 2 stories tall so that they werent intrusive and were all constucted to fit right into the landscape. All the restaurants were outside and covered by thatched huts. There were so many palm trees and flower gardens around too. It was all very natural, for example one time I was just sitting there sunning myself under an umbrella and a lizard jumped on me. I dont think that happens in Florida HA.
Fiji was also great because all the employees were actual Fijians and they were so friendly and relaxed about everything. They are such happy people- well I guess when you live in utter paradise how can you not be happy? They had a really cool show at sundown every night where guys dressed as Fijian Warriors would do a fire dance and light all the torches. It was really cool and very polynesian. Mom even gave it a try- spinning the fire baton (but it wasnt lit). Pretty funny and its all on tape.
Ok well we are in LA now and headed home tomorrow. Iits the end of our trip and we are both pretty depressed, but excited to see Dad, Jules, Angel and everyone else. Happy New Years everyone and see you soon!

Merry Christmas everyone! We will be home in only 5 days! We are in Fiji now, which I will definitely write more about probably tomorrow, but first I need to catch up on our stay in Auckland. We only went for 3 days and took 2 day trips. Auckland is a nice city- it is small but had a very active restuarant and bar scene. It is also very clean so we liked it. The first night we went out to dinner and then went to the ice bar. I was waiting for months to go! Its a bar completely made of ice- it is pretty small, only 30 people are allowed in at once but so cool! They give you jackets, gloves, and boots to keep warm. The bar, couches, glasses, everything is made of ice! Very fun.
The first day we took a trip to the Glow-worm caves in Laitomo. It was a long drive to get there but totally worth it. We went underground into this extensive cave network filled with stalacmites and staglamites. It was really beautiful and cool- Mom and I had never seen anything like it. Then we took a small boat on this underground river. The ceiling was covered in little lights from the glow worms. They arent really worms, actually larvae, and the they glow to attract food. It was amazing. We had to be perfectly silent and no cameras allowed becuase the worms are very sensitive and will shut off if disturbed.
The second day we took a tour of Auckland. We did so many things in 1 day it was unbeleivable. We took a trip around the city, went to some monuments, a volcanic crater, the zoo, the aquarium, a shopping district, a soalboat cruise, and then to the sky tower. It was really fun but we were very tired that night. The nest morning we woke up at 4 to fly to Fiji. It is paradise here. I will write more later!

Akaroa and Trans Alpine Train

Hi! Well our South Island adventures are almost over, we leave for Auckland tomorrow morning. We took a few more day trips this week and wow it is so beautiful here. Monday We went to Akaroa (top) and I went swimming with dolphins- small ones called Hector's Dolphins. They were about 4 feet long and very cute. They were curious and swam around us alot. The water was freezing cold but I was so excited I didnt notice! We also went to a cheese factory and a winery in Akaroa and Mom bought a bottle of Pinot Noir which we drank last night. It was so beautiful and a really nice day- around 70 and sunny. We see sheep everywhere we go, its amazing!
Yesterday we went on the Trans Alpine train across the Alps. It was a long day, 4 hours there and 4 hours back but the scenery was beautiful. All surrounding the mountains were gorgeous rivers, lakes, wildflowers, sheep, and very small towns (one town had a pop. of 50). Even though it is summer here, some of the mountains still had snow on them (bottom). Today we are just staying around Christchurch and getting ready for Auckland tomorrow becuase it will be a busy 3 days and then we are off to Fiji, which I am pumped about. Hope everyone is doing well and enjoying the mild winter weather New England has been having! Miss you all....

Chrischurch, NZ

We arrived in Christchurch after a long day of traveling and have been here a couple of days. Our hotel is called the Chateau on the Park but its not as nice as the name makes it out to be. Comfortable, but dated. But New Zealand is beautiful Cold though, but thats ok becuase I cam prepared with sweatpants and uggs. Our first day we mostly walked around the town of Christchurch- it is quite quaint, almost a Vermonty feel. Its more of a British Vermont mix. There is a beautiful park next to our hotel (its huge and has a golf course within it) which we walked around and in the Botanical Gardens. We ate dinner at a Mexican restaurant (!!!) which was surprisingly delicious, even though we are so far from Mexico.
Today was our first big day trip to Hamner Springs. The morning started with a scenic drive up into the mountains. We stopped at a sheep farm where I got to shear a baby lamb! (pictured) He was so cute. They also showed us how the herding dogs round up the sheep. The farmer was so nice and very New Zealandy- it was cool to meet a real local sheep farmer. Its kinda of what New Zealand is known for, so I was excited and really felt that I was there.
Then we went to Hamner Springs, these thermal pools that have been commercialized, but are still pretty cool. It was freezing out and raining, so it was amazing to go into a outdoor hot tub. After that we got a massage which came with out day trip. We could have gone jet-boating ot white water rafting, but since it was about 50 degrees and raining, we opted for the massage. On the way back we stopped a small winery for some wine tasting which was fun, and Mom hadnt done it before so she loved it. She of course bought 2 bottles for us to drink in the room (and we only have 3 days left....).
Tomorrow we are going on a tour that wil bring us to a seaside town where I will swim with dolphins! Cant wait! More updates to come...

Mom's Arrived!

Hi Everyone!
I am so excited my mom is here. We have been having the best time together- I really missed her! Having her here though makes me miss my dad and sister even more. Its not the same without them. Ill give you a run down on what we have been up to. The first day we walked around Sydney- the Rocks and Circular Quay area, sightseeing. Sunday we slept late and then went down to Bondi Beach and did a beautiful cliff walk to Coogee Beach. Monday we did some shoppping and then went to the Opera House to see a Ballet- it was amazing! We got all dressed up (pictured). Tuesday I had an exam in the morning. That night was my programs Christmas/farewell party. It was very nice and fun. Yesterday we had a big day- we took a tour to the Blue Mountains outside of Sydney. We went to an animal park first (there's us with a koala), then took a tram down into the valley of the mountains, hiked around, and took the original coal train back up. Mom said that was the limit to her adventureness. We ended the day with a River Cruise into Sydney. Today we are gonna do some last minute shopping for Jules and then head to Manly Beach. Its a really nice ferry ride over there. And tomorrow we head to New Zealand! It will probably be pretty hard for us to get internet there, so dont expect many updates until Fiji! Miss you all though, and please write back. It was nice hearing from some of you!

Blue Mountains

This weekend I went to the Blue Mountains with a class trip. I left on saturday morning with Anthony and when we got there (after a 2 hour train ride) we walked to thie beautiful look out over the Blue Mountain Valley. There is this rock formation called the three sisters (pictured) after an Aborginal Legend that three sisters were turned to stone there by their father. We then hiked around for awhile, looked at some waterfalls, and walked around in the cute little town. The next day I went horseback riding in the Valley with Courtney and Allie. It was realy fun/funny cuz our horses were kinda crazy and never did what we wanted. At one point Huey (my horse) took off towards home. He woudlnt turn around. I guess he didnt really want me on his back anymore. It was really pretty, but on the downside there is a terrible fire in the Valley right now. Thats a picture of the smoke coming up over the valley wall. The next day we stopped at an original Ugg maker's store and i bought two pairs, one for my sister, one for me.
Work is going well- I'm in the lobby bar now which is great becuase I make some tips. The weather is FABULOUS- mid 80's, sunny, great beach weather. IHopefully I can get there a few days this week. Miss you all!

Weekly Update....

Havent been feeling so hot so I took off from work yesterday. Just had a cough and felt yucky, you know the feeling? This weekend was pretty low key- not great weather so stayed in and watched movies and things like that. We went out Saturday for a friends birthday just around the corner at our usual place SideBar.
Yesterday was Melbourne Cup Day. The entire country of Australia shut down for the afternoon for this 3 minute horse race called the Melbourne Cup. It is truly amazing, everyone dresses up and all the women wear hats or feathers in thier hair and really cute dresses and all the guys wear suits! My new friends (who are cousins of my Dad's business friend) invited me out to a bar to watch thier cousin's band play so I got all dolled up and went to that last night for a few hours. It was really fun. The band was called Jada and they were awesome! The lead singer was amazing!
Today I met Anthony for lunch down near him and we ate in the food court of the Queen Victoria Building, this huge old building filled with shops, food, etc. It goes for like an entire block long. They had a christmas tree inside (pictured)that went from the bottom story all the way to the top of the 3rd (and each floor is at least 20 feet high). The sign said it had 40,000 lights and 15,000 Swarovski Cyrstals on it. So cool, but alittle early I felt.
Well, hopefully it will be nice this weekend so I can head to the beach. I need to work on my tan!
Keep in touch! xoxo Jessica