The Bucket List Trip

Bungee Jump - Check. Sky Dive - Check. Glacier Hike - Check. Helicopter Ride in New Zealand - Check. Sea Plane Ride thru the NZ mountains - Check. Luge down a mountain - Check. Cruise thru a natural sound in one of only two fjordlands in the world - Check. Jet boat thru a mountain river - Check. Snorkel in the Great Barrier Reef - Check. Do it all in one trip - Check.

While 2008 was a big travel year for us (a move from the States to Australia, two trips back to the States, and numerous trips around Australasia), 2009 is shaping up to be the year of guests as we look forward to visits from both Carey's and Greg’s families. The first visitors actually arrived before the New Year. Greg’s Mom and Dad made the trek down under for the holidays. While there seemed to be a lack of holiday festiveness, adventure and adrenalin seemed to be an equally enjoyable replacement.

Words nor pictures could do justice to the idyllic places where we spent Christmas and New Year’s - New Zealand and the Great Barrier Reef. Anyone who has seen the Lord of the Rings understands that New Zealand is an amazingly beautiful country with a uniquely diverse variety of landscapes. And anyone who has ever watched Animal Planet understands that the Great Barrier Reef is not only home to the world’s largest variety of sea life, but the reef itself is actually the only living thing visible from space. While, the following pictures will not do justice to the beauty (and hilarity) of our most recent trip, hopefully they at least give you an idea of some of the amazing adventures we were fortunate enough to experience as we rang in 2009.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Down Under!

Where in the world are Carey & Greg Schuster?

Just another day in paradise

Leaving on a jet plane, I know when I’ll be back again…
Much too soon, in fact.
It was a lightning speed trip that somehow crammed 5 cities, 3 countries, 4 time zones, 5 plane rides, 2 islands, 2 continents, 1 day gained, 1 day lost, and 4 very different climatic seasons into a glorious 8 day trip!
Let’s start at the beginning.

With strategically packed bags for the extremely varied weather we would be facing, we were off to Fiji for some rest & relaxation…which was also a well planned pre-wedding tanning session. We landed in Nadi, the capital city, and were approached by a cab driver offering to take us to the port where we would be taking a yacht out to the island where we were staying. We gladly accepted when we set eyes on the bus that was our alternative option. So, into a 1970 yellow cab we went. Gabbing away, asking questions, and taking in the landscape, the driver offered to drive us around the city and show us his house (for no extra charge) since we had three hours before our boat would launch. Happy to see more of the country, we sat back and enjoyed the hospitality and smiles of the beautiful Fijian people that we had heard so much about.We were the only white people at the market on the main island.
We weren't able to identify what these four lovely ladies were selling.

Bidding farewell to Samuel, our driver, we climbed aboard a massive yacht to say “Bula” to the island that would be our home for the next three nights. When we were called to get off the boat we thought there must have been a mistake as we were still in the middle of the ocean. Then we saw the crew heave our bags into a little “tinny” (tin boat) with a roof and a bright eyed Fijian man greeting us, “Bula.” So, off we went in the tinny with all of our luggage for another, shorter journey, to the actual island.

Greg holding on as we crashed over the waves in the "tinny"

As we approached the island, a postcard perfect scene, we were greeted by two men strumming and singing. It was the perfect start to a perfect holiday. It was romantic, breathtaking, peaceful, and entertaining. We kayaked (Carey had to do some arm twisting) out to a deserted sand island that disappears in high tide. We were the only ones out on the island and spent the afternoon in complete awe of the beauty and complete serenity of our surroundings. Otherwise, we snorkeled, sunned, read, and napped by day. And, we ate, drank, and danced by night. We drank the kava (unbeknownst to us at the time, a narcotic), sang the songs, danced the dances, ate the fresh food, basked in the sun, snorkeled with the fish, and sadly waved good-bye when it was all over. There are not many repeat places on our travel list, but Fiji is definitely one of them.

Can you spot the teeny tiny sand island?
Can you spot jumping Carey?

Then it was all back to travel business. We spent the next two nights in a row bedless, on planes. Our flight from Fiji to Los Angeles was one of the nights. We had a long (10 hour) layover in LA and decided to make the most of it. We managed to hit Beverly Hills for some shopping, lunched at the Ivy, headed into Hollywood, and enjoyed dinner with great friends before heading on our next red-eye to Washington, DC.

Rested & relaxed before the back to back red-eyes

We were greeted on the east coast by Dad Schu and Maddie at a painful 6:00 a.m. Excitement beat out exhaustion and we managed to chat the entire trip to Philadelphia, where we enjoyed a day to adjust to the time, and then indulged in pre-wedding festivities, rehearsal celebrations, catching up with friends, and of course – Alison and Tom’s lovely wedding. Not to worry, jet lag was not an option. Carey and Greg were donning their dancing shoes and footloose all night. The wedding would not have been complete without Greg’s token cup dance that was fantastically executed to Michael Jackson this time! Well done.

And then, all too quickly, we were in car headed back to DC, on a plane back to LA, on another plane back to Sydney, and in a cab back to our apartment.
We blink. We pinch. We ask if it was all a dream.
Since it all went so fast and was such a perfect trip, we can’t help but think it was.

I'll have a piece of that.Greg partaking in the kava ceremony.
We realized we should have inquired about the after effects of the kava before, not after we drank it and could not feel our mouths or throats.

Check out the album for all the photos from the trip.

Bottoms Up to the Melbourne Cup

The gorgeous photo finish horses fighting to cross the line

It’s Australia’s Kentucky Derby, but this horse race might be a more beloved event than the Derby since it is actually a national holiday and invites a four day weekend for those lucky people living in Melbourne, a three day weekend for those living in the rest of Victoria, and a half day off for the rest of us. The Melbourne Cup is rightly called “the race that stops a nation.” Many claim it is the most prestigious “two mile” handicap horserace in the world. It is held annually on the first Tuesday in November. Out strut the high heels, party dresses, sports jackets, and of course, the signature big hats and fascinators. Well dressed and in good spirits, the Aussies are digging in their wallets, waving their money, and placing their bets.

So, in the spirit of the holiday, Carey sipped on bubbly with work pals at Darling Harbour, while Greg raised his glass at his company’s 10th floor bar overlooking the Harbour (yes, they have their OWN bar in their building…most companies do here).Carey placed the bets and then had to go back up and do another one after a frantic call from Greg because he had a “really good feeling” about his horse. He swore. With four different horses that we strategically picked and were all favorites printed on our betting tickets, the text messaging stopped to watch the race. Annnd, all was lost. Not one of the four horses we bet on was even in the top six! And that friends is why we don’t gamble.

"Viewed," the Australian horse, won by a nose. Literally.

The Jewel of the South Coast

A bank holiday weekend means our bags are packed and we are hitting the road. This time we headed south to Jervis Bay. An undiscovered treasure, this destination was recommended by a few Sydneysiders who deemed we were worthy of being in-the-know. Several locals call it their favorite place in all of Australia. Greg's colleague said that Jervis Bay is a "magical place." Clearly, we were more than intrigued and excited to see it for ourselves. With magnificent national parks, a charming little town, divine restaurants, hidden creeks and coves, natural unspoilt bays and beaches, crystal waters, rugged cliffs, a laid-back attitude, and ultra friendly locals Jervis Bay easily lived up to its reputation, despite the unfortunate weather we faced.

Carey wishing it was a sun umbrella she was holding...

We stayed at a delightful B&B owned and hosted by a couple who paid great attention to interior design and healthy breakfast preparation, much to Carey's pleasure. On Saturday morning we rose early to enjoy some brekky and then hit the bushwalking trails for the day. As we walked out of our room to the dining terrace, we stopped to take in the monsoon downpour falling from the sky. While it did dampen our clothes, it didn't dampen our spirits....at least not Greg's. He happily drove to all the sights and hiked a short distance to the viewpoints with an umbrella, which replaced the original plan of a full day's hike.

We discovered how uncooperative whales are for photograph taking.
While they gave us a fantastic acrobatic performance, their antics were impossible to catch with the camera.

Jervis Bay is a resting place for mother whales and their calves en route south after birthing in the warmer northern waters. So, we were off on a whale watching cruise Sunday morning. To keep in stride with all of our other boat trips, the waters were insanely rough. And, in order to stay consistent with all of our other boat trips, Greg fed the fish his breakfast the entire trip. We are looking at a perfect record of five for five. He did manage to lift his head long enough to see an acrobatic whale perform in front of him. After the trip Greg hugged dry land and said, "Boy for not being a boat guy, we sure manage to get on a boat every trip we go on." It was then he wisened up and sadly canceled our wild dolphin swimming trip in New Zealand that we had already scheduled in December.

Open water+middle of the ocean+warning of rough waters+several hours = Bad Idea.Greg looking nice and slim after the whale watching cruise.

He took advantage of the opportunity to exercise his signature diet regime.

Greg happily on dry land, which happens to be on the sand on one of the whitest beaches in the world.

In looking ahead, we have started the countdown for Fiji! Five weeks and we will be kicking back and exploring the South Pacific. Followed by a quick trip back to the States for Alison's wedding! Three weeks later, we will be heading to New Zealand for ten days and then up to the Great Barrier Reef to finish off our first year Down Under.

Carey somehow manages to get attacked by this spider, instead of the giant ants from our Pittwater trip. This may have been a bit scarier since so many of Australia's eight legged creatures are extremely poisonous and some deadly.