World Citizen, aka Mél
swissmaple
Current location: Orange, NSW, Australia
After finishing a degree and a diploma, I still had no idea what I wanted to be when I grew up. All I knew was that I wanted to crumple up the "before-30 checklist" that one is expected to complete. So I extended my travels and ran away to the land down under...some might argue I'm still on the run. For a few years now, I haven't been in one place for very long, as I try to see the world and figure out my path at the same time. It's been a surprise to keep the same phone number for a few years!
Early along in the post-university travels, I met my hammock buddy, and we are now married and dreaming of the next destination! Iceland? Machu Pichu? Back to Borneo? Stay tuned!
I moved to Australia late last year, having spent my last month in Montreal packing and saying good-byes, followed by a month with family in Switzerland. Now we're settling in and seeing where life takes us next.
Happy reading!
Travel Blog Posts
January 14th 2012
Happy Birthday Elvis! I had always wanted to go to one of those zany festivals - so when I heard Parkes, NSW had the Elvis Festival, I had to check it out. I arrived in time for the parade on the second Saturday of January - and was treated to some wonderful sights and sounds. Elvises and Priscillas in all shapes and sizes, singing contests, an antique car show - and a buck's party full of Elvis impersonators. And a ride in the 1943 Jeep with Army Elvis and several of the Elvises from the buck's party. It made for a very fun Saturday! Enjoy the photos! And Follow that dream!... read more
Spring in the Central West
Published: December 3rd 2011Oceania » Australia » New South Wales » Orange
November 1st 2011
Spring has finally arrived in the Central West of New South Wales. For the past few weeks, there have only been a few mornings with frost on the car. The days are getting warmer, with highs now reaching above 15°C on a regular basis, even reaching 20° at times. The windows can finally be opened again, and our heating bills will decrease. The flowers are blooming, the fields have never been greener, the birds are singing, and sandals have been dug out from the back of the closet. I'm ready for the warmer weather! I do love having four seasons, but I must admit that this past winter in Orange was harder to deal with than a normal Canadian winter. It's as if these Australians are in denial that temperatures could ever dip below 20°C. Houses ... read more
October 5th 2011
For our first anniversary, we decided an escape to the beach was in order. Specifically, an escape to a tropical beach. So we packed our bags and north we went! We rented a car in Cairns and immediately drove north to Port Douglas, where we checked into our home away from home. The warm sand, the warm sun, and the warm water were exactly what we needed after months of shivering in Orange, NSW. Over the next few days, we explored the Port Douglas area, including a trip to Mossman to see Mossman Gorge and the amazing Botanical Ark! The Botanical Ark, a private ethno-botanic garden home to thousands of species of fruit and nut trees, was started by planting a few fruit trees on land that was once razed for cattle farmers and sugarcane. Unfortunately ... read more
Blending in with the Kangaroos
Published: September 16th 2011Oceania » Australia » New South Wales » Orange
July 24th 2011
It has been well over 6 months since I landed in Australia. The first month was spent relaxing and traveling, having done a trip to the "Snowies". Then it was off to Orange, where I spent a month job hunting and getting used to my new surroundings. I found a job in Bathurst, with a fancy title, making more money in 3 months than I did in 2 years at my last job. Still, I can't help but feel the itch to drop it all and travel somewhere. I don't have super exciting stories to tell...my life lately has been adjusting to the "metro, boulot, dodo" (commute, work, sleep). We traded in the gas-guzzling and starting-to-be-unreliable Landcruiser for a brand new zippy Mazda. And we moved recently, into our own little mini-house. With this entry, I ... read more
January 17th 2011
My first month as a resident of Australia has flown by! Firstly, yes, I am safe from the floods, the cyclones and the bush fires. La Nina seems to be making quite a mess of the country! My first month was both busy and relaxing. We relaxed in Jamberoo and celebrated a friend's birthday in Sydney. We enjoyed a lovely summer day while celebrating Christmas in Sydney, and shivered two days later when Mother Nature thought it'd be funny to give us another dose of chilly wedding reception weather. At our "meet the newlweds" reception, the cold, rainy weather forced us under tents and awnings and inside around the fireplace. We enjoyed the party anyways. And I survived my first large family gathering with the new in-laws and all the extended family, friends and neighbours. The ... read more
Darn, Australia is far away!
Published: December 16th 2010Oceania » Australia » New South Wales » SydneyDecember 15th 2010
G'day!! I have finally made it down under. I say finally because, a) I left Montreal in November, and b) I left Switzlerand on Monday morning to get here Wednesday night. And it's not because I crossed the date line and lost a day. No, it's because I actually traveled for that long to get here. As much as I love traveling, I have gotten to the point that I start to dislike the process of traveling. I was dreading the flights, because I knew how long it would take me. Not to mention I had 2 suitcases of 24-25kg (which for anyone is heavy but especially a weakling like me), a backpack which probably weighed a good 10-12kg (I'm glad they didn't weigh my carry-ons), and a camera bag that was already heavy but was ... read more
December 13th 2010
Grüsse!! The rest of my time in Switzerland flew by! Before I knew it, I only had 2 weeks left and so much to fit in! The last two weeks included lots visiting with various family members around Hasle Rüegsau, a trip to Zürich, celebrating a cousin's birthday and making Christmas cookies in Bern, visiting Fribourg and Gruyères, a trip to Strasbourg and a wedding in the Alps near Kiental. On my trip to Zürich, I met up with my friend Edwin for lunch and dinner, and otherwise wandered around. In the morning, I wasn't so bothered to actually be much of a tourist, but still I forced myself to at least wander around the older part of town along the river. I found a cute street to take a lovely photo of, but I never ... read more
December 1st 2010
Before moving to Australia, I decided a trip to Switzerland was in order. Mostly to visit Grossmuetti and the family. :) It doubled as waiting time just in case I didn't get the visa, but finally I was granted my visa the day before I left Montreal. It was my first trip in close to three years, so it was good be back. The first weekend here in Switzerland, I relaxed in Interlaken, helping my aunt and her family do some fall yard work. The weekend included some nice long walks from the house to the town, alongside the lake, visiting some old ruins, and having a Sauser and vermicelle in town (an unfermented grape juice and a chestnut, cream, and meringue-based dessert, both seasonal specialties). The weather wasn't fantastic, but it wasn't too cold and ... read more
October 18th 2010
For our mini-honeymoon, we headed up to Mont Tremblant. We took off on the Monday, driving our slow ride in our dodgy rental car (which had unbalanced winter tires, one of which almost threadbare, causing the steering wheel to shake uncontrollably over 95kmph!) up to Mont Tremblant. It was a very scenic and pretty drive, and we arrived in time for beautiful colours reflecting off the lake. We checked into our one-bedroom suite at the Marriott and spent the rest of the afternoon and evening finally relaxing after one really long, stressful but amazingly wonderful week. Just enjoying the moment. And after dinner we came back to discover the fireplace lighted with extra logs. The next day we set off to explore and enjoy the sunshine. Feeling adventurous, we picked the 6.5km trail and headed up ... read more
September 28th 2010
Finally, after 2 years, I get a little bit of a taste of summer! Having spent the last two North American summers in the southern hemisphere, I was lacking more than a bit of vitamin D! So I was more than ready to put up with one or two of the many heat waves that hit Montreal this summer! Luckily I got to experience one before heading to the cold of Orange, Australia. And I was also happy to come back to warm temperatures, although I could've done without the humidity! I spent the last month of summer enjoying the warm sunshine as much as I could. I was even up for dawn workouts on Molson field (as an attempt to tone up before the wedding!). I enjoyed walks on the mountain, lazing in the sunshine ... read more
swissmaple
| Joined | October 4th 2006 | Trips | 3 |
| Last Login | May 2nd 2012 | Followers | 0 |
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