happy long weekend to everyone! have a few updates on the trip, first beginning with some gear. a while ago, i was looking into getting a sleeping bag. i found one that i wanted from canadian tire. since my lovely aunt works there, she could tell me when it was going on sale, which was actually coming up. i had the date saved in my phone to go pick up the sleeping bag, but my aunt said she would buy it for me! so that was really nice of her and now i have a great sleeping bag to snuggle in when i'm camping on the beach :) it's a baffin barrel bag that is good until -5 degrees (really hoping it won't get that cold in australia though! lol)
daisy helped me test it out, i think it will be very comfortable haha
i was also on the hunt for a new digital camera. my old one has seen better days, and i wanted something that i could use in the water. my photographer pal jess helped me find a good one. i ended up getting a Fujifilm XP100, which is waterproof up to 33 feet! i got a great deal on it at henrys for 189 which included a flotation strap so it will float if you drop it in the water, a case and an 8GB memory card. i ordered it online, and received it the day i went up to vanessa's cottage for the weekend, perfect timing! i haven't tried it's waterproof-ness yet, it just seems so wrong to me to bring electronics in the water lol but it's supposedly waterproof up to 33ft. i'm hoping that works out. here are some photos from the cottage - the weather was terrible, but me vanessa and victoria made the best of it! what a great visit we had <3
very attractive cottage outfits ;)
YA-YA!
the following week, i had an appointment at the travel clinic to get some immunizations for my travels to southeast asia. from the research i had done, i was expecting to have to get 4 or 5 shots, and pay about 400 dollars. not too stoked on either of those things. i went in for my appointment, totally psyching myself out because like most people, i hate needles. i don't quite remember when my last one was, but apparently it must have sucked because i was so scared! the nurse who did my appointment with me was super awesome, very knowledgeable, and totally understanding of my limited budget. she explained all of my options, including a 600 dollar rabies shot (which i probably should get because you guys know me and animals haha can't resist a cuddle) and two 200 dollar shots for japanese encephalitis, a rare but extremely deadly disease passed along through infected animals then mosquitoes, on to humans. since i don't plan on being around many pig farms in se asia, and the fact that all of those shots would have almost been equivalent to my plane ticket, i decided not to get them. i also found out i was up to date on my tetanus shots and mumps/measles/rubella, so i only needed a grand total of ONE vaccine. imagine my excitement! i told the nurse how nervous i was about the shot, injected into the muscle of your arm. she said she was good and that i wouldn't even feel it. she was right. in two seconds it was done and all of that anxiety was for nothing. i gave her a huge hug! my bill came to 150 for the appointment and the vivaxim vaccine, which is a combo hep a and typhoid. my arm muscle hurt like a mofo for the next two days, like i had been doing lots of weights haha but it's worth it to be able to travel with peace of mind! anyone planning a trip, go see the fine folks at the west ottawa travel medicine clinic, they rock! i also got a prescription for some anti-malaria pills and a general antibiotic which i will fill right before i leave for aus.
speaking of leaving, i haven't booked my flight yet (i know, i know!) but am planning on booking it this week. yesterday, i was coming home from new brunswick and realized to myself that the next time i am at the airport, i will be leaving for australia! a couple of weeks ago, my friend billy found out he got an awesome job at a resort in the town of saint andrews new brunswick on a contract until november. he asked me if i wanted to drive down with him and help him move. of course i said yes! we left on friday, stopping in montreal for a bit to visit with his friend and then stopped for the night in a random town in quebec. the drive to nb is only 12 hours, but since i couldn't do some of the driving because i don't know how to drive standard, we decided to break it down into two days. we arrived in saint andrews on saturday afternoon and got billy all settled into his temporary room while the hotel and staff accommodations are under renovations. then we walked to "downtown" aka one little street by the waterfront. such a gorgeous little typical east coast town. it was so nice to smell the ocean again! we found out that there was a music festival going on that weekend, so we went to see some live bands that night and met some really cool people! we also met this guy who was hitchhiking across canada, so we chatted with him a bit. it was pretty exciting for me because i realized that in a few months, i'm going to be in his situation (hopefully i'll have more than 30 cents to my name though!) i gave him a couple bucks to get a hot dog, putting those good sharing vibes into the universe. hopefully when i'm in aus, people will help me out too if i'm in a tough spot :) all in all, we had a great time driving down, and exploring saint andrews! i didn't want to leave. i know billy is going to have an awesome summer there. it was super weird saying bye to him at the airport, because i'm not going to see him for a long time :( it didn't feel like i was really going away though, probably because it doesn't seem quite real to me that i am yet! they say once you book the ticket, it becomes real... so hopefully very soon we can get an actual countdown started on here and count down the days together!
billy is so excited to drive for 12 hours
montreal traffic
new brunswick!
palm bay hula girl
moose warning! they were all over. we did see a moose, we named her martha :)
seven hells! are we in westeros?
diy camper on a trailer
get shucked!
lil baby getting his bib tied on
finally got his lobster dinner
wharf in town
so that is it my friends, another update. looking forward to buying my plane ticket, and the few pieces of gear i have left to get! im thinking of getting a pair of birks for the situations when vibram five fingers shoes wouldn't work (are there any situations like that really though? haha) anyone have any experience with lots of walking in birks? make me some recommendations! love to hear any feedback.
peace, love and long weekends!
soph
