on the road again...

hello my friends! it's been a while since i've dusted off the ol' blogger login and written a post. i've been home for about 4.5 months now, working at a cafe, coming home and looking up random flights on skyscanner to see where i should go next. and finally, the research has paid off. my itchy feet are finally gonna get scratched! i'm off to central america! 

the first little while i was home, i was super bummed, not knowing what my next move was. i couldn't find a job, i had no money, and the mean visa man kept saying i owed them my first born child. so i finally got my current job, where i learned to make delicious lattes (today i had an eggnog latte and it seriously changed my life and appreciation for christmas :P) and i decided that when i had enough money saved up, i was going to go to new zealand for a year. 

hmmm... have you looked at the price of a flight to nz?! not cheap man. so i decided maybe not. meanwhile, my good pal sarah, you may remember her as one of my trailer park sistas from margs, was cooking up a plan to go do her divemaster training in utila, an island off the coast of honduras. i never really thought about travelling in central america before, but one google image search of utila, a mention of the massive whale shark population, and i was in. 

so i booked my flight! leaving ottawa on february 7th for san pedro sula, honduras. i will stay one night in this *ahem* ...fairly dangerous town from what i've read, and then take a bus to la ceiba and then a ferry to utila, which will be my island home for a month! i'm stoked to get my dive ticket, work on freediving, see wicked sea creatures, and obvssss to be reunited with my lovely mermaid! after that month, no plan really, but i definitely am going to head to the pacific side for some surfing. no return ticket yet, but upon googling, we found that it is around $200 to fly home from cancun, mexico.. so i'm thinking i will try to head up that way :)

if anyone has travelled in central before, hit me up with some suggestions. i am excited to have a really open plan, basically i'm just going to come home when i run out of money lol. so ya i'd love to hear anyone's advice, what they liked, what they didn't etc. etc. and maybe some tips on where i can buy pepper spray bahaha 

anyways, that's it for now! looking forward to updating my blog while on the road again :) 
¡Hasta luego!

soph xx

life in the top end

i've been living in darwin for about 5 weeks now, and it isn't like any place i've ever visited in my life. it's known in Australia as the "top end" as it is in the northernmost part of the Northern Territory. you can't go in the ocean because deadly jellyfish and crocodiles inhabit the waters, so it is a littttle bit different than living in margaret river, where i was in the ocean pretty much every day. it's really weird for me and as i left indonesia, i realized that it would be my last time in the sea for a long time, which made me so sad! bry left about 2 weeks ago for a month in indonesia. it was sad saying bye to her since we've been together pretty much every day for the past 9 months, but i know she is having a wicked time there so i'm happy for her :) there isn't a whole heck of a lot to do in darwin, unless you like partying every night, which most backpackers do lol there isn't a night here that you go out and the main bar monsoons isn't full. it's crazy! i've been trying to get back into running, but it's about 35 degrees here and sunny every day. for the first 2 weeks we got here, it was still wet season so the humidity was 95% and it was 35 degrees. picture me running around town handing out 30 resumes and getting no where. it wasn't the best days of my life lol! now the humidity has dropped a TON, but its still scorching hot everyday. i'm going to remember the feeling for when i'm home this winter. ugh i don't want to think about it right now! there are also these really cool night markets twice a week which i went to on the opening night to see the fireworks. there is so much cool stuff to buy there which is why i've only been once haha trying to save money! i really want to buy a digeridoo, but there is no way i could bring that home in my backpack :P

i'm still working at the restaurant. i'm getting better at being a waitress and making way less mistakes then i was at the beginning haha. i moved into the ymca which is trying really hard to be a hostel, but it's basically low income housing which is fine with me because it is about $75 cheaper per week than the hostels in town so, i'll take it! i booked a glass blown bead making workshop at the local arts centre for the end of may, which i am extremely stoked about. i've been wanting to work with glass for a really long time and have never had the chance so i think this is going to be super cool. when bry was here and working at croc cove (a crocodile park in the middle of darwin city) i went there to check it out and it was amazing! i got to feed teenager crocodiles pieces of meat on a fishing rod and they jumped right out of the water! we also saw the adults getting fed, and the noise of their jaws clamping together is something i'll never forget. those are the 5-6m guys swimming in the waters around here... no swimming! 

i was pretty down here for a while because i'm not darwin's biggest fan, and i had nothing to work towards, i just had no idea what i was doing. i really wanted to go see uluru and all that, so one day i just walked into the adventure tours place to check out the 3-5 day tours. wellll... i ended up booking a 14 day tour through the centre of australia from darwin down to melbourne. it hits every major landmark, uluru, alice springs, devils marbles, adelaide, great ocean road etc etc. i leave on june 9th, and get into melbourne on the 22nd. i'm really looking forward to seeing melbourne as well. a lot of people have told me that they think i'll like it there, so it will be neat to do some exploring. i finished off the day by maxing out my credit card because i bought my flight home! i leave australia on june 25th. melbourne > manila philippines > san fransisco > TORONTO. i booked my flight to toronto as it was actually cheaper to fly there than right to ottawa. ill have a few days in TO with my college peeps (and massive amounts of sneaky dees nachos) and then take the train home. i have mixed feelings about leaving. i am so excited to leave darwin and do some more travelling but i'm sad about leaving australia. I have had the most amazing time here, met some awesome people, and learned so much about myself and this epic world we live in. i know that being home is going to be great for the first little while and i'm so excited to see my family and friends, but how do you go back to a place that has basically stayed the same when you have changed so much? all i know is that i'm not done travelling just yet, so hopefully it won't be long before i dust off the old backpack and whip out my visa card to start booking flights again. 

i still have a month in this beautiful country, which is plenty of time to drink lots of lemon lime bitters, check out the weird aussie fashions (furry sweaters and jelly sandals... so strange!) and hopefully see a few more precious kangies before i head back to canada. thank god it will be summer when i get home so i'll be able to slowly readjust to the canadian climate! although it's winter in the south of australia right now, so about 10ish degrees in melbourne....ICK! 

anyways mates, (aka mom) just wanted to post a quick update on what's new on my side of the globe! i'll be seeing you all in just over a month, can't wait! xx

4 days!

just wanted to do a quick update! 3 more work shifts left and 4 more days! omgomgomg i'm freaking out! it sort of still doesn't feel real, i need to pinch myself every so often haha

i'm on track to get an unlocked iphone 4 (unfortunately, the iphone 3 that jess gave me was unlocked in this super ghetto way which wouldn't allow me to update the iOS to get any apps wah!) so make sure you all add me to iMessage which i will be using when i have a wifi connection in australia, and most likely on my massive layovers in LA and melbourne. even though you all will be sleeping bahaha. add me using my email sophie.i.hebert@gmail.com

i also jumped on the instagram bandwagon @sophhebert. literally no idea how to use this app, of course the one pic i have posted is one of daisy. classic. 

i also have a couchsurfing host lined up for the few days before i meet bryanna, who is arriving on the 20th! so i have a full week to explore aka get adjusted to the time difference lol so this is awesome, i'm really excited to meet some local peeps and get the low down of things to do in freo! 

part of my couchsurfing profile

i bought a ton of cliff bars and emergen-c for the plane ride, just in case the food sucks and/or my veg meal request didn't go through (fingers crossed it does!) 

this long weekend, i went up to ness' cottage and we had some fun playing around with my underwater camera :) we made a few videos, and when we took some of the pics, the flash even went off! this cam is intense i love it. it was really sad to say bye to her, just to know that i'm not a 5 hr greyhound bus ride away anymore... she'll just have to save up and come visit ;) 

i'm really not looking forward to saying the last of my goodbyes, but i know that the leaving part is all a part of travelling and the beginning of a new adventure. thanks to all the technology we have now, friends and family will only be a skype chat away <3

as for the rest of my time here, i'm having a star wars original trilogy marathon, doing a few more workouts (going to miss body pump so much!!!) packing with my mum on friday, and as a final celebration of my trip and the end of shark week (who watches shark week the week before they leave for Australia?!?!), a double feature on saturday night. JAWS and SHARKNADO. i mean, could that have been timed any better, really? #stoked

also, if you have not done so, please inbox me your addresses on facebook. i'm going to try and send out some postcards when i reach the land down unda'. who knows how long the mail will take, so it may end up being a christmas card haha we shall see! and add me on iMessage and SKYPE please! my photo is the same one on my blog profile :)

missing everyone already <3 

love Soph

ps... shout outs to my cousin cindy and her husband dave who had their baby, Tyler Evan Rempel on saturday! can't wait to meet the little guy :) hope everyone is doing well! and hello aunt annette who is in cali with them for a few weeks. love you guys! xoxoxo

if i were any more organized...

... i could probably run a travel agency. but seriously, i just spent 2 hours going through all of my crazy army supplies, dividing into a 'take' pile, a 'leave behind' pile, and a 'if i have room i'll take' pile. unfortunately, the six bags of glow sticks didn't make the cut. although i took three of each colour (blue and green) the rest i plan on using next weekend at my bbq :)

i organized two of my drawers into categories: toiletries and random other stuff. i put things in my carry-on bag already like my toothbrush and toothy tabs to brush my teeth since i'll be travelling for 24 hours. some kleenex, my travel pillow and blanket, my medication i'm bringing including photocopies of each prescription as well as the pharmacy receipts. i included my crank flashlight, emergency blanket, signal mirror and whistle in case of any emergency situations. as i wrote previously in another post i'm not nervous about flying, but this is the longest trip i've ever been on so i just want to make sure i'm super prepared for any situation that might come my way!  

it is getting a little bit crazy though... i mean, i put all of my documents (passport, international drivers permit, photocopies of prescriptions, confirmation pages printed out for flights and hostel etc.) into a friggin waterproof plastic zip bag in my carry on! i suppose it is all good to have everything together and organized, but i think i'm using this as a way to deal with my anxiety and nervousness a little bit lol if nothing else, this trip has definitely helped me realize my control freak-ish tendencies! i can't control everything that's going to happen to me in aus, but i can control my belongings, what i bring, and how it is all packed and organized. i know i sound like a nut, but it's really helping me to feel better about everything. i only have a few more things to do and then i'll be ready to go, so it's nice to not have to run around like a chicken without my head only a few days before i leave! i'll be able to relax and make the most of the last few days with my friends and family instead of doing last minute errands :)

i know that no one cares about all of this mundane stuff, but i enjoy documenting my process of getting all ready for this trip, and i think it helps me to take note of it and express my feelings into the world rather than just keep 'em all up in my head! so thanks for letting me rant!

on a more exciting note, i had a great conversation today with my pal bryanna, whom i will be meeting in perth (or rather, she will be meeting me, around the 18th). we talked about our plans and surfing and buying cars and working, and basically what the next 3 or 4 months of life are going to be like for us. i am beyond excited. honestly didn't think i could get more excited and then we had that conversation haha! so that was really nice to talk to her :) she is touring around europe right now (hard life!) and off to portugal tomorrow. safe travels B! 

anyways, just wanted to do a quick update and write some stuff down... i'm going to bed now! hope everyone had a fantastic weekend <3 

one month....

yep, i really did have to go there. the hair, that tan, those shorts. . . so majestic. this video is cheesier than a grilled cheese sandwich made on cheese bread, sprinkled with parmesan cheese, but i feel this is the only example i can find of the expression of my feelings of excitement. i mean, that dude is serious about flying off into space! 

as i start this post at 12:07 am on july the 11th (obviously a little eager about the one month mark) i just don't even know what to feel/say anymore. i am sending out an apology to everyone i work with, and all of the members at our gym who come in and hear about my trip on a daily basis, whether they want to or not haha. i just can't stop talking about it. i have almost everything i need now, just waiting for my new laptop case and plug adapter to come in the mail. my uncle gave me a ton of epic survival supplies including 4 bags of glowsticks, so obviously i was delighted. i am now pretty much equipped to camp out in the desert, start a fire in the rain, survive subzero temperatures, signal a plane passing overhead... and open a bottle of beer with my multi tool (gotta keep the priorities in mind LOL) 

i am getting pretty sad about leaving all of you guys though. thankfully, a bunch of my friends from toronto are coming up next weekend and all my friends and fams are getting together for a farewell/birthday bbq. text me for the deets ;) i am very very much looking forward to that. time is going by so fast it is actually crazy! i don't know if it's just because i have this aug 11th date in my head, or if it's normal, but it feels like just a few days ago that i bought my plane ticket! exciting stufffff! 

so far for the rest of my time here, i have some friend time scheduled, my bbq, a cottage weekend, and a few girls days with my momma (thinking about going to le nordique!) i'm going to be working right up until i leave, probably til the 9th, so i can see all of my morning ladies one last friday morning :) other than that, i will just be doing the gym thing, chilling at home and hanging out at the lake with my fam. gotta save as much as i can! my travel insurance ended up costing a bit more than i thought, so it affected my budget a little bit :P gotta have it though!

i also booked my first three nights stay at a hostel in a suburb of perth called fremantle. i will be staying in the sundancer backpackers hostel it looks sooo chill! also this town looks amazing. they have this wicked market on the weekend with tons of local arts and crafts, fresh produce and handmade soaps and stuff. like the carp farmers market x 100 lol! i'm also planning on doing a daytrip to rottnest island. it's a short ferry ride from freo, and the island is small enough that they offer bike rentals so you can bike around! there is also apparently really good snorkeling and surfing there too. and there's these lil guys....

quokkas! they are these adorable little furry animals, about the size of a cat, and they always look like they are smiling!

when i first heard about them, i knew they were in australia, but i didn't know where. imagine my excitement when i found out that they live right on this island super close to where i am going to be!!! i'm definitely not leaving freo before i see one haha so cutee!

our plans are pretty up in the air from there. we might head down to margaret river, or maybe to a little town a bit more south east called denmark. either way, my goal is to get my 88 days of regional work done right away so i am eligible for a second year visa if i want one. then i want to travel around a bit and come back in january for the grape picking season! but really, who the heck knows what will happen? and that's the excitement of it all! 

anyways, i'm going to hit the hay. thanks for reading and supporting me on this crazy journey! love you guys lots! 

peace and good vibes <3
soph