Never squat with spurs!!!

Giddy up Canada!!! Yeehaw…we just got off a cattle station this morning….it was exactly what we needed. It gave us a new appreciation and reminded us that home is where the heart is. The terrain was very similar, but much drier and less colour, otherwise…great to see cattle, crops, sprayers, goats and the good old outback. The cattle station was very traditional in that this was once solely a running cattle station but when times slowed down the owners decided to invest in the tourist industry and open their home/land to visitors. All the buildings were made out of rough timber and materials found on their land…very rustic. Walker Texas Ranger included. We were very spoiled night with a 2 course homestyle meal cooked over the open fire- damp with beef stew to start, then 2 massive beef roasts, potates, beans, carrots and gravy and all you can drink coffee…we were happier than pigs in shit!! It made us miss our mommas and appreciate their cooking that much more….can’t wait for Christmas turkey (hint,hint..you better get on that!) So, like we mentioned in the last post, we are trying to participate and overachieve at as much as we can in the next 2.5 months. So , not going lie…we’re not really pirates or divemasters or surf pros (we did do all of them though ;) But please give us this one blog to pump up our tires. No word of a lie, your Saskatchewan girls kicked some serious ass on that ranch, placing in the top/finals in every event. Mechanical bull riding- final 2, limbo competition-top 3, talent show- top 5...goat rodeo..yup that’s right and it wasn’t even Gille Goat!!! So to briefly explain how the rodeo went down…a team of 3 were put in a pen, a circle was drawn in the middle of the ring ( only one member was allowed out of the ring at a time to to do their ‘task’ otherwise 5 secs was added to your score) There was 1 person to catch the goat and drag it to the circle, when another member grabbed the front and back leg picking the goat up and lying it on its side while the last member runs to grab a branding iron and must hold it on it’s rear for 3 secs. So, now that we’ve explained it….we’ll have you know they split up us Candian girls into different teams…Brit and Taya got to compete twice, being fillers together for the last team because no other girls would cowgirl up lol! Oh know those UK gals!!! In case you don’t…they were veggies, enough said! We took bronze, silver, and gold with the usual time of rookies being 30-45 seconds. Walker Texas Ranger said anything between 20 and 23 seconds is a good time….so….15 seconds it was!!!! We were so proud of each other. Among other things we learned how to crack a whip…Micky look out…Briana is a master!!! We also had the chance to rope and partake in the “Ring of fire.“ So, the group stood in a circle, held hands and spun a bottle to choose who was going to hold on to the end of a cattle prod to send the current to everyone….and the winner was….Taya! Half of the people backed out once they knew what was happening…of course we couldn’t back down now!!! Besides, we knew we could trust Walker with our lives!!! It’s unbelievable how many people have harassed us because we aren’t drinking, we’ve heard everything from how lame and boring we are to… us not ‘truly’ appreciating Australia because we haven’t partied with different people from different countries and thrown up on each other ( that was actually said to us…believe it or not!) So we have now taken another route, we now tell people that we don’t drink at all…some think it’s because of religion or that we are just lame as once mentioned….but we don’t mind…whatever keeps people off our backs! We just arrived in Hervey Bay, staying at the Palace hostel. No big plans here but some whale watching, relaxing and tomorrow we go on a 3 day/2 night self drive jeep camping/safari trip to Fraser Island. We touch base in three days and let you know how the camping went…we are very excited to have a bonfire on the beach!!! Anyway, ciao! Talk soon.

P.S. We have a new term to describe our travels and have made an acronym for it….LTMFD…whoever can send us the correct answer wins a dingo!!! But no, for real, we will make sure to bring back the winner a small token for their efforts!!! J

P.P.S. Briana wants to give a shout out to Cody & Sheena- Hope all is going well….I know the due date is fast approaching and that I am thinking of you. Miss you lots…can’t wait to see the little one. If there’s bets…I call baby boy Oct.29, 7lbs 2 oz, 18” (remember closest wins!!!)

Catalina Wine Mixer!

Argh matey!!!! So, we decided that in the 3.5 months that we are gone, we are going master everything we do in order to get a certificate!!! You will be in shock and awe with the stacks of ‘frameable’ certificates we will come back with. We have recently added one more to our previously acquired surfing,, scuba diving, and skydiving endorsements….piracy!!!! Argh!!! Oh yeah and not forgot that we were able to be the ‘deckies’ on the our racing sailboat- The British Defender! To recap quickly, we just got off our boat today that we were very fortunate enough to sail for 2 days , 2 nights around the WhitSundays. There was 24 fellow junior pirates and 4 ‘real’ ones that all aspiring to be one day. This boat was a racing sailboat…she was prime back in her day winning many races. With that being said, to enable manoeuvrability we definitely sacrificed some comfort and a whole lot of space. Brit and Taya were stuffed into coffin like quarters where rolling over was not an option. Claustrophobia got the best of Brit occasionally…but she persevered through it with the help of a port hole above her head….some would say perfect for star gazing, Brit would say just for basic breathing, perhaps for an emergency exit! All in all, the boat was amazing, very clean and the food was delicious.We did have a few mishaps because we couldn’t brush our hair or teeth below deck as per ‘Pirate’ Jessie’s rule because he didn’t want to have to deal with it haha! Fair enough, Taya can sympathize with him. Instead of doing the good old grass test to check wind direction, Briana thought that maybe a mouth full of minty, Crest whitening toothpaste foam would do it. Yup, it definitely was going south covering Tays’s left side of her body…mmm…so fresh and so clean !!! The sailing portion was bit of an eye opener. We quickly learned that it was imperative that we listen to EVERY command that the crew gave us. When they yelled to sit on the high side of the boat, we would quickly scurry to the appropriate side because it wouldn’t be long until the boat was perpendicular to the shark infested waters! We clamped our legs tightly around the edge of the boat to avoid the whole 'man overboard' thing! It was pretty cool , the crew taught us how to be “Grinders’ basically means 6 people working in pairs to raise the sails. There were 3 sets of ‘hand cranks’ that worked in the same fashion as bike pedals. We would simultaneously act based on the commands we received form our head ‘pirate’ Liam… the 4 commands were…’front of the boat’, back of the boat’, ‘hold’ and ‘ oh shit’ aka stop! Pretty sweet how they made us feel qualified sailors! All three of us were able to practice a couple times, with the last being caught on Briana’s video camera…so we can show you all! Included in our basic training we were able to have some downtime….we went to Whitehaven Beach, which is known as one of the ‘sexiest’ beaches in the world because of it’s gorgeous sand which is 98% silica ( NASA actually collects the sand to use because of its rarity) As for the ’sexy’ beach part….not so much! We lowered the standards with our, not so sexy stinger suits- full body, super tight, one piece, scuba Steve unitard! Amazing! HAD to be worn at all times because the jellyfish are abundant and lethal. To wrap this up…the WhitSundays consist of 74 islands with only 4 inhabited…we realize that are very fortunate, it is a rare and breathtaking spectacle. Tomorrow we head to Kroombit…where our next talent will be recognized….GOAT ROPING!!!!! Giddy up! Taya is currently whipping up her Velcro suit in preparation to show off her mad mutten bustin’ skills!Here’s us…signing off!
P.S. We thank every one of you for all the comments…you made our day!!!! Just making sure that y’all still keeping up with us.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Okay people…not to be rude or anything, but this is getting to be a little ridiculous! 2 comments over the last post??? Are you kidding me? What else do we have to do…I mean Britt and Taya threw themselves out of a plane for god sakes… we just give, give, give and you just take, take, take! Anywho now that, that is out of our systems…we will let you know what we’ve been doing. So, after Mission Beach we hopped on our OZ BUS!!!! We actually did…we all growed up!! Lol. We are so happy that we are travelling this way as it was soon apparent after our driver immediately calling us ‘frozen americans’, that having fun wasn’t going to be a question. They are very helpful in booking and planning anything-accommodations, trips…basically whatever we need. Always keeping a close eye on the easily distracted Canadians…often hearing “come on Canada!” with a little tap on the shoulder!!! Our buses so far have been exactly those of Greyhound but bright yellow with music pumping…so we supposedly ‘cannot miss it’…but anything is possible!!! From mission Beach to Townsville ( about 2.5 hr drive), a large mining community that is very industrial and not much to look at quite frankly. But beyond a mountain lies Magnetic Island, which we immediately ferried over to. Only had 2 nights at Base backpackers, so not much time to do much. Upon our arrival, we were all greeted by a formidable scent that was too familiar- The moose head, The pump and perhaps, a perhaps a little splash of Sarcan!! But past the bar we were soon in awe of the little beachfront oasis. The dorms were actually huts along the beach lined with palm trees and huge boulders. This was definitely our most ‘party’ hostel but of course we separated ourselves…being poor and all!!! We would rather spend our money on activities than a mad hangover! We hiked Forte’s walk… a site that was used for battle and to watch for incoming enemies in WWII. It was up a mountain side in crazy heat..Taya was a little uneasy when the first sign on the trail was a picture and info about the poisonous snakes…wonderful!!! Briana and Brittany were a little on edge when they had to venture out when ‘nature called’ if you know what I mean!!!lol. It literally scares the piss out of you when you know there could be a poisonous snake lurking nearby! Taya, surprise, surprise…held it! We then went to scout out Koalas, upon arrival we saw $17/person…and we opted out…we figure we could just cuddle Shadow Lewis-Kondratoff ( Taunya’s dog). No really, we were excited but thought we would just see them at the Steve Irwin zoo, we need to mentally prepare…we heard they are vicious! J In summary…Magnetic Island…we waited 2 hrs 1st bus, ran after 2nd bus ( and missed…not the Ben Johnson start that we needed, hey Trevor?), waited another hour 3rd bus, 4th bus flew by us…apparently full…thanks for the heads up, waited another hour for 5th bus…good thing we bought the $6.50 day pass hey??? And finally, 6th bus the last day back to the ferry…right time, right bus…wrong side of the road!!! Damn it!! But once again the OZ Ex driver looked out for Canada. Jumped back on the Oz bus south towards Airlie Beach. We passed through Bowen, a town where the movie Australia was filmed…they even painted Bowenwood on the water tank! Lol. 3 hrs later we arrived in Airlie Beach, where the one and only Mathew McConaugh drank the pubs after filming Fool’s Gold here…in 2007...damn it 2 years too late! Beautiful sailing community..our favourite town yet! Can’t explain the beauty, we will take tons of pictures. Tomorrow get on “British Defender” to sail the WhitSundays for 2 days and 2 nights… can’t wait! Will update you when we get back. From there we head to Kroombit,there we get to make Saskatchewan proud…mechanical bull, goat rodeo and all....who knows maybe we will ride a kangaroo!!!! Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving...we had rice and tuna...jerks! Love you all...PLEASE write...it is always nice to hear what's happening there! :)

Here Piggy, piggy, piggy!!!

Ladies & Gents…may we have your attention??!! We’re back…we are still in Mission Beach, Queensland for our last night. We leave tomorrow at 1300 to catch our bus…for real this time…and head south to Townsville/Magnetic Island. These last few days have been uneventful…been lounging on the beach daily working on our golden hues, learning about croc/stingray attacks haha! We were all were having our daily bath in the ocean, when Briana decided to get out early….she turned back and immediately yelled at us..”there’s 2 stingrays, there’s 2 stingrays” Unsurprisingly, Taya and Britt didn’t believe her again and was utterly shocked to see 2 lil baby ray’s probably the size of a dinner plate. She wasn’t crying wolf afterall! We immediately had a debriefing of the dangers of crying wolf in foreign countries with crazy killer sea animals. Last night, we ventured out on a walkabout which became very entertaining….we saw an ambulance…which Britt and Taya stalked down the street….long story short…we got a tour and talked to a medic that has been working for 15 years. In the event, any of you get attacked by a jellyfish/stingray…we can now help you out!!!hopefully! The last highlight of our walkabout was a kangaroo crossing the road right in front of us….he was so cautious it was as if he looked both ways to check for traffic lol! While making breakfast this morning, Brit and Briana spotted another unusual sight…OXBOW…Kyle Rudnitski aka Otis with a buddy from Pangman. Apparently, this world is far too small, but great to see a friendly/familiar face, we plan on meeting up with him in NZ! That brings us to the fun part…14,000 ft, 200km/hr, 60 sec freefall…Taya and Britt jumping out of perfectly maintenanced plane over the amazing Australian landscapes and great barrier reef during sunset. Definitely the highlight of Taya`s trip so far…most amazing feeling. Very odd how cool, calm and collected we remained as we joked around with our guides and in disbelief that it was happening! We hired a camera man to jump first and film it, so you all can watch us every inch of our skin `flap`` in the wind. Taya was a bit or a lot distracted by her guide`s good looks and the tight quarters we were in haha! Brittany, didn`t mind getting the older, hopefully more experienced guide. Brit jumped first with Taya shortly after…it was so peaceful and serene…we floated down beside each other talking about what was happening, while Briana, being a champ like she is, filmed us landing on the beach. UNREAL EXPERIENCE!!! Briana decided to wait it out until NZ…she`s got a bead out for a surfboard…hopefully surfers are included and Taya and Britt assured her that theywould take him off her hands lol! I guess we should be wrapping this up, but thought we should explain the title abit…you see the next building over, just happens to be a Queensland Community Health Office…where they are giving out FREE H1N1(aka Swine flu) vaccinations…jealous…poor Canada…I`m sure they will be getting it soon. See momma, we thought by doing one responsible thing, we could make up for it by hurdling ourselves out of plane!!! You know….you give a little…you get a little! No biggity! Alright, off to bed shortly, but we will check in as soon as possible! Take care…love ya all! Peace.

Ring those phones!

Okay folks....don't hate the player, hate the game!!! The waiting game that is, we realize it's been awhile but we just can't seem to find the time...you know, living the dream is rough!!!From the airport, we got on a shuttle to our hostel and met the Steve Irwin of shuttle buses...man, did he love his job...we've never gained so much knowledge in 20 mins! lol. Our hostel, Dreamtime Travellers Rest, was quiet and home-y with stained glass windows and worldly decorations that made it very comfortable. Hmmm....what to say about Cairns...it's a city, enjoyed it but really glad to get to 'down under!'. We caught up on sleep from our flights, hit the grocery store and took alot of pride that our supper costed only $1.50/person...that's right...Ichiban, 2 slices of bread (whole wheat of course!! haha) with 2 slices of ham= 3 satisifed backpackers!!! The next day, we had a full day and headed to the Lagoon-a salt water swimming hole in the heart of Cairns...good "city" beach day. I would like to mention Briana bought her 2nd phone of this trip since the 'unlocked' Indo phone was not 'unlocked' and could not be used in Aus!!Next day...3 dives..on the Great Barrier Reef...No big deal!!! Including yacht with sundeck with a full lunch and snacks, coffee & tea, wine accompanied by FANTASTIC cheese and crackers (that Britt just happened to sniff out!!) 3 dives...was great...3rd dive a little murky...still able to see beautiful coral, a moray eel, stingray, baracuda among thousands of other fish and nemos!! Thanks to Papa D...no sharks as we took his advice and painted a seal with a circle around it with a line through it...indicating a non-feeding zone! But the other group that went the opposite way than us did see a shark...jealous! Last night we sat at a pub and tried to follow the "super bowl" of Rugby between Melbourne and Brisbane...very entertaining! A few bumps trying to catch our first Oz experience bus...unable to catch it the day we wanted to. We found out we would have to spend 2 more days in the city..none of us wanted to have anything to do with that and because being as patient as we are....we were on a Greyhound bus 2 hours later to our next location where the Oz Ex bus will gather us!! Mission Beach...present! What can we say, just what we were looking for....reminds us alot of Kenosee Lake in that it is so quiet and quaint...only difference...the slough is now replaced with a ridiculously warm ocean surrounded by islands/mountains with sand that feels like flour. So nice, we figured that we should take the opportunity to finally exfoliate lol! So fresh...and so clean...!!!! Once again, hit a jackpot with our hostel and the grocery store...this budget thing is kind of fun...how low can you go??? Today, we splurged....$2.75 each! We are so inspired by the creativity of our 'flatmates' in our hostels that we decided to ramp it up and introduce....THEME NIGHTS!!!! bom,bom, bom!!!! Let's make Canada proud...we welcome any cheap/easy suggestions!!!! Booked another night so we can have 2 full, glorious beach days...don't worry Mama... the damn Dalziels are huge fans of the 88 SPF sunblock...it's like Casper sittin on the beach!!! No wrinkles here! Anywho, hope you all enjoyed...make sure to write...the more YOU slack, the more we slack! Remember that...only 4 comments on our last blog...that's bush league!!! lol Take care, love you long time!!
p.s. I would also like to note...Mission Beach...Briana... PHONE #3!!!! Where do we want to go....HIGHER!!!! Ring those phones, Ring those phones!!!

The Dingo ate my baby!

G'day Mate! So we officially made it to Australia...Darwin to be exact! ( the place where the movie, Australia was filmed!!!! No big deal...we thought saw lil creamy on a walk about when we were landing!!!) We are sitting in the airport for 3 hours before we catch our flight to Cairns. Our first experience consists of a beautifully, clean airport....with no smells! yay! but also comes with a fee...one that blows us away considering Indo is so cheap. The 3 of us just paid what we would have paid for 3 meals/day for 3 days for all us...just in a breakfast here- 3 cappucinos, and 3 breakfast muffins! We have all agreed that sacrificing meals in exchange for sightseeing and activities is obviously how we're gonna roll! This is RIDIC!!! Micky, keep an eye on Briana's account...your joint retirement fund is dwindling away as we speak. Don't blame us...we are incredibly entertained by the local "sights" that continuously seem to catch our eyes...weird! We have our own mission!!! lol. Another shocker, but a bit on the down side, but we feel like we need to mention it. We are so fortunate to be safe and protected from the tragedy that just struck Indonesia. Reality hit when we saw headlines on the Aus paper reading about the earthquake/tsunami that took the lives of so many people. Weird to think, we were in Indonesia for 18 days and 2 earthquakes along with one tsunami occurred....we are very thankful.
To recap very briefly, we travelled from Ubud to a northern beach town, Lovina. We stayed one night in a very Luxe ocean front cottage for $25 incl. breakfast. Indo has proven that not everything is perfect...close...but a 2" cockroach scurrying along the bed reminds us that nothing is perfect and always good for laugh...imagine Taya & Briana chasing it down with a cup while Britt gave herself a warm lil hug in the middle of the bed....with an awkward grin....trying to be team player!!!haha! Then headed back to Legian to our haven, The Island- our Bali family met us at the door with open arms and excitement seeing familiar faces! The amazing people that we have met along the way has made it incredibly difficult to leave Bali and gives us one more reason to re-visit. We want to give a shout out to Charlie, Rich, Neil, Amie and the rest of the crew for taking us under your wings and making us feel comfortable and at home...maybe a little too comfortable but we really do appreciate it...Canada is calling you!!!! And to our new besties- C-Rad & Patty...do you miss us??? We still have our bracelets, do you? Too soon? 10-12!!! haha. Can't wait to meet up in Sydney...get your game faces on, cause we comin' at ya like spider monkeys!!! Anywho...gonna go sleep on a bench, will talk soon. Please send money!
xoxo...for real....money, money,money.......lol! Talk soon.

The

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