15 Tips To De-Hassle International Flights

“There are only two emotions in a plane: boredom and terror.” – Orson Welles

This is the part of the 'globetrotting lifestyle' I absolutely hate...the actual act of jet setting. The minute you set foot in an airport, chaos sets in. I always feel like I'm in the middle of a race I never signed up for.

Quick, to the check in counter! Race to get your bag scanned and loaded! Run to beat the lines for the security checks! Make sure you've got your departure cards filled out because next stop, immigration and customs! (...Never break eye contact with immigration officers...it makes them nervous.)

After that, wait 20 minutes for the women's toilets and of course boarding time is just around the corner...

Agh, I hate airports! Long lines for EVERYTHING, ego-maniac security guards, impatient business travelers, confusing time zones and the jet lag that follows, tight connections, expensive food courts, large people in cramped seats, pushy passengers, improbable weather delays, turbulent flights, overstuffed suitcases in the overhead compartments, and the absolute worst...suspicious coughs and sneezing. I'm always a little bit terrified about what dormant diseases people are carrying in airports, including myself...shit, when's the last time I updated my vaccines?!!!

So...let's breathe deep and just come to terms with the fact that international travel is only glitz and glamour for those behind the mysterious curtain that separates First Class from you and me, the common folk, the dreaded coach...

Some tips to de-hassle international traveling I've learned along the way....

1. Remember the golden 'pre-departure' rules...
   Get to the airport 2 hours prior for domestic flights, 3 for international; wear comfy shoes and light layers; leave your valuables at home; and leave a copy of all important travel documents with a friend or family

2. Before you fly pack carefully...
   I always use this as my "zen" time. I listen to music, I drink my coffee, and I meticulously place all my belongings in the order I have perfected over the past years. Without even opening my pack I can tell you exactly where my toothbrush is, which is a handy trick when you need to get to something quick in your bag...If I don't take my time packing, I usually get frustrated and throw my pack out my hotel balcony window...(last 2 offences in Singapore and China I believe...)

3. Know the baggage weight limits of your airline...

   (and don't forget domestic connections) If you're not sure, weigh your bag before you go to the airport and spare yourself the small fortune in fees, or the embarrassment of opening your pack and redistributing weight while a long line of angry tourists glare at your backside.

4. Tuck in all your pack's straps and buckles, airlines get aggressive when handling your luggage---if it can rip off or break easily, strap it down.

5. Request your seat when checking in...

   I like to check in and request aisle seats, I prefer not having to climb over people when nature calls. Some people prefer windows, since you get a view and a headrest. I hate not being able to keep my bags under my feet, so I avoid emergency exit rows (whereas some people prefer the extra leg room.)

6. Double check that the airline prints out a luggage ID that has your correct final destination on it.

   If you're worried about your luggage getting lost, consider re-checking in your pack at one of your connections. If you have a long layover and you think you will have time to check in at a counter, go for it. I only do this when I have 3 or more connections and/or when I'm switching airlines during the journey.

7. Keep all your passport/tickets/visas/immigration and immunization records in one organized location, easy to reach going through security and gates.

8. For security check points, watch the other passengers first to see what's required..

   The USA has one of the toughest security check points requiring you to strip down to a bare minimum (no shoes, no belts, no scarves, no liquids, etc.) Many international security checks won't require you to take off your shoes, belt or jacket, nor do they require constant checking of ID and tickets. So think twice before you strip!

9. Keep all your liquids checked in your luggage. De clutter your carry on, only carry essentials for the flight.

10. Keep entertainment and reading material for long flights & layovers--if you're bringing music or electronics, be sure to have appropriate adapters and chargers in your carry on.

11. Keep cash on you.
    During layovers many travel currency exchange agencies do not require a minimum transaction. If you want a coffee or a snack in between country hopping, change a few bucks over and keep the leftover change as a souvenir.

12. Keep a sleep kit for your flights: eye mask, ear plugs, face wipes, socks, mini toothbrush and toothpaste (*separate for security*), and sleeping pills if you dare. Don't forget prescription meds & the sweater or scarf to keep warm mid-flight.

13. Stay mobile during the flights...
    Deep vein thrombosis or "economy class syndrome" is essentially a blood clot condition that occurs from immobility and dehydration during extended periods of time. The more you fly, the more at risk you are. Drink lots of water and juice (for every wine or coffee drink 2 cups of water), and walk up and down the aisles if you're feeling stiff.

14. Avoid jet lag...
    Keep a watch for easy time changing, and adapting to new time zones. Spend time outside to help keep your body in tune with the time, drink lots of water, nap for 2 or 3 hours at a time but force yourself to wake up! Exercise or go for a long walk when you land to literally 'stay on your feet!' And never underestimate the healing powers of a steaming hot shower...

15. Most importantly, keep a sense of humor...
    I have a giggle every time I fly with Thais...for some inexplicable reason the minute the plane lands they are on their feet, bags in hand and charging their way down the aisles to get off the plane! Forget about waiting in your seat until the crowd parts to let you by, they don't let anyone through!
    I like to block the aisle with my bag and make sure every single person in front of me has cleared the plane before making my way out, it's a sick pleasure I know. For a people so gentle and polite to strangers, plane rides in Thailand become alternate universes where wrong is right, being rude is socially accepted, the toilets are the cleanest you've ever sat on & the airplane food is better than anything you can cook at home ...
    Know before you go! Things to consider for your overseas trip: visas, travel documents, immunizations, spare cash flow sources, customs and cultural expectations...for an extensive checklist of tips read here:
    10 Tips When Traveling Overseas...

Mood Music...Listen Here for Natacha's "Just Like a Dream"

Little Girls Drive Big Machines, Western Australia

Perth, Western Australia- Sept.2010





Days in and out while working at the Palms Galore Nursery in Perth. The men there are pretty useless, so it's up to us...the little girls...to handle the big machines!



Had a great last day of work today, I probably spent 5 or 6 hours just loading and unloading massive palm trees with Liz all over the nursery.

• Learn to drive tractor---CHECK


• Learn to drive Bobcat---CHECK


• Learn to drive Ultimate Demolishing Bulldozer (aka Home Destroyers!)---...someday soon...
  
  

Adventures in Western Australia, Perth & Pinnacles

Listening to: Vampire Weekend "White Sky"--

Perth & Western Australia....

Pinnacles Desert

Palms Galore Nursery

Well, I managed to fight off the wine tour hangover long enough to catch my flight from Adelaide to Perth. It was a ridiculous 6 'amer' ...seriously for once I'd like to catch a cheap domestic flight at a more pillow-friendly hour...

Finding the bus to the airport felt like some mythical quest...First, I couldn't wake up the guy behind the front desk of the hostel and the key drop box was maliciously placed on the other side of the steel barricade. I really did try to wake him up gently, but when the bogan started snoring at me I got even!

I closed one eye, balanced on one foot, and threw my key at his face like it was a dartboard. I scored 40 points and an angry glare when he woke up!

Next, the mission was to find the bus stop. The bus has no number, and mysteriously no timetable. The helpful bogan from the hostel reminded me that it was an airport bus, 'so naturally it will come eventually, hey?' ...Thanks...

The bus was on the corner of an alleyway, opposite the one avenue in Adelaide which for some reason also has no name. It was dark and there were all sorts of unsavory characters on the streets (suspicious looking police women, meter ticket checkers HATE THEM, teenagers doing the walk of shame home, and the mean street sweepers who sweep their machines too close to the curb for the sick enjoyment of spraying innocent pedestrians!)

25 minutes later a bus showed up. Blue bus, no name, no number so I hopped on completely confident that this bus would take me where I needed to go or somewhere more exciting. Luckily, this bus took me to the airport.

The flight I took was on September 11th. I realized this mid-air when the captain came on the microphone asking for the passengers to take a moment of silence in honor of the memory...Really now?! This is what we're doing to passengers flying on the date?! I didn't a sleep a wink the rest of the flight...

4 coffees and a couple time zones later, I landed in Perth. My friend Liz picked me up from the airport and took me to my new home. A guest bedroom, a fully stocked kitchen, a family (Liz lives with her sister Lisa) and two beautiful hounds Bowza and Tonka. I get to stay here for 2 weeks, a much needed travel pause...

We're in an old family home (thankfully Liz won't tell me which room her grandma died in.) There's a gas water heater, gas stove and oven, and a clothes line out the back to hang the washing. (The gas stove is fun to cook with, but note to reader--make sure the gas is on low before you light the flame...I made a biiiiiiiiiiiiiig fire last night by accident!)

Here's the best part, the toilet is 'out the back.' I swear, that's what Liz said to me when I stepped into the shower. You shower in the house, but the toilet is an old outhouse in the backyard. Which means, if you're desperate for a wee in the middle of a cold night, either suck it up or stuff it up!

The first night in it must have been 7 or 8 degrees outside, and I was afraid my cheeks would freeze to the toilet seat like the kid's tongue to the pole in 'A Christmas Story.'

I meant to fly here and find work in the north, the cattle ranch Kimberley region of NW Australia...but that didn't work out, so 2 weeks in Perth instead. Shame because that would have been some incredibly beautiful scenery...

A phone call to the rancher I was supposed to work for made it clear that my day-to-day job was going to make me cry and throw up every night. They are in the process of de-horning their calves. The job was actually taking baby cows and ripping off their little horns. I was warned about the blood and skull bits I would have to clean up each day and I almost fainted right there and then!

So...on to greener pastures, literally! I'm working in a nursery now called Palms Galore. I spend most of my days in a potting shed listening to Triple J Radio Australia for all the strangest and upbeat Aussie music I can get my hands on!

The job is actually 9-5 pm every day, which is a challenge in itself...I haven't worked solid hours like that in years! On the other hand, when 5 pm hits...I get to go home, crawl into a fluffy bathrobe, curl up with a book and hot coffee and not think twice about what happened that day or worry about what tomorrow brings.

There's actually routine in my life again. Wake up at 7.30 am, brekkie of muesli and yogurt, work at the nursery, come home, make coffee, shower, walk the dogs, make dinner, read book, go to bed. Brilliant.

I love it here. The days are perfect: solid sunshine, never any clouds, endless blue sky, and not a skyscraper or traffic jam in sight or hearing range. Only green plants, fresh air, and good people for company. The work's far from stressful and David (the owner) insists I take a coffee break with him every hour. As soon as I walk in to start work he slaps me on the back, pumps my fist, and with a warm smile asks 'Do you have time for a coffee with me?'

How do you say no to that?! I'm officially going at a rate of 7 or 8 cups of coffee a day and I might have to cut back soon or my heart will jump out of this blog!

Typical chores include: potting plants, lining up display pieces, shuffling palms in tractors and bobcats, trimming foliage, weeding and pricing plants. I'm actually getting paid pretty well which is great because I'm enjoying the lack of concentration required in the day to day work....(I say that now, but watch out next week I'll lose a finger to my shearing scissors!)

But weekends are weekends again! Here are some photos we took from our last weekend trip to the desert/outback in the Pinnacles. Amazing, that just a few hours North of Perth will take you to this... barren, remote desert. We camped, we partied at a local pub in a small town called Dongarra, and we enjoyed getting away from everything... This is the picturesque, barren, red earth of the Australian outback I have fallen in love with!

.

Enjoy the video below...Tonka the dog can skip rope!

How to Order a Coffee in Australia

Listen along to "Everytime" by Butterfingers...download for a laugh!!


Traveling to Australia (or New Zealand) soon? Let me spare you 3 agonizing weeks of confusion and frustration and break down the coffee culture for you...It's all espresso down under!

I'll never forget walking in to my first coffee shop after touching down in Sydney last April. It was Gloria Jeans, the primo coffee chain I was told.

I am a proud coffee enthusiast and I've never once walked into a coffee shop, not knowing how to order...and yet, here I was, for the first time a coffee-ignorante!

...Flat White, or a Long Black, or how about a Short Black instead... what?!


I walked up to the barista and asked for a 'regular coffee'...

Barista--"White coffee?"
Me--"What does that mean?"
Barista--"...White...Milk...You're American, right?"

Shite! After only a few hours I had already been called out as a dumb tourist!


It took me ages to find someone with enough time to sit down and explain the coffees to me...After the 10th time asking for a 'traditional American coffee', the owner of a mom and pop's coffee shop tilted his head and asked me to take a seat. I was so pissed off! I thought he was dismissing me, but instead he just winked and handed me a menu and promised to come sit with me.

15 minutes later he showed up with 3 different coffees and gave me a personal 'coffee tasting session.' It was brilliant! After 6 months traveling through America he completely understood why I was so confused in the first place.

We're used to drip brew, or percolated coffee which means slow pouring of boiling hot water onto ground beans...The Aussies first developed their coffee culture from the Italian immigrants in the 19th century, so it's all espresso culture. Every thing on a menu will be some variation of an espresso, which means quick brew under high pressures.

Read more about the difference between Espresso and Drip Coffee here...


So here you go, the perfect guide to spare you the same embarrassment next time you find yourself in a coffee shop 'Down Under!'

Here are your options off a menu in a typical Australian coffee shop:

1. Flat White: the most basic/popular drink of choice = espresso with steamed milk.


2. Long Black: espresso & hot water makes a steaming mug of 'black coffee' (stronger than a flat white, but ask for milk on the side if you need a little 'white.')


3. Short Black: espresso only in a small glass


4. Macchiato: espresso & a spoon of milk froth


5. Latte: espresso & steamed milk & froth


6. Mocha: basically a latte with a sprinkle of chocolate powder


7. Cappuccino: 1/3rd espresso, 1/3rd steamed milk, 1/3rd froth

Americans everywhere on the road, go forth and prosper!

Stumbling Through Wine Tours--Adelaide, South Australia

Read along with some Australian music I'm listening to: "Roll Away Your Stone"- Mumford & Sons



Adelaide, Barossa Wine Valley Tour..."really how many times can you hear the word 'cock' in your tour guide's commentary and not giggle..."


After days of driving I was looking forward to a break from all the sightseeing and traveling. I was looking forward to a sleep in and a casual wander around the city...so naturally, that's exactly what did NOT happen.


I'm staying at the Adelaide YHA in a 5 bed dorm with my friends traveling from Melbourne--Frenchie (Aurelian), the Canadian (Ludmilla) and the UK couple (Jack and Kelly.)

The YHA set up here is pretty nice and the facilities are brand spanking new and shiny which makes communal showering much less depressing! I barely had time to drop my bag when the UK couple (from here on I will refer to them as 'people of motherland') screamed bloody murder for me to get my butt in the travel lounge. Apparently they needed me to cough up $60 since tomorrow we were leaving for a wine tour at 7.30 am...


Me--"Excuse me? What time did you say the tour was leaving?"

Pomies--"Oh come off it Stef, you know you're coming out with us! What else have you got on for tomorrow?"

Me--"I have a date with my pillow in the morning, and I'm poor."

Pomies-- "Drunk by 10 am, meals and snacks included."

Me--"Right, I'm sold."



So, we were off in the morning. Destination: Barossa Wine Valley, where apparently the finest wines in all of Australia are produced.


I was skeptical at first, I mean come on! South Australia is the driest state in the driest country in the world and it's supposed to be pumping out fine wines? Let me tell you, 6 wineries later and not in the least bit sober or coherent , I can admit I was dead wrong!

Before pulling into the first winery our driver/guide pulled over the side of the road to look us over, very carefully...


Driver--"Since you guys look like wine touring 'beginners' I'd like to take a moment to teach you the basics for a proper wine tasting..."



We smiled politely, pretended not to be highly offended and listened to him make a complete fool of himself as he did every pretentious thing you could do to an imaginary glass or wine. He checked the light for clarity, he swirled the glass, and he inhaled the imaginary grapes like it was his last dying breath. He didn't once crack a smile when the Aussie in the back yelled out 'Just bloody skull it!'


I was staring out the window, daydreaming and slowly realizing that we were on a one lane road that was inexplicably faced with two way traffic... The car heading towards us had to swerve onto the grass to avoid us, and I swear I saw a shaking fist...

I tuned back to the bus and inappropriately burst out laughing when I heard the Aussie grandma shut the driver up, catching a really scary look from the driver... I stayed as far away from him as I could for the rest of the day.


Well, me and my crew were the only ones under the age of 40 (or maybe 65.) I don't know how that happened, and we tried our best to be as responsible and mature as possible...we did pretty well until the 4th winery came around.



At that point we were stumbling into the wineries and serving ourselves. We managed to convince the pourers to open up the good stock, bottles ranging in the $100 and up stock! In between winery 5 and 6, the driver found us and leaned in gently to tell us we were supposed to spit the wine out after sipping it. I politely nodded my head and scooted away down the bar, laughing...right, like I paid $60 to spit out my wine! Who is she kidding?! (The driver was in fact male, but for some reason in my journal notes I kept referring to him as a 'she...')

Let me save you the embarrassment now and reassure you that the Langley name was not tarnished! I was able to respectfully walk (drag?) myself home at the end of the tour, and as far as memory and photo card memory shows we were all very civilized and well behaved.


And if not, well it was a damn good day anyways!

Our lunch was in an interesting town called Nuriootpa (no I'm not drunk, that's the correct spelling.) I was craving carbs to clear my head and somehow settled on a kangaroo steak...gamey but damn tastey!

The best part of this town was what the waiter told me about the view from my window. The highschool next door is a wine-producing school! They have an entire class dedicated to wine-making! The kids can't even drink their own stock; it's bottled and sold to the local markets and the teachers get routinely smashed when grading terms come around. Aha, only in Australia!



Now, a wine list please. Check your local liquor stores and get in on the action! Here's a few labels and my favorite selections:

• Wolf Blaas Gold Label: Rieslings, Roses, Shiraz


• Simpatico Wines: Sparkling Viognier, Cab Sauvignon


• Grant Burge: Moscato Frizzante, Miamba Shiraz, Lily Farm Frontignac 2009


• Kies Barossa Valley: Klauber Block Shiraz, White Barossa

And Muscat...I was introduced to something truly spectacular: Muscat slushies. Stick a bottle of sweet muscat in the freezer and save it for a hot summer's day. When poured out it stays in slushie form and cools you to the core! Yummmmm.

Some extra fun bits about Barossa Valley: it's home to a massive wino-nudist colony; its social club is called the 'Cockatoo Club'; the locals' game of choice is 'shuttlecock'; and the vineyards are regularly 'cockled'....I have no idea what that last word means, but my guide said it with such pride I had to write it down!

...really, how many times can you hear the word 'cock' in your tour guide's commentary and not share a giggle with your mates???

Driving Across Australia (Part 2): Melbourne to Adelaide

Melbs to Adelaide, 3 days driving along the Great Ocean Road & Notes on the Australian Aboriginal culture.

The Great Ocean Road, Australia's most spectacular drive. The most famous bits cut through Port Campbell National Park and it's here that you can be inspired at the famous 12 Apostles landmarks (including London Bridge, awesome gorges, limestone caves and towering cliffs, & overall breathtaking scenery.)

(Movie Spot-- Torquay Beach! Featured in 80's hit movie Point Break starring Patrick Swayze and Keanu Reeves)

The 12 Apostles we caught at sunset (pictured here) and they're limestone rocks that rise dramatically out of the surface of the Southern Ocean.

They're remnants of limestone cliffs that have eroded the past 20 million years, and watching the waves and wind pound into the rocks I'm suddenly appreciating it in a whole new point of view as I realize they won't be here forever.

Next along the way was a fantastic stretch of legs at the Otway Fly Tree Top Walk.

600 meters long, 45 meters high, trek through a cool climate rainforest and feel insignificant against the backdrop of Beech forest, Blackwood and Mountain Ash woods.

Our last stretch took us into the Grampians National Park where we crashed for a couple days of hiking and climbing. Inside the park we camped and I have a sneaking suspicion this is one of those spots where there are more kangaroos than residents! They were everywhere, and they were huge! After watching a couple males boxing during my morning tea I decided a safe distance from now on meant a good 20 or 30 feet from the big ones!

Climbing the Grampians was an absolute adrenaline rush. We climbed Hollow Mountain and had an entire valley to ourselves. I had an army of new friends to climb with me: Frenchie stuck around after our hostel adventures in Melbourne; there were also a couple of Germans, a Serbian comedian and a new English couple from the UK-Jack and Kelly.

This is where I learned the most about aboriginal culture since their occupation of this area dates back nearly 20,000 years! There are preserved remnants of aboriginal rock art and cultural centres littered throughout sponsored and maintained by the local indigenous communities.

• The Australian Aboriginals are the oldest continuing living culture in the world. They are thought to have arrived nearly 60,000 years ago.


• Australia is a massive country with vastly different climates--depending on the climate aboriginals varied in clothing and dress, culture and lifestyle.


• At one time there were 100s of different communities scattered across the country with over 250 spoken languages.


• Despite the differences, all aboriginals date their origins back to Dreamtime. It's their belief about how the earth was made, naming ancestors with superpowers who carved the land, made the rivers and lakes, and guarded the natural phenomenon. Sacred places from these stories were identified to perform religious and spiritual ceremonies.


• Weapons for hunting included spears and boomerangs.


• Spiritural songs about their ancestors and Dreamtime are typically played on a didgeridoo .


• With the arrival of early English colonists, the aboriginal culture was too complex for them to understand. They were not a warrior culture (like the Maoris and Polynesians) & their weapons were no match for the muskets and gunpowder. Aboriginals were almost completely decimated through forced removal, disease and discrimination.


• At one time it was legal to kill an aboriginal if he/she was found on your land, and hunting parties were organized to kill off entire clans if they were found.


• In the 1900s laws were imposed to restrict the movements of the aboriginals, and from then on until the 1970's, states were allowed to remove children from their mothers if their fathers were suspected of being 'white.' This is known as the Stolen Generation.


• It wasn't until 1972 that they were granted the right to vote (the right to exist as fellow human beings in their own country) And today, there'a long road ahead for cultural integration. Land ownership is being passed back, apologies are being made by prime ministers (see Kevin Rudd's Apology), and racism is slowly but surely being weeded out of the school systems.

It's been particularly hard for me to get a grasp on the issues surrounding the aboriginal culture in today's Australia. The biggest block is simply because the locals don't want to talk about it. I think the generations of today don't know enough about the aboriginal culture to really speak on their behalf, and certainly the racism and accepted discrimination of their parents' time must have some lingering effects.

Nonetheless, there is finally movement in the right direction for Australians and Aboriginals to unite and coexist in harmony...will we be able to do the same with our own Native American reservations??? If so, we should hope to learn from each other.

For more information about repeating this experience check out Australian Adventure Tours: Melbourne to Adelaide safaris...

Looking for a meaningful volunteer experience in Victoria, Australia???

Volunteer with the National Parks system, look for more information here.

Melbourne--Less Shopping, More Penguins!

Melbourne & thoughts on the eco-friendliness of Phillip Island's Penguin Parade.

MELBOURNE---considered the most 'British' of Australia's cities, readily apparent with its Victorianesque avenues and open gardens.

Fashion capital of Australia! Everyone is greased and slicked for a walk around the town: knee high boots, flash leggings, bright jewelry, big button coats, pressed suits and skinny jeans all round (male? female? doesn't matter, everyone's squeezing in these days!)

I have found that Melbournians are just overall Good Looking People!

I've been looking forward to this visit for many reasons, but of course the biggest lure for me was the craze about Melbourne's Coffee Culture. The city is a maze of cafes and baristas, with worn streets where the clicks of heels and boots out drum the traffic. Walking these streets took me straight back to the good old days when I was living in the old quarter of Brussels, Belgium.

I've settled in St. Kilda--seaside town famous for the stylish cafes, nightclubs, cake shops and of course the infamous setting for one of the most popular soap operas 'Neighbours.'

St. Kilda is like a playground for backpackers. In the late 80's it was more famous as a hotspot for drug dealers and transvestites, but it's been cleaned up (more or less). The daytime crowd was pleasant to look at--the traffic these days up and down the strip are from yuppies and baby strollers.

(I would like to take a moment here to repeat what I said in another blog entry. If you value sleep, DO NOT STAY at BASE ST KILDA HOSTEL.)

Day trip to Phillip Island and the Penguin Parade:

Full day trip from Melbourne CBD (Central Business District, aka 'downtown') took me to Phillip Island. Surfer's paradise especially on a day like the one I was there for---wild winds, torrential wave action, and some of the cleanest breaks in the surf I have seen.

First stop, Churchill Island an old historic working farm. The wallabies pictured here are not farmed (and never eaten!), they were just a wild family pack I came across walking the yard. They're part of the backdrop out here, and just as common to see in a backyard as a stay dog or duck.

This mama wallaby had a baby joey peeking out its head from time to time in curiosity. When it got scared it would kick it's way back into the pouch and completely disappear from view! I didn't even know she had a baby until I saw a claw slip out of the pouch when I was leaning down to pet her!

The working farm was pretty cool to see, lots of history here and the farm's been passed down generation after generation.

They were shearing sheep which was a bit of a laugh for me because after months of traveling through New Zealand I somehow always missed a sheep shearing (which was a feat considering the population of sheep to Kiwis 'New Zealanders' is 10 to 1!) They also had some working dogs do a demonstration of how they round up the sheep and get them moving through the farm yards.

Around the corner from the farm was a real treat: the Phillip Island Koala Conservation Centre.

On the drives I've manged to spot wild koalas high up in the trees, but here at the centre was the first time I could get really close and personal with these beautiful creatures.

This sleeping giant's name is 'Bumby' and the most exciting part of his day happened when I was mere feet from him--he woke up, stretched, ate a eucalyptus leaf and then moved to another branch a few feet away to tuck in for another few hours napping. Wow.

Today there's only a few thousand koalas left in the wild, which means that they've lost nearly 90% of their population in less than a decade. Biggets threat to them is loss of natural habitat. Although not officially classified as 'Endangered' it's only a matter of time at the rate they're disappearing today.

Fun facts about Koalas:

1. They're marsupials like kangaroos and wombats, meaning they carry their young in pouches


2. They can only be found in Australia (naturally)


3. "Koala" in Aboriginal language means 'no drink' which refers to these animals going for days without water, fully adapted to the Australian climate


4. Koalas are very picky eaters. The Australian bush holds over 600 species of eucalyptus trees, and koalas will only eat about 120 of them. (Toxic for humans.)


5. On average sleeps 19 hours a day in the fork of an eucalyptus tree.


6. The first food a baby 'joey' koala will eat is its mother's shit. The koala requires a micro-organism to properly digest the eucalyptus leaves which can only be absorbed safely through it's mother's droppings.


7. When koalas become stressed or worried about the loss of their homes they develop a disease we know as Chlaymidia...that's right koalas have STDs.


8. According to Aussie high schoolers, there's a certain of eucalyptus tree that's toxic to the koala's brain. Some koalas become rabid and aggressive, and if a passerby gets too close to their tree they'll jump down and attack them trying to defend their territory. These are known as 'Drop Bears'.

(picture source: here)

Some more iconic wildlife I came across on Phillip Island, the majestic kingfisher Kookaburra and the Cape Barren Goose.

Another great stop over in Phillip Island was to take in the scenery at Nobbies Rocks--where Australia's largest fur seal colony lives.

But this was not the reason I decided to visit the island...the pull for me all along was the

Little Penguin Parade.

Phillip Island is also home to the largest Little Penguin colony in the world! Every sunset, thousands of little penguins emerge from the sea and march across the beach to their homes, in the sand dune burrows. The Little Penguin is so named because it is the world's smallert penguin, or so the scientists say.

I've heard a different story about the name. They used to be called Fairy Penguins, but in the late 80's the gay community was in an uproar about that so they had to change the name.

In New Zealand they're known as Blue Penguins (note the blue sheen in their coat) and in Australia as Little Penguins. Don't know if this story is true or not, but it makes for a good read!

Around 6:30pm I perched myself on a piece of beach, and waited. It was freezing cold, so I was wrapped from head to toe in blankets and overcoats, chattering my way through a cup of hot tea.

The waves crash against the beach, one after another and another, and when the penguins do finally emerge they take you completely by surprise! One wave brings water to the shore, and all of a sudden the next wave brings a wash of blue and black tiny figures crashing on to the sand! One second nothing... the next nearly 100 penguins magically appear!

They were all disoriented when they came out of the water, squawking and shaking the water off, and trying to regroup with the colony as close as possible before deciding to take a group waddle up the beach.

• The Little Penguin is born in a sand burrow but spends a great part of its life out at sea. They can go for weeks on end at sea and come back when they choose to, to their burrows. They actually sleep while they're at sea, dozing as they float on the surface.

• They always come back to the place they were born. Whatever burrow they are born into, they must return to to continue their breeding cycle.

It's a marvel to see. They wash in at sunset since their eyes are better suited for the sand dunes at night. This particular night there must have been nearly 2,000 penguins that washed ashore. Wave after wave brought them everywhere and in every direction! Some of the penguins even got lost, you could tell as you watched them waddle back and forth trying desperately to remember which direction their burrow was.

I stayed well into the darkness and even followed some of these little guys to their young chicks in the burrows (keeping a responsible distance of course.) It was a night of absolute magic, and I left with an awesome high of being up close and personal with mother nature's secrets.

• The Penguin Parade, is it eco-friendly?

This is a very big question I struggled with today. Phillip Island is a tourist destination for the most part, giving visitors unique insight into the wildlife and offering close encounters.

• The Koala centre and the Penguin Parade are full blown tourist facilities that include: gift shops, cafes, photo opportunities and information. But they are government run research facilties as well, non-profit organizations not in the game for commercial gain, but for educational outreach and support to continue the conservation initiatives.
• Thousands of people all year round come through from Melbourne to experience the Penguin Parade, and it can feel like a commercial trap with all the buses, crowds, and screaming children. But I left feeling good with the organization I chose to support: because in the end the experience wasn't about making the penguins accessible to us, but for us to be accessible to the penguins.

• Everything: every measure, every path way, every light post, was strategically placed and guarded to not interrupt the daily routine of these little penguins. Tourists are banned from taking photos so the flash doesn't interrupt the natural scenery, and the penguins honestly seem to ignore our very presence.

• There's extensive information about behavior and life cycles that's readily available in a child approved education centre, and under cover guides (who are scientists)constantly apprehending naughty tourists trying to break the rules.

In the end, the aim is perfectly achieved. You learn more about these beautiful penguins, you spend your money supporting a great cause, and children walk away falling in love and wanting Mom and Dad to do more to help ensure the penguins live on forever.

• The Phillip Island Nature Park has won countless awards for eco-tourism and conservation efforts and any tour you book from Melbourne will have to adhere to their strict guidelines and rules for participating. So, in the end I'm very happy with how I chose to spend my day today!