floebee

the mystical magical spice islands basking in the deep blue sea have long been on my all time favorite dream destination list, i have wanted to swim in the oceans around these islands for as long as i can remember, thanks to fishboy for floating them back to the surface, maybe 2008 will be the year

i stepped barefoot onto the white sandy beaches with frangipani on the air, and looked out at a crystal ocean of a hundred shades of blue i knew i had found paradise.

this beautiful little island offers the chance to step back in time to a simpler life .. i spent a month ‘working’ on the beach, snorkeling with sharks and cycling the trails .. the south pacific is an entirely different world that leaves an ache in your heart and a longing to return, it has to be experienced first hand to be believed.

but really wanted to see ‘the tip’ so i set off hitch hiking .. words cannot begin to capture the rugged beauty and raw isolation i found along the way.

from the stunning cave art in laura to the young torres strait islanders pulling fish after fish out of the sparkling blue ocean on seisia pier, it is a place of spirit, timelessness, beauty .. magic!

i would love to go back with my camera and capture the shift from dry to wet, the southern cross arc gracefully across the night sky, the faces of the indigenous peoples and the stories untold.

i would love to pluck another perfect nautilus shell from among the beach flotsam, see the giant magnetic termite mounds, drink from a waterfall, and instead of nervously by foot, cross the jardine by ferry .. wow, times have changed!

so when i heard the coral were spawning i jumped in the truck and drove north for 14 hours straight to get there in time!

i guess you never forget your first whaleshark sighting .. mine came out of the blue .. literally!

i was hanging in the water when a mouth the width of my outstretched arms came directly at me .. i managed to maneuver out of the way just in time to see a wall of fish glide by, whooaaa!!

a must for any diver worth their salt!!

i have planned (and failed) on three different occasions to take a trip through the islands, each time i allow myself to get diverted from my plans by my various travel partners .. tho the alternatives have been equally fun .. i am now more than ready to go and hope that one day soon i manage to get across the water to play among the islands

and this place has both in abundance!
i love that you can hear each and every footstep echo softly down into the perma frost, i love that it is always the ‘magic hour’ for photography, i love that you can never run out of ice for your margarita, i love the ritual of layering and unlayering each time you step through a doorway, i love being woken and dragged outside to see the aurora borealis, i love skating by moonlight, i love the peace and quiet of february, i love that i got to walk on the ocean, i love the whacky one sided trees, i love the art and sculpture, i love that i have experienced this magical place.

off the coast of freo, this fantastic little island is a bikers dream destination .. no cars allowed!!

if you want to camp, snorkel, skinny dip, cycle, fish, get lost for weeks .. this is your place .. the first time i went i was seduced by the crystal clear ocean the blinding white beaches the coral and lagoons .. the second time i went, i found a party .. rottnest is legendary in wa for a new years eve party and i can honestly say it was the best new years i have ever had.

it is also one place that i would love to call home and has the cutest beach house i have ever seen

is such a special place, too difficult to put into words .. i bought a car once, the colour of guacamole and the seller insisted he wouldnt feel right without some last minute tinkering on it before letting me drive away!!
she cost me NZ$350 and took me from bluff to cape reinga and back, the wipers slowed down when going up hill, the back seat came out to make a fine campfire sofa, she went wave surfing on 90 mile beach, ‘off roading’ up in northland, and she was my home for three months … i miss her dearly!

in san diego’s little italy is to die for .. check out chi chocolat on india and sample melt-in-your-mouth little pieces of chocolate heaven followed by a shot of the best expresso you’re ever likely to sample this side of italy!!

then head out to pb for some surf, sunshine and party time

not to be missed

used to live in beautiful pg, and ride along the bike path down to lovers point and all the way around towards spanish bay .. with the wind at my tail and the sound of the ocean crashing along the beaches, this has got to be high on anyones list of beautiful rides. one of my favourites!