Indonesia Pt. 2: Motorbikes, rice paddies, and cooking class!

Nelson and Allie with rice paddies

Indonesia was absolutely amazing! We loved heading north to the Ubud region. We spent a limited amount of time here but by far was our favorite as it was a tad less touristy but we really felt much more of the Balinese culture. We rented a motorbike and scooted around the area exploring new things. We took a look at rice paddies and temples. Allie took a cooking class while Nelson took a tour of a local village. Overall we thoroughly enjoyed our time here and would book more time up north in our next trip to Bali! Next we wrap up Bali and head north to Singapore, the land of retail shopping and Asian diversity!

Indonesia Pt. 1: Seminyak, temples, and beautiful beaches!

Hello from Bali! Indonesia is an amazing place! Bali is just one of 17,000+ of islands that make up Indonesia. The island is one of two that is Hindu in the entire country. We stayed in south Bali in the beach area of Seminyak for a week. We enjoyed the beautiful resort, the superb service and delicious food and drink! We visited the popular temple of Uluatu, the touristy beach of Nusa Dua, and another temple on our way up to the Ubud area. We really enjoyed our time here. Next we head north to the Ubud area where we were exposed to more of the Bali culture and had a very tranquil time in our bungalow in the middle of nowhere! Enjoy!

Australia Pt. 4: Funny Signs, Great friends, and wrap up!

Dinner out with our wonderful Aussie friends, Nichol and Tim!

One of the wonderful things about travel is the friends you make! Nelson met Tim during a dip in the natural spring baths in Budapest, Hungary on a cold night in 2008. Almost 4 years later we are under Tim's roof, having dinner, and meeting his new family! Tim and Nichol took us in for a few nights during our Down Under Tour and we could not be more thankful! We met their adorable son Aiden and we were able to pick their brains about what to do in our upcoming adventures through southeast Asia. This was our last night in Australia and boy did they show us a great time! Thanks for everything guys! Come to NYC soon so we can return the favor! :) 

Now for the interesting Aussie road signs and our thoughts on this huge, beautiful country....

Australia Pt. 3: Exploring the North beaches and life under the sea!

Nelson and Allie looking for Nemo in the Great Barrier Reef!

Greetings from under the Coral Sea! We ventured north in Australia to many beautiful beaches along the coast! From Byron Bay to Hervey Bay to Airlie Beach and the Great Barrier reef. It was a lot of driving and the whole north trip took us about 10 days. Snorkeling the reef was our favorite part of the trip north! It was incredible what we saw when we went under. Allie conquered her fear of snorkeling she acquired in Costa Rica and we both had a great time! Check out the pictures! Apologies for the quality of the underwater pictures, haven't used a disposal camera in a long time! :) We also had a land encounter with some interesting birds who really seemed to like Nelson's cereal! Next up, we wrap up our 3+ weeks in Australia with interesting road signs and an Australian to American translation of key words! 

Australia Pt. 2: Melbourne and the Great Ocean Drive!

Allie and Nelson checking out the Great Ocean Drive! 

What a beautiful country Australia is! We headed south from Sydney to Melbourne where the city was all a buzz with the ongoing Australian Open! We were hooked watching matches almost every night. It was hard not to get into it and choose favorites. Then we ventured down the "Great Ocean Drive" which is a must do in Australia. Luckily we had beautiful weather and stopped at many beautiful beaches along the way! These photos are not doctored in any way! It was actually this blue! How could we not smile?!

Australia Pt. 1: Sydney, a hike in the Blue Mountains, and Australian critters!

Allie and Nelson in front of the Sydney Opera house on a hot sunny day!

Cheers from the down undah! Sorry for the delay in posting but we are just having too much fun in Australia! Our journey began in Sydney which is just an awesome city. The minute we went into downtown Sydney we felt the closest we had to home since we left (even though we were the farthest we had been from home!) We explored the Sydney Opera house and Harbor bridge. We also visited the Taronga Zoo and Manly beach! We took a day trip to the Blue Mountains and saw the famous "Three sisters" and went for a hike. So far we are enjoying all that Australia has to offer! Next up, we head south to Melbourne for some Australian Open action and the Great Ocean Drive. 

New Zealand: The Summary

Days in New Zealand: 21

Days lost traveling to NZ: 1

New Zealand is very unique. Its natural beauty steals the show, from its amazing mountain ranges, to its pristine beaches and all the small towns in between, this country has something for everyone. New Zealand is part of the British commonwealth which we found out is important to some people more than others. They depend on tourism in many of the smaller towns. New Zealand is extremely ecofriendly. They have nothing less than 91 octane gasoline. This helps keep the air clean.  They have the cleanest lakes and rivers and their city streets are immaculate.

New Zealand Pt. 4: Nelson goes to Nelson and lots of fun beaches!

Allie and Nelson after kayaking to a far off island from the shore in the Bay of Islands. This was our celebratory picture.

The beaches in New Zealand are truly beautiful. The water is pristine blue and green. The sun is strong. The views were great. We traveled up from Franz Josef Glacier to Nelson! We couldn't miss the town that bears Nelson's name! We saw some nice beaches and a beautiful sunset in the beach town. Then we traveled far up to the northern most part of the North Island to the Bay of Islands for some spectacular views and blue waters. We went kayaking, had great seafood, and enjoyed blue skies by day and starry skies by night! As we bring our time in New Zealand to a close, we head next to Australia! 

New Zealand Pt. 3- Milford Sound and Franz Josef Glacier

Spectacular sunset from our hotel room in Te Anau

New Zealand's breathtaking scenery is in full effect in our Pt. 3 blog post. From Queenstown we continued our Southland tour by visiting the Milford Sound and staying in the small town of Te Anau. The Milford Sound is actually not a sound at all. It is a fjord which is defined as a crater formed by a glacier that has filled up with ocean water. We then traveled north, stopping in Wanaka again, and making our way up the west coast to the Franz Josef Glacier. We did a full day tour of the glacier and experienced quite a workout! Not to mention an extremely wet, rainy, cold, day out on the ice. Luckily our tour included all the necessary rain gear and foot protection. The glacier tour was such a neat experience and unlike anything we had done so far. Enjoy our photos! Next we take you up north again to some beautiful beaches! We felt we really had to thaw out! 

New Zealand Pt. 2- NYE in Queenstown and video of Nelson Bungy Jumping 154ft!

Allie and Nelson in downtown Queenstown right before midnight on New Year's Eve

We had an awesome New Years Eve 2011 in Queenstown. Friends of family who live in New Zealand told us to go to Queenstown for NYE and their advice was spot on. The town was bustling. People were out everywhere and there was live music all day. We had a great time. At midnight the town sets off fireworks over the water. The day was perfect in terms of weather as well. It was 80 and sun during the day and just slightly cooler at night. The sun set past 10pm so it was daylight only an hour and some change before the clock hit midnight. Next, Nelson bungy jumped! Queenstown is the birthplace of bungy jumping and Nelson did so high above Queenstown at "The Ledge" run by AJ Hackett Bungy Company. He jumped from 154ft. above the town! What a rush! Allie captured it on video and we purchased some professional photos as well! Enjoy! Next up, the beautiful Milford Sound and we scale some ice at the Franz Josef Glacier!