Travel: HONOLULU, HAWAII (Part 1) - Diamond Head, Hanauma Bay, Koko Head, & Waimanalo Beach

*Check out my preceding USA adventures here first!*

Hawaii started off by frustrating me. I arrived at the airport, heavy bag in tow and trudged to the bus stop. There was a half an hour wait until the bus I needed, but the air was balmy and warm so I didn't mind much.

Eventually the bus pulled up and I attempted to board. 'I can't let you on with that', the bus driver said, pointing at my luggage. I looked at him quizzically. 'No luggage allowed'. Mouth agape, I stood there wondering why a bus would bother coming to the airport if it couldn't even pick up passengers.

Disgruntled, I considered my other options - an overpriced Uber or an overpriced shuttle. I opted for the overpriced shuttle, and then had to wait an additional 40 minutes for the next one to leave. Great start.

Subsequently I arrived at my accommodation for the week, The Beach Boutique Hostel Waikiki, a two minute walk from the beachfront. Not a bad location indeed.

Dropping off my bag in my four bed dorm, I decided to carpe what was left of the diem and make my way to Diamond Head, one of Honolulu's famous hikes.

What ensued was a sweaty 40 minute walk to the entrance, where I paid $1 to get in and then started my hike up the peak. The trail was rocky but not too challenging, aside from the final part which included walking through a long but very slim tunnel and up more stairs than I could care to count. Phew. Maybe I'm not cut out for this hiking lifestyle.

However, the view from the top was certainly worth it, offering 360' views of Waikiki and the surrounding suburbs. Visitors flagrantly ignored the 'do not pass beyond this point' signs, but I just took a few photos before heading back before the park closed.

I walked back towards town, my pace quickening when I realised how close to sunset it was. I'd reached a gentle trot by the time I reached the beach to view without a doubt the most beautiful sunset of my entire existence, and that's saying something. I wish I could convey in words just how magnificent it was, rich colours spreading across the entire sky as far as the eyes could see. Straight out of a painting, but better.

I'd hoped to spend the next day on an organised tour of the North Shore put on by the hostel, but it was sold out by the time I arrived. The receptionist said I could be added to the waiting list in case anyone dropped out, so I hung around until 9am before being told 'Sorry, still full'.

Slightly dismayed that this had meant that I'd wasted a few precious hours, I hastily grabbed my stuff and ran for the bus to do what I wouldn't be able to do with the hostel. Buying a full day ticket, I travelled to Hanuma Bay, famed for its pleasant snorkelling.

$7.50 later and I was through the gate, where I had to wait before a large group of us were shuffled into a cinema to watch a safety briefing. This basically outlined 'Don't touch the coral' and yet as I discovered later, many visitors didn't seem to understand such a simple instruction.

We were then permitted to head on down to the bay, a few minutes walk down a hill with very pretty views over the bay. After renting a snorkel and mask, I stripped down and hopped in. I spent a solid hour floating above the corals and admiring the pretty fish that swam around below me, blissfully unaware that the sun was completely destroying every sliver of exposed skin that would make it very painful to lie down or indeed move for the next two weeks. Ouch.

Around midday I’d had my fill of sparkly fish and decided to head across the road for the next of my hikes, Koko Head. Koko Head is essentially a mountain with a path formed from an abandoned tramline, so you find yourself hopping from wooden block to wooden block as you head up the steep face. Believe you me, this is not easy. I was panting after the first few steps, and by the time the incline had gone from ‘this is difficult’ to ‘you’ve got to be kidding me’, I knew I wasn’t going to make it to the top, or if I did, there was no way I was going to make it down again, with my legs already beginning to feel particularly jelly-like.

Deciding that getting a picture for the ‘gram probably wasn’t reason enough to kill myself, I admired the view from where I stood, and then made my way back down and back across to Hanuma where I sucked water from the water fountain like there was no tomorrow. Hanauma and Koko Head had been relatively close to each other, but the next part of my journey would require a bus, so I sat down where I’d been dropped off and waited. And waited and waited. And waited some more.

A bus finally arrived, but it was headed back to Waikiki and I was told I needed to go in the other direction. If only I’d asked what time the next bus was arriving… Over an hour away. I sat there, frustrated, desperately trying to get Uber working on my phone just so I could get away from the spot I’d been waiting for a bus for almost two hours now. You can understand I was annoyed.

Eventually, the bus I was waiting for decided to show up (late, of course) and we headed off. I was to change buses at Sea Life and was told one would be along shortly. Apparently shortly means 40 minutes in Hawaii, and by the time I’d caught this bus, all I wanted to do was go home. But I hadn’t gone to all this trouble just to give up yet, and asked the bus driver to let me know when we were at Waimanalo Beach. As I watched us drive by what I assumed was the beach, I got up and asked him, to which he responded I should’ve gotten off three stops earlier. So much for being told.

Waimanalo Beach was beautiful. Practically empty, the opposite of Waikiki Beach, and with sand and sea stretching as far as the eye could see. I would have happily spent hours there and gone for a quick dip in the surf, but I was so stressed about making sure that I got the bus home that I only gave myself ten minutes to walk down the beach before I turned back towards the road.

I was really rather starving by this point, and a place called Ono’s Steak & Seafood caught my eye as I walked past. I knew that I’d seen this as one of the top rated restaurants on TripAdvisor, and I just can’t say no to top rated TripAdvisor restaurants. As the name might suggest, Ono’s would not perhaps be the first choice for a vegetarian like me, but provided a restaurant has some form of vegetarian option on the menu, you can find me there. I ordered a small platter of yummy garlic fries to go, and then headed back to wait for the bus.

Once again, I had to wait and change buses halfway, but I made it back to Waikiki just in time to head down to the beach for another glorious sunset. The never-ending benefits of living so close to the beach…

I hope you enjoyed today's blog! There's more Hawaii blogs to come, so make sure to stay tuned to my Twitter @CiarasCountry and feel free to drop me a message in the comments for any recommendations of where I should visit next!

Travel: PORTLAND, OREGON - food, food and more food

*Check out my Washington adventures that led to this blog here first!*

After passing across the border from Washington to Oregon, we made our way to our next Airbnb, a bungalow situated in the suburb of Beaverton just outside of Portland. Not in the mood to navigate our way into town for dinner, I suggested we pick up dinner at the Worlds Best Grocery Store™️ Trader Joe's.

There was a lot more window shopping than buying done, but I picked up a spinach and artichoke dip to start, which actually wasn't as impressive as I'd hoped; TJ's Diner Mac & Cheese, and a rich chocolate ganache cake for dessert. Sorted.

Breakfast was also my own supermarket creation of avocado and hummus on toast, and we then set off to the train station to catch the train/tram hybrid to Washington Park.

Washington Park is home to Portland's Rose Garden which, whilst not in full bloom at the time of year we visited, would no doubt be spectacular when visited at the right time. One road over is the Japanese Garden. It's not cheap to get in, but provides a pleasant hour or so walking around in the zen like environment and lush greenery.

Also on the top things to do in Portland is Pittock Mansion, a stately home with views overlooking the city. The rooms are done up to reflect the time, and each room holds information about the family who lived there, so worth a visit if history is your thing.

Food is certainly my thing, and so that's what we heading for next, taking an Uber to Pearl Street. This street has heaps of cafes and restaurants, but we were drawn to Papa Haydns and its mouthwatering display of cakes.

For $10 a slice, you buy yourself a little piece of heaven, and so I chose the seasonal maple and walnut cheesecake along with a spiced apple cider. Pretty good, but we were in the food district and that certainly meant there was plenty more food to be had.

Our next stop was Blue Star Donuts which claims, along with a shop we would visit the following day, to be Portland's best donut shop. By the time we got there after lunch, their selection was very limited, with only five choices to be had, including the rather interesting maple bacon donut. I chose a buttermilk donut topped with a spicy passionfruit glaze which I couldn't bring myself to eat right then (as there was yet more food to come!) but enjoyed very much later that evening.

Of course cake followed by donuts is nothing without a bit of ice cream too, and so our last stop was Salt & Straw. Salt & Straw is famed for its unusual flavours, which were even more unusual than normal given that it was Spooky Season when we were there. This meant you could, if your heart so desired, treat yourself to an ice cream made with pigs blood, or why not one with crickets instead? Funnily enough, neither of these took my fancy, although I did still go for the strange flavours of Pear & Blue Cheese, and Olive Oil. Yum.

Finally having had enough food for the time being, it was time to get cultural, which meant walking to Powell's Books. Fun fact about me: I used to review books for a national newspaper! It would be an understatement to say that I love books, so finding myself in what looked to be the biggest bookstore in the world made me feel like a kid in a candy store. In fact, it was absolutely overwhelming. How on Earth could one choose a book from the millions they stocked there? Thank goodness I had a baggage allowance for my flight and no room for anything new, or else I would have left with armfulls of books.

It was at this point that I asked if we could see Portland. Having spent much of the day walking around, I still didn't feel like I had any idea of what Portland was actually about. We decided to take a walk down to the Waterfront towards Pioneer Square which, whilst pleasant, still didn't help me decipher exactly what was in Portland. I'd had it in my head that I was going to love Portland, but after my day in the city, wasn't sure if I would recommend it to fellow travellers. Perhaps we hadn't given it enough time, or just didn't see the best of what it had to offer, so I'd be very interested to hear thoughts from anyone else whose been there.

After my sweet day, I was craving something savoury for dinner, and so we headed to the Beaverton Food Trucks, most of which were unfortunately shut by the time we got there, but we found a saviour in the form of a BBQ shack, most of the contents of which we took back home to enjoy.

And so the weekend in Portland began, and of course that meant starting the day with food, and more specifically donuts. We drove into town towards Voodoo Donuts, very much a Portland staple for their voodoo doll shaped donuts oozing with jam. But we weren't there to buy voodoo donuts, nor any other item on their menu. We were there to eat ourselves.

Now, what many people don't know about Voodoo Donuts is that if you ask very nicely, rather than piping a voodoo doll onto the donut, they'll pipe you. Incredible. And so we walked away with a family of little donuts which looked a good deal like us. Incredibly delicious they were too, although I found I couldn't look at my donut as I was eating it at the thought of seeing blood red jam oozing out of my torso. Still, how freaking cool!

Much of the reason we'd come to Portland was to visit my brother who was living there at the time - he's not a city person so we fled the city as soon as we could and drove out to the Washington Coast.

We made our way towards Cape Disappointment, and as it was my family members manning the car, I can officially say that my family have driven me to disappointment. I've been waiting a long time to say that.

We hiked up the Cape to the lighthouse where we took a few photos before it started to rain, and then ran for the cover of the trees and made our way back down. I had no idea what our plan really was, or if there even was one, but we ended up heading across a long bridge and into Astoria.

Fort George was our destination for dinner, although we did have to wait almost an hour to be seated. Worth it? I'm not sure, but I did enjoy my kombucha on tap and veggie burger. And then, time to head off to somewhere altoghether different...

I hope you enjoyed today's blog! I'll be uploading even more American adventures shortly, so make sure to stay tuned to my Twitter @CiarasCountry and feel free to drop me a message in the comments for any recommendations of where I should visit next!

Travel: WASHINGTON STATE - Mount Rainier & Mount St Helens

*Read Part 2 of my Washington adventures here first!*

Moving on from the delights of Aberdeen, I'd asked a friend from Washington for coffee shop recommendations in her hometown of Olympia as we would be passing through, and was pointed towards Ember Goods. This cool coffee shop cum clothes and gifts store served very nice coffee, although I chose a Montana Gold Fog, essentially a tea steamer that both smelt and tasted delicious. Great local suggestion!

Warm and full, we drove on towards Mount Rainier, heading up and up with the roads becoming gradually snowier as we rose in altitude. By the time we reached the Visitors Centre, everything was covered in snow, and we felt thankful that the roads were well maintained enough to make it up there.

Taking one look at us, the Park Ranger at the information desk gave us a map of the two easiest walks, starting with the Nisqually View walk. This was really rather pleasant, traipsing through the snow and being offered spectacular views of Mount Rainier whenever we looked up.

The second of our two walks was the Falls walk, a bit more challenging given the slippy ice we had to clamber over to get down to the falls, but worth it for the view.

But the best was still to come, as we drove back down the Mountain and stopped at the Reflection Lake. The clear, still water of the lake reflected the trees around it, making it look just like a painting. Absolutely stunning, and probably the best thing we'd seen in Washington.

With a bit more energy in us yet, we did a couple more walks, first stopping at Box Canyon only to find the trail closed, and then to the Patriarchs trail, so called thanks to the ridiculously huge trees you can see as you walk along.

We decided to take a quick detour to some Hot Springs on the way out of the park, and this was probably a mistake as it took us a fair while to get there and then to walk to find them, which turned out to be a small swampy area with a few drifts of steam rising up. Hardly the deep bubbling springs we had imagined.

As a result of our various detours, we were late heading off in search of somewhere to stay for the night, although this did mean we drove along beside a glorious sunset. However, we soon grew into tired desperation and eventually just picked a random exit and said we would stay wherever we found. This turned out to be a pleasant, but overpriced, Travelodge beside a busy railway in Chehalis. But at least we had somewhere to stay.

I spotted a farm to table restaurant called Jeremy's across the road, and so this was where we headed for dinner. They had an interesting Make Your Own Pizza option which I went for, filling myself up very nicely before a much needed sleep.

The Holiday Inn provided breakfast for us, so we didn't have to venture out into Chehalis again, and instead packed our belongings and set the GPS for Mount St Helen's.

There were various viewpoints along the long drive to admire the snowy mountain with its impressive crevasse from the 1984 explosion. Also en route was Coldwater Lake, so we took a gentle stroll along its banks whilst being battered by the glacial winds.

Arriving at the Mount St Helen's Visitor Centre, we showed our Annual National Park pass for entry, and then wandered around the exhibits. I found the survival stories of those caught in the midst of the eruption particularly fascinating. Imagine being seemingly trapped in clouds of gas and ash and imminent doom, and somehow making it out alive to tell the tale. You know what, I'll pass on anything like that, thank you very much.

There was a boundary walk for us to take, offering spectacular views towards the mountain. To be quite honest, I'd thought that the Visitors Centre would actually be on Mount St Helen's, but I suppose then you wouldn't have got the view. Beyond the Boundary Walk was a dirt track Eruption Walk which took you slightly deeper into the valley, although became slightly treacherous as the track got icier.

The mornings events had made me more than a little hungry, so I was disappointed to find that the Visitors Centre didn't have any form of cafe or restaurant - what a missed business opportunity! We were told that the nearest eating establishment was 19 miles - did that mean 19 miles from where we were or at mile 19 along the road? It turned out to be the latter so we had a long and hungry drive until we reached the Fire Mountain Grill at Mile 19. Always one to attempt to try the local delicacies, I chose the Mountain Berry Cobbler (dessert for lunch, why not?) which was very good indeed.

And with that, it was time to say goodbye to Washington, at least for the time being. Back on the Interstate we got, and then pointed South to Portland.

I hope you enjoyed today's blog! I'll be uploading the rest of my West Coast USA adventures shortly, so make sure to stay tuned to my Twitter @CiarasCountry and feel free to drop me a message in the comments for any recommendations of where I should visit next!

Travel: WASHINGTON STATE - Bainbridge, Olympic National Park, Forks, & Aberdeen

*Read Part 1 of my Washington adventures here first!*

From Seattle, we packed up our Airbnb and headed down to the waterfront to catch a ferry to Bremerton... except we got on the wrong one and realised we were heading to Bainbridge instead. Oops.

Alas, there was nothing we could do, stranded at sea, so we just enjoyed the view and made the most of it. Arriving in Bainbridge, we drove to the cute Main Street and stopped for hot lavender lemonade and warm cinnamon buns at the busy Blackbird Bakery. Now that alone made the unplanned trip worth it.

Lucky for us, Bainbridge wasn't too far from where we were meant to be, and we headed along the windy roads shaded by autumnal trees towards Olympic National Park. Since we'd be visiting a few National Parks over the next few days, it made sense to buy an Annual Pass for $80 for the car, rather than pay $30 each time.

We asked for recommendations at the Visitor Centre and were suggested the Sol Duc falls, which involved a fair drive to the trail head and then a wet walk through tall and pretty trees to the aforementioned waterfall. It was pretty impressive, and we were some of the few people there which made it feel nice and secluded.

For accommodation that evening, we had planned to go back to the town of Port Angeles, but I spotted Forks, Washington on the map, and decided we had to go there. Why? Well, it was the setting for Stephanie Meyer's Twilight Saga, and I couldn't resist the opportunity to stay there. Plus, it was closer to where we needed to be the following day, so win-win really.

Forks was not quite what I'd expected in that it was pretty much just one short road, and that was about it. I wasn't quite sure what Stephanie had seen in it to base her novels, but I was willing to find out. We checked into the Pacific Inn Motel and wandered out for dinner at Pacific Pizza which appeared to be the place to be if you're a fisherman who loves camo. I fit right in.

After a night without too many run-ins with vampires and werewolves, we headed for breakfast and Blakeslees Bar and Grill. Not only did they have Twilight inspired coffee mugs, but outside were about a hundred elk munching from the apple trees and grass that paved the neighbouring air strip. Now that was pretty cool.

We headed off to a different part of Olympic National Park, with our first stop being the Hall of Mosses. The name kind of gives it away, and we walked along a trail with trees draped in mosses that looked beautiful dappled in sunlight. With extra time to spare, we also opted to do the Spruce Trail, and had the forest pretty much too ourselves.

One of the park rangers had recommended we stole at Ruby Beach along our drive, so this was our next destination. The beach was pretty, but brutally cold, with the glacial wind whipping at any exposed skin. Refreshing to say the least.

We continued on to Quintana Lake where we took another short walk through the forest towards an old homestead, and then decided to drive around the rest of the lake rather than returning down the road from which we'd come. Not our smartest decision, as this took nearly an hour and a half with not really much of a view. Live and learn, I guess!

By this point, it was time to start looking for somewhere to stay further down the coast, and so we first drove to Ocean Shores, enticed by its name. This turned out to be a resort town with a main strip running through the centre with hotel after hotel lining the street and not much else. There were plenty of deer, and even a trash panda (aka a racoon) to be seen along the roadside, but we didn't think there would be much in the way of nice places to eat, so carried on.

Perhaps we should have stayed at Ocean Shores, as the more tired we got, the more desperate our decision making became, and we pulled up at the first motel we found in Aberdeen.

Checked into our cheap Travelodge, we headed to Billy's for dinner, with my three course meal consisted of pretzel bites with beer cheese (yum), a veggie burger (odd texture), and deep fried raspberry cheesecake (when in Rome). Not bad for the middle of nowhere.

However, it was when I returned to my room that the fun began, as my neighbours were having a very vocal argument next door, with a lot of screaming and crying and threats being made. Deciding that the walls were certainly thin enough for bullets to pass through, I asked to be moved to a room preferably not next to the HQ for whatever drug/prostitution ring my neighbours had been members of.

After what turned out to be a pretty decent night's sleep, we ate breakfast at the hotel as it was included, and headed on our way. All in all, I wouldn't fault the Travelodge, it just depends on the clientele there at the same time you are. Having survived that night, it was time to head off into the mountains...

I hope you enjoyed today's blog! I'll be uploading the rest of my West Coast USA adventures shortly, so make sure to stay tuned to my Twitter @CiarasCountry and feel free to drop me a message in the comments for any recommendations of where I should visit next!

Travel: SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - Starbucks, skylines, and Space Needles

Having safely arrived in Seattle in spite of a close encounter with the TSA in Honolulu, my first night was spent at the Hampton Inn Seatac, which of course can only mean one thing - hotel breakfasts, aka the main reason I travel.

Having stocked up, we headed off to Bellevue, an upmarket business neighbourhood. We stopped for coffee at Capitol One, a bank which offers discounted Peet's coffee to their credit card holders. Noice.

Something I didn't realise about Seattle is that it's a bit of a tech hub, and so our first cultural stop was the Microsoft Campus. Here, visitors can try out new tech like uber expensive gaming chairs and software that guesses how old you are or which type of dog you look at.

Being so nerdy had made us build up and appetite, so we drove to a nearby coffee shop called Five Stones for yummy avocado toast, although a surcharge was added that day due to low avocado supplies. Who'd have thought such a thing could be possible in our millennial era?

Given that we'd be in Seattle for a few days, we'd booked an Airbnb in Capital Hill which enabled us to have a place of our own just outside of the city.

As the sun began to set, we took a walk down to Pike Street Market to admire the views out beyond Puget Sound, and see the very first Starbucks. And who says I don't do historical stuff on my travels?

With dinner on our minds, I suggested the American institution that is The Cheesecake Factory. This turned out to be a pretty good option given that their 20 page menu has something for everyone, plus close to 40 cheesecake options. It's a win-win. I opted for a four cheese pasta (it works on pizza, and it works on pasta) followed by Adam's Peanut Butter Cheesecake, filled with Butterfinger and Reese's Cups. Pretty good.

Day two in the big smoke and I woke up at 2am - definitely channelling Meg Ryan a la Sleepless in Seattle. With sleep nowhere in sight, I waited until shops opened to venture to Safeway to see what grocery shopping in the middle of the night looks like, and then wandered back as light began trickling through the sky.

Once the whole gang was awake, we made our way to Verve for peanut butter acai bowls. The staff there aren't exactly the most reliable (customers have been known to leave because their bowls are taking too long, and my takeaway bowl was put in a to stay bowl), but the bowls are pretty good.

Embracing our inner techies, we wandered to Amazon district to take a look at the Amazon Go stores, where your movement is tracked so you can take whatever you want without worrying about cashier lines as you're charged automatically when you leave; and the Amazon biospheres, big domes filled with plant life.

We left Central Seattle towards Lower Queen Anne, home of the Space Needle. It's not the cheapest attraction, but given my inability to pass on climbing tall objects in cities (or hanging out of them, a la Toronto's CN Tower), I decided it was worth the money and booked in.

After waiting in a huge queue to get to the elevator, you are whisked up, up and up to the Observation Deck. Most of this is outside, which made it perfect for the sunny day I came on. The exterior is entirely glass, so you can walk around with an unimpeded view and even lean back against the glass overhanging the city if you're brave enough!

I particularly enjoyed the tech that they'd installed which allowed you to take selfies and videos by scanning your ticket and then smiling up at the camera on the roof; the photos from which you can later download on your phone - perfect if you're a solo traveller like I was!

Downstairs was the lower observation deck with glass floor, again, pretty cool. I wish I could've stayed there for a full rotation (about every 45 minutes), but given the queue to get down was about as big as the one to go up, I thought I'd better get moving.

Back on solid ground, we left the Lower Queen Anne district to head up to Queen Anne District. What no one tells you about Seattle is that its actually extremely hilly, so this was fairly challenging! But the view from Kerry Park certainly made it worth it, as you could see the whole Seattle skyline, which this time included the Space Needle too.

Since holidays are all about treating yourself, our next stop was ice cream at Molly Moon. Now, if you know me, you'll know I suck at making decisions, so after tasting two flavours and not really liking them, I panic ordered salted caramel. A safe bet, right? This one was majorly salty, and I think all of Molly Moon's flavours are rather intense, so if that's what you're looking for, try it, but if not, I'd try your hand elsewhere.

Pretty much the last key place we had to see was the Waterfront, so we traipsed past all of the fancy houses and down to the waters edge, walked along, and then had to walk all the way up the hills back to the Airbnb. Needless to say, after a day like that, my feet were killing me, and we weren't done just yet.

We'd booked dinner at Elliot's down on one of the piers, which meant heading all the way back to the Waterfront (my poor legs). Elliot's is famous for seafood, but unfortunately their vegetarian options weren't up to much (there was one) so I had a spiced pumpkin soup to start followed by a pretty ordinary cauliflower and chickpea dish. Dessert made up for it a bit with espresso panacotta, as did the view over the water as the sun set.

Our last full day in Seattle began with a drive out to Edmonds, where we went for brunch at the Rusty Pelican, a busy place with huge plates. I went for a variation on one of their combos - lemon curd crepes with 2 eggs any style and home potatoes; coupled with a seasonal apple cider. Not bad for under 20 bucks!

The main reason we were in Edmonds was to catch the ferry across to Kingston, a sleep town whose main attraction seemed to be some overly large chairs dotted around. We did a quick tour of the town, down to the bay to watch the gentle waves roll in, and then for a quick coffee at Majestic Coffee Roastery before hopping back on the ferry.

Back where we started, we took a drive over to Seahurst Park in Burien for a pleasant week along the coast of the Puget Sound, and then along to Lincoln Park to walk along the dog-filled Promenade. My kind of afternoon.

Legs still tired from the previous day, we decided to stay fairly local for dinner and head to Nue, an eclectic restaurant with dishes from all over the world. We had options from as far as Pakistan and South Africa, but I chose the spicy Malaysian Curry and a Tamarind soda. Something a bit different before we headed off to further explore Washington.

I hope you enjoyed today's blog! I'll be uploading the rest of my West Coast USA adventures shortly, so make sure to stay tuned to my Twitter @CiarasCountry and feel free to drop me a message in the comments for any recommendations of where I should visit next!

Review: AUSTRALIAN OUTBACK SPECTACULAR, Gold Coast, NSW

I visited the Gold Coast a few times when I was living in Noosa, and one thing that people always told me to do when I was in that neck of the woods was to visit the Australian Outback Spectacular. I didn’t really have any clue what it was, but hey, if someone tells me something is worth seeing, you bet I’m on board.

I decided to head over to the venue, right next to Movieworld, an hour or so early as my ticket said General Admission, and to me this meant first there, first seated. As it turns out, everyone does have an assigned seat, so there was no need to show up early, but it turned out I wasn’t the only one who had thought so, as there was already a line forming when I arrived.

Once doors opened at 6, we scanned our tickets and then were given a cowboy style straw hat to don for a few photos in front of a green screen. With that done, it was then free time until the show started. The waiting area was a huge room decked out like a country bar. I loved it. The decoration was spectacular, and in spite of its size, it felt really authentic. A singer serenaded us with country hits from atop a horse cart, and guests had the opportunity to buy a few drinks or take photos with some of the animal stars of the show.

About 15 minutes before we were let into the arena, one of the cast came to make announcements about the show, along with a few very corny jokes and what seemed to be an innumerable number of birthday wishes. Apparently this is the place to come when celebrating your special day.

At 7:15, we wandered into the arena – essentially a large area of sand in the middle with a huge screen at the back and seats all around the side. Even having booked a few days prior, I somehow managed to have a seat in the front row – the perks of coming solo I guess! The starter was already laid out, a goats cheese tart which I tucked into pretty soon after I sat down as it was already a bit lukewarm from sitting there, but decent nonetheless.

As everyone headed towards their seats, waiters came and offered us beer, wine, lemonade or water, and then the show began. The humungous screen at the front of the room displayed pictures of rural Australia – farming communities, Aboriginal people, intricate carvings, animals galore. The visuals were amazing, and I only wish cinemas had that good quality!

This was followed by people on horseback rushing out into the sandy area and performing a variety of acrobatics, which I imagine couldn’t have been very easy atop a horse. This was like a pre-show, as the show itself did have some semblance of a story which was half love story and half family-trying-to-save-their-farm story. Had it been a movie, it wouldn’t have been the most thrilling, but for a live action show they made use of what they could – bringing out sheep and cattle, dogs, tractors and cars, as well as a pretty-much to scale house.

As we watched, the waiters came to refill our glasses as much as we wished, and serve us food whilst the show went on. For the main course, we had an option of steak, chicken, or vegetarian. I’d say steak was far and away the most popular option. Quite frankly, the vegetarian option wasn’t up to much – a bean stew with some vegetables on the side, although the mashed potato was to die for.

It was nice how little this interrupted the show, and was done so smoothly, waitstaff flowing out silently from corridors to place your food down and float off again. All very smooth. We also had some staff members come around to sell the photos we’d had taken earlier, as this is, after all, a profitable business.

And so we came to the climax of the show - *spoiler alert* a wedding on horseback which ended with some of the cast members flying off to the heavens. It was so cringey you couldn’t help but love it. To top it off, it was also accompanied by dessert, a delicious chocolate and caramel tart. I certainly wouldn’t be going home hungry or thirsty.

I have to say I enjoyed my Outback Spectacular experience. For around $100 (plus accommodation and travel for me), it’s not the cheapest, but when you think about what you get out of it, it’s actually not bad. A pretty decent show that highlights some pretty impressive skills and does give you a bit of an insight into life in the Australian outback, a 3 course meal and unlimited drinks, and a snazzy hat to boot. I’d recommend.

I hope you enjoyed today's review! Hopefully I'll be doing lots of Aussie cultural activities whilst I'm here, so make sure to stay tuned to the blog and my Twitter @CiarasCountry for updates. Thanks for reading!

Travel: BYRON BAY, NSW, AUSTRALIA

As much as I loved Noosa, there’s wasn’t always too much going on at the weekends, which is why I took every opportunity to head further afield when I could. One such adventure took me to Byron Bay, about 4 hours drive South of Noosa, and somewhere with a reputation for being a bit cool. 

I arrived on a Friday night, and checked into my home for the next two nights, the Cape Byron YHA. The hostel was perfectly nice – a swimming pool in the centre, a communal area, a really decent kitchen, and pretty standard hostel rooms. I’d opted for a 4-bed female dorm, figuring that it would be the quietest option for the weekend.

Once I’d checked in, I decided to check out the town, and quite frankly, found it a bit intimidating. Byron’s not big by any means, but it was a Friday night and it seemed like everyone was out, crowding buskers on the street and pouring out of bars. Coming from somewhere as sleepy as Noosa, this was a bit of a culture shock for me.

Tired from a long day of driving, I decided it was time to crash and made my way back to the hostel for a not-great, not-bad sleep (never forget eyemask and earplugs, people!) However, waking up early had its perks in that it gave me an option to take a walk down to the beach, which was about 10 minutes walk away from the hostel.

I loved this time – watching all of the early morning risers, dog walkers, and runners using the beach as their own personal playground, and it made me wish sincerely that in the future I’ll have a house of my own close to the beach so I can do this each and every day. I walked back along the roads to town, admiring the houses of the rich and fabulous and feeling only a little jealous.

Our next stop was one of Byron’s more hidden beaches – Tallows Beach and Cosy Corner, called so because it’s tucked behind a headland which does make it seem rather cosy. Again, another pleasant beach walk, complete with clear water flowing in over our toes.

 

Then it was back into town for a wander round (in daylight this time – much less intimidating) to admire the various street art and murals; and for lunch at Main Street Burger Bar. I opted for a BBQ pulled jackfruit burger and cookies & caramel milkshake, which sadly turned out to be more style than substance. Perfect for the ‘gram, but not as tasty as I’d envisioned.

With the afternoon ahead of us, we decided to venture out of town to The Farm, a boujee farm with animals and a pretty nice looking restaurant. This seemed to be a great place to take the kids for the afternoon, to stroll around and admire the wildlife, and then stop for some grub on the way out; or a ridiculously fancy picnic, as it seemed some had brought with them.

And yet, the day was still not over, so we went even further, to Brunswick Heads. This involved a super nice walk along the river and up to the beach, followed by a spectacular sunset where the sun was literally red. Sadly this was a result of bushfires burning a little way away so there was a bit of sadness behind this beauty, but it was a truly incredible sight to look at.

 

Dinner was at the appropriately named Brunswick Pizza & Thai (you’ll never guess what they serve there) for a fresh pad thai before heading to the Brunswick Hotel for an evening of live music in support of raising funds for the rainforest. A profitable day if I do say so myself.

My last morning in Byron started just the way I wanted it to, with another cruise along the beach to get me excited for the day. We then headed up to the Water Tower to check out the views (and more expensive houses) before moseying back down to the beach and along to The Pass, which offers wonderful views up and down the shore, and was the perfect place to just relax and enjoy being where I was.

 

Beyond The Pass, we could walk to Wategos Beach, which seemed to be a favourite for many as it was pretty busy. Byron certainly has no shortage of beaches to peruse, and I’m sure they get even busier come mid-summer.

With all that walking, we’d worked up quite an appetite, so it was about time for lunch, this time for cheesy, gooey Yemeni food at Yaman, right next to the beach. It was rather delicious, but a bit overpriced and even more so as they’d put a weekend charge on it too.

Having pretty much seen all of the Byron highlights by this point, we took the opportunity to just relax beside the beach and enjoy the buskers. Apparently if you’re into music, Byron is the place to start, as you can build up quite a following here, and my time there certainly showed that Byron residents are big into their music.

My last item on my Byron Bucket List was to visit the famous lighthouse, so we hiked our way through the forest up to the lighthouse, just in time to take some photos and watch the sunset. Like the previous night, this sunset was a pretty weird one due to the smoke, with the sun appearing to set behind a band of smoke, rise again, and then set one final time. Trippy. But beautiful.

 

We stayed until it was getting dark and then headed back down via the road and onwards into town to the Railway Friendly Bar, a super cool joint with good food and live music all night. A great place to end my Byron adventures, and how glad I was to have visited. Now, onwards to the next adventure!

I hope you enjoyed today's blog post! I'm doing lots of travelling soon, so make sure to stay tuned to the blog and my Twitter @CiarasCountry to stay in the loop!