The World by Road

While aimlessly wandering around the Sydney airport Steve and Steve materialize out of thin air and my theworldbyroad experience begins. For those of you who do not know how this came to be.....After graduating I went online to figure out what travel experience would be the best use of this new free time I had found. While perusing the Internet for overland travel through Africa I came across theworldbyroad.com. Steve and Steve (yes they really are both named Steve) have plans to drive around the world over the course of the next two years. Toyota, Lonely Planet, and a few other companies are sponsoring this adventure. I sent in my join the team submission not really believing I would be allowed to partake in such an adventure. But here I am today, an official team member of The World By Road.

Steve, and Steve were joined at the airport by (Brian) Chappy, a bald, scuba-diving seaman and we set off for the hostel. Everyone seemed a little disheveled from traveling but nonetheless the around the world adventure had begun! The next day Caki showed up and really added some spirit to the group. She'll be a good friend and partner in crime along the way. Kira, a blond from New Jersey showed up later in the evening. She's a photographer and took the picture that is my bio picture on theworldbyroad.com . The group spent the next couple of days getting to know each other and doing some of the many errands that need to be done on a project like this. We're sponsored by Toyota which gives us some authenticity to our expedition. The Steve's also have press credentials because we'll be doing stories along the way. One task each group member has to do is research stories and then create the contacts to make the story happen. Right now, I'm looking into the huge Australian drought and how it might be coupled with global warming. I like diversity though so I'm also looking into getting onto a radio show in Melbourne and getting hooked up with a surf camp. We'll see if any of those pan out.

We did this sort of thing for a couple days but soon tired of Sydney. Despite being a beautiful city with a plethora of activities, it seems fairly similar to most major American cities. It was soon time to move on down the coast. We rented two brits camper vans and hit the road. As you can imagine, things get really tight when trying to cook, clean, sleep, and just live in a van. We got to know each other even better…..

The first night we stopped next to the beach where kangaroos, parrots, and other strange birds meandered about the campsite. The Steve's are really good chefs and whipped up a lovely meal to top off the day. I fell asleep to the sound of the ocean waves. This was pretty much par for the course for the next two nights as we worked our way toward Melbourne stopping off now and again for short hikes. Then we went to Williams National Promentory which is located on a peninsula. Let the bogey boarding begin! We played in the surf and sand until dark.



The camper vans are an interesting affair. The back has a sink, microwave, and a few cupboards. There are two benches facing each other in the back. A table can be set up but otherwise acts as the middle section of the lower bed. Caki and Steve share the lower bunk and I get the bat cave all to myself. The bat cave is composed of three large plywood planks that get pulled out to form a bed that is two by four by eight feet. As far as camping goes though, it's great!



The birds here are crazy and wake us up intermittently throughout the evening and into the morning. We then wake up reorganize by putting the beds away and storing our luggage back up in what is the first third of my bed. (I'll take pictures so this is easier to visualize) Then we make a little breakie (Australian for breakfast) and hit the road.



We stayed in Melbourne for three nights while the Steve's worked out more logistics and I did more research on the drought and what we should do up on the Gold Coast. It was also Brian's birthday so we went to the Italian section of Melbourne for a scrumptious meal of pesto gnocchi and bruschetta. If you are ever in Melbourne go to the Woodfire Pizza. We also tried to go out on the town in celebration only to be turned away. Why? We weren't sure at first either but it turns out that you can't wear sandals to most bars. What, this is Australia!?



We started down the Great Ocean Road. The road lived up to the fact that Australians were audacious enough to call it THE GREAT OCEAN ROAD. Needless to say, I was excited to get back on the road and closer to the beach. The journey started off with Duane, our new friend, who also happened to be the captain of the jetboat in Geelong. It turned out he was actually from New Zealand, the home of adventure/thrill sports. He took us out at full speed for over two hours. He giggled with glee after announcing that he was going to soak me. He proved true to his word and I looked like a salt monster for the rest of the day.



The lighthouse, rainforest walk, sleeping in some villas, and a winery tour were other perks of traveling with The World by Road and highlights of the Great Ocean Road.

The lighthouse was great because we got hooked up with free everything….hot chocolate, pizza, entrance, and the inside scoop on everything. The tour guide regaled us with stories about ufo sightings, ghosts, and ship wrecks. Gale force winds that accompanied a hurricane off the coast of Tasmania made the top of the lighthouse quite exciting. My hair was perpendicular to my face and I almost blew away.



The rainforest walk was similar to the one I did in Ghana except it was sturdier. Scaring Caki was the fun part of this venture. Educational elements were also interesting because of the ongoing drought which has almost halved rainfall in the region.



Because we were doing a story on the villas, they were free. After sleeping in camper vans for a couple nights, the luxury of a bed and clean shower is almost overwhelming. We watched TV and ate a nice meal. Sleep was also luxurious due to a plush featherbed and lack of birds to wake us.



A gem in the Great Ocean Road experience that can't be forgotten is a small opp shop in the town of Anglesea. Opp shops are opportunity shops that are equivalent to our goodwill's. At said shop, I found the most amazing wetsuit in the whole world. Bright pink and blue with a rainbow pull, this ripcurl suit has everything the 80's has to offer. That's when it was made. Later on in the day, Steve and Steve bought a surf board and my surf lifestyle began!



The Winery we visited is also related to surfing, as most everything is along this coast. Matthew the co-owner of Longboard winery and his adorable daughter Lulu took us around the estate for over three hours. The wine was good, but the stories were better. Matthew knew everything there was to know about surfing. I made the mistake of asking him if he used to surf. He looked at me surprised and said that he surfs about three days a week. Matthew oozed zen. The wine and surf lifestyle must foster this cool, laid-back attitude.



Now, I'm back in Melbourne working on hooking us up with some Rugby clubs to do some interviews and catch the action up close and personal.





Much surf, sand, and love,

Elena


Check out my pics at
http://www.flickr.com/photos/youmisselena/