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Some times it feels like I am never at home. Was in Melbourne over the weekend on Famil with Tourism Vic and had a fantastic time. It was so good to be travelling again, checking out hotels, doing a bit of plane spotting in the terminal etc. Loved it!

Next month I am on the road again as well, I am off to Cairns to go white water rafting with my sister. This is a time where i can do the things I never thought I would do. I guess these are gonna be my little challenges for a while. So to start wth will be White Water Rafting, then learning to ride a bike, learning to kayak, probably Abseiling/Rock Climbing (when i get some arm strength) all those adventure activities I never thought I would be able to do.

Still trying to tick some stuff off my bucket list but unfortunately it will be a while till it starts getting ticked off. I dont think i will ever add a bungy jump etc to the list cause im not that crazy. My leave got approved for my next big trip so sometime in the next week that trip will start to develop and will keep everyone up to date as it goes along.

I have also had a few weeks of maintaining weight (apart from losing 1.5kg while I was away which im not to happy about) but its been good. I swear i feel like im constantly eating. All the time! But thats the way i need to be going, graze graze graze!

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Kokoda Track Map

Day 1 – Brisbane to Port Moresby
It all begins today. Woke up with the usual nerves I get before any trip. Try to make my mind go into a normal routine. Stop, think and go slow. Don’t rush and work logically. Force myself to eat breakfast and hope to clear out my emails before leaving. Internet down, which means no TV distraction either as Foxtel is out as well. Lock up the house and make sure all good. Taxi turning up early is a good sign and on the way with ease. At the airport right on time and all good. Nerves slightly less for the moment.
Easy check in and move down to immigration slowly. The lady does a double take, looking at my passport which I expected. All this distracting me and keeping my nerves low. Getting to the duty free and out again once stopped that’s where the nerves kick in. Mind going a million miles a minute and trying to understand what is really going on. Flight went off well, not a single problem and the service was fine. Reminded me of Norfolk Air so much.

Once on the ground in Port Moresby, reality hit pretty hard. I was actually here and there was no going back. I couldn’t believe I was doing this. Brian and Kila met us at the airport so that was a good distraction. Things are so different over here. The hotel was right near the airport and had amazing views. But looking around, the hotel feels out of place. It’s luxury in surroundings you don’t expect. We got out packs and started to pack them. This was less problematic and less Nazi than expected. We aren’t really carrying much, just a few clothes and bits and pieces. I saw the ration pack and this is where my mind went crazy. So much food. I don’t think I would have eaten so much a year ago. But I was under orders to eat everything and I will. Each and every thing in that bag, snacking a lot. We had dinner and a few drinks (still no booze) and chatted about what was going to happen over the new few days. We retired early as it was going to be a very early morning tomorrow.

Day 2 – Port Moresby to Popondetta to Hoi
Up early this morning and outside for a pick up to the Airport. We were to fly to Popondetta and then by truck to Kokoda. I have to get used to “Track Time” as it is a lot of “Hurry up and Wait”. Thankfully after the charter airline crash we are flying Air Niugini to Popondetta and this meant a nice comfortable Dash 8. My first time. What an awesome way to get my spotting Trinity on this trip. We flew a new Q400. A short 20 minute flight and we were in Popondetta. This was my first short field landing in a non jet aircraft and it was a little more violent than expected. Once on the ground we were into the back of a truck and onto Popondetta Township to pick up some water.

We figured the ride wouldn’t be long in the truck. WRONG. It was a good 4 hours of bone jarring, spine nudging, bouncing in the back of the track. It was not comfortable at all. It was around 1230 by the time we got into Kokoda. By god it was amazing to finally be here but yet there wasn’t much there at all. We finally ate our first meal of the day after missing breakfast. There was a Peanut Chocolate Slab in the pack and dear god that was amazing. My first taste of chocolate in such a long time. God yes. We had lunch in the guest house at Kokoda, which is essentially a hut with a table and chairs. We set off onto the track. Only a short day today, 5km to Hoi. It was a nice introduction to the track, an easy start. Enjoyed it. Once we got into Hoi it was getting used to camp life. Wash in a steam, ring out clothes and hang them out on the line at the end of the tent and then settle down to some dinner, some talking and hopefully a good night’s sleep. Dinner was Dehy 101. I failed this class. My meal was a little crunch, it was gross, but add Tabasco and it was edible. It amazes me how much food I can eat, I just can’t get over it. Hopefully tonight I can sleep. Brian taught us a few words of Pidgin today.
Mi Now – I’m ok, ok, yes
Lik Lik – Little
Pikinini – Child
Sweet Biscuit – Man who likes men (Andy)
Meri – Woman
Kakaruk – Chicken
Balus – Plane

Day 3 – Hoi to Isurava Memorial
Sleep was not easy. I must have been on a few rocks. But everything was muddy, yippee. We had breakfast early (6am) before heading off around 7am. We were doing the biggest hill at the start of our 2nd day on the track. It was up & up & up. First break at Deniki, 2nd by a waterfall, 3rd somewhere I forget. We stopped at the top of the hill at Isuravua before a nice long break. It was a fantastic lunch, lots of laughs and genuine good feelings. It was so good to rest. Even though we weren’t moving fast it wasn’t easy.

It was rough going in some places but once at the top it was fine. After lunch we moved to the Isuravua memorial. This was harder for me as my back was starting to hurt. I was sliding all over the place. Andy saved my butt several times over. We stayed tonight at the memorial and it was such an amazing view. We were camped on the side of the hill overlooking this amazing valley. We had a relaxing afternoon compared to what I expected. Dinner was more laughs and stories. More trading and good times.
I am enjoying it but worried as well that it is Day 2 of 8 out here and I may not make it. We told our stories tonight and as expected I was up first. After mine and Andy’s stories it was off to bed. Early rise tomorrow.

Day 4 – Isuravua to Templetons Crossing 2
It’s late (8pm), I’m tired so this will be short. I wanted to pack it in after today. 12 hours of this fucking shit. That’s right 12 hours on the track. I was ready to pack it in when we walked into camp covered in mud head to toe. Just totally over it. It was going ok till lunch. My back was doing just fine but this afternoon’s 3 hours took us 4.5 hours. FUCK IT. I did stack it today, Ass down which makes it 2 now. I need to calm down and just get it done. No more cranky pants, focus, calm, on my feet. It’s raining again right now so sleep is beckoning.

Day 5 – Templetons Crossing 2 to 1900
Today was as tough a day mentally as yesterday. Today started off looking ok but went downhill quickly. I had swapped to fresh underwear & socks to help combat the “sads”. But the rain came hard so the socks were not dry for long. But the problem was as we got higher and higher to the top of Mt Bellamy it got old. The rain came down hard and there was just mud everywhere. Up, down, left, right it was all over at one point before our morning smoko. We stopped and it felt like someone stabbed me over and & over in the back. It was unbearable. Brian gave me a tablet to get through the pain and then Andy took my entire pack off me for about 15 mins. Then when we had a break at Templetons Crossing 1, I got the pack back with nothing it in just food & water. This made it easier and much, much better for what was to come.
This was where it was so cold. I couldn’t stop shivering. It felt like it went forever. We did not stop for about 5 hours. When we got down to 1900 (the camp is at 1900m above sea level) even though it was cold everyone went straight to the fire, spent a good hour drying off and warming up. Took forever to get out of the “sads” but it eventually happened. I just have to get my head around focusing on keep going. Don’t feel bad, don’t worry. I am half way across the track time wise and I need to stay focused, and keep my mind on track to make it through.

I forgot to write that coming down into Templetons I was coming down the hill with no pack, I took a bit of a slip. I almost went head first down a hill. I was caught by a porter thank god. I was saved! As I sit here at 1900 freezing my butt off I bid you good night.

Day 6 – 1900 to Brigade Hill
Up before my alarm this morning but only by 3 or 4 minutes. 2nd day of squatting in the long drops… yay? I am still getting used to the process of squatting over a hole. Still a bit slow in the morning getting everything packed and stowed. We were out of camp by 6:30 and off onto the track. Through some absolutely giant Pandanus trees and up to the “Shortcut” and then down to the dreaded “Butter Chicken”.

Apparently there was meant to be mud that resembled the look of butter chicken. We got to a point where we could look down through the range to the villages we were due to go. Pretty soon we were coming into our morning tea stop at Naduri. No mud in sight and we made awesome time. We had a quick break and had some fantastic Bananas.

We moved on down and down to the bottom, then up and up and up to Efogi Tops. Again we had amazing views of the main Efogi. It is the distance half way point but not the real halfway point. This was a massive village with one of 2 air strips that are open on the track. We had a relaxing lunch in Efogi Main and then trekked up to Brigade Hill. The sun was out most of the day, which meant spirits were much higher. No rain, no mud. Fantastic. Being sunny meant hot and sweaty. It also meant sunburn was big. The malaria tablets make you more sensitive to sunlight. But you sucked it up and kept moving. The views were just amazing. Kept taking lots of photos, enjoying the day. I guess with only 3 sleeps to go it should be good. Big days to come though.

I haven’t written anything about the people I’m trekking with. There are a total of 7 trekkers, 2 staff and 6 porters. The porters are all very quiet. Very, Very quiet. They never talk to you unless you approach them but they are great. The head Porter/Guide is Kila. He is from a village called Alola which is at the northern end of the Track. The other porters are Henry the lead man. He is always out in front showing us where to go, David who always seems to be the one sent ahead to set up camp. Paul who is a personal porter and then there is another one whose name I don’t know yet. The only porter I haven’t mentioned yet is Nick. He is the guy who saved my butt several times including a head first spill that could of been nasty. He is always there to lend me a helping hand when it gets slippery. The 2 staff are Brian and Andy. Most people who know me know that Andy is my PT so he doesn’t need an introduction but Brian is the boss, he runs Adventure 1000. He has been a great driving force forwards, keeping me going. He is always updating my boss and I don’t think he has ever said a negative thing about me.

The trekkers are Darrell, Tennille, Chris, Stuart, Michelle & Kat. Darrell is the oldest and he is from Perth. He is the only one who has his own porter and he does need it. He is very unstable at times and has a reputation for big tumbles (worse than me). Tennille & Chris are both from North Qld (Mackay I think) and are both great. Chris is ex army, and it shows somewhat, and Tennille has a great sense of humour. Stuart and Michelle I have trained with and seen around the gym for a while. It has been great getting to know them better. I know that Michelle has been finding it tough, but she is upfront and we go at her pace and she does fantastically. Last but not least is my “buddy” on the track, Kat. She has kept me partially sane but both being young and single means we cop our fair share of flack. Either way she is a machine and just amazes me at how fit she is. I wish I had the ability she does. All in all it’s a great group. Each day we all learn more and more about each other which makes it great that you get to talk to people and learn so much.

Day 7 – Brigade Hill to Nauro
Up very early again (before 5am) and another morning routine underway. I don’t know if I will ever feel clean again on this trip as I have not had a real shower since Moresby. Beautiful start to a morning right beside the track, literally. A few porters passed through the camp as we were eating breakfast. The morning was nice and cool and made for a good start on the track. It was a big downhill this morning. 2 hours and 15 minutes. This was the first hill of many today. The plan was Brigade Hill to Menari to Brown River to Nauro. We made it to Menari Creek for a quick swim ahead of time, but I decided against going in.
We had a good 40 minutes in Menari in the Sun on the grass before moving onto crossing through the Menari Gap. This meant a quick 45 minute up and then down a long, long way, almost 1.5 hours. It was shocking and then at the bottom was our lunch stop. My back was aching, legs aching; I was ready to pack it in. But I am so close I can taste it. We moved along Brown River along the flat for about 45 mins and it was exactly what I needed. It was that little bit of relaxing walk that gives you the energy to keep going.
We crossed Brown River itself which was meant up to waist in water, since the bridge (made of logs) had been washed away. My boots are Gore-Tex and hold water in which was not ideal as I made the final hour long climb up through 5 of the 9 False Peaks of the Muguli Range in drenched boots. I had just gotten them clean and dry and now having to start all over again. As soon as we got in, it was boots off and by the fire to dry out. 1 more night left after tonight. 2 more bush toilet mornings. Can’t wait.

Day 8 – Nauro to Camp 44
Not much sleep again last night with rooster sand some guy in the next guest house over snoring like a freight train. Was all good to go this morning, Dry Shoes, Fresh socks fresh underwear. Was looking up till about half way up the Muguli range. It was getting stinking hot, really hot. Mal was not a happy camper. My back has been hurting since about day 3 on the track. By the time we got to the end of the hill at the bottom, I was in heat exhaustion and just about ready to fall over in Pain. Then the worst day so far had kicked in.
I was ok by the time we got to Ioribaiwa but then we went downhill, and so did I. My back was in agony, I was in excruciating pain, I had apparently pulled a muscle in my back and it was just not good. I was so hoping to come out of this with no injuries, I was trying to avoid not carrying a pack but that does not look good either. I’m really not looking forward to tomorrow now. My last day on the track is not going to be easy. It’s probably going to be a very long day, But I will tough it out. 8 more hours on the track to go.

Day 9 – Camp 44 to Owers Corner to Port Moresby
I have just woken up and although I don’t normally write this early in the morning, I wanted to jot down a thought before I forget it. This trek has shown me that through all of this I can do the things that I set out to achieve. Be it hard or not, I can do it. Most of all I have made new friends found old ones and absolutely enjoyed it regardless of the difficulties.

The morning started off like any other on the track. A Long drop, eating out of a cup and dry boots that became wet quickly. But it all seemed ok to everyone. Everyone had a spring in their step. We all knew what led ahead. 2 ups, 1 down and some flat in between. It was the final day on the track. We headed off along the creek below Camp 44. No rock hopping was drilled into us several times as this was our last day and no one needed to get hurt this close to the end. But we all knew it what was coming up next, Imita Ridge.

This was to be our final big test. A massive 500m up and it was steep. No fun to be had here. Brian had predicted that Imita would be the one that broke me. I was going to prove that it wouldn’t. I was determined to get up that hill. I managed to do it in 56 minutes. I was ecstatic to get through it but then I had to come down which is the one thing I hate doing. But we made good time and had a break at the bottom of Imita. We then just had an hour on flat ground; get across Goldie River and up to Owers. 2 hours was all it took. We were almost there. A quick swim in Goldie River (again I did not partake) but it was a good way to bring about lots of spirit for people. The final hill was not easy. It seemed to go on forever. And it almost did. But looking up to the top at the big arches that you walk through was fantastic, I loved it. Waiting for us at the top was our lunch. Roast Chicken, Fried Egg Sandwich, a Lamington and a Beer. I only had one of beer but it was enough. Tasted so good!

After a while we all piled into the bus and we head to the Bomana War Cemetery. This was amazing and reminded me so much of Arlington National Cemetery in the US. It’s sobering to see 3500 people buried in the one spot. All the people who gave their lives for us. After the cemetery we headed back to Moresby. I’ve never been to a third world country before, but it just shocked me how different it is, seeing the outlying areas around Moresby and it looks so much like another planet rather than a city just to the north of our own country.

We unpacked back at the hotel and a shave, shower and clean clothes and something comfy to sit on never felt so good. We had dinner in the restaurant and the eating goes back after the trip. Tonight was a ration pack I swear. It was so good to taste the foods I had missed. Now it’s time to sleep, in clean pjs, sheets and real pillows. Heaven.

Day 10 – Port Moresby to Brisbane
How good is it to have a real bed to sleep in. Even though my body had me up early, I did manage to keep myself in bed till about 630ish. I was going to get on the net and quickly check my emails and twitter that I’m alive but had issues at the Business Centre. So I just bummed around till Breakfast and enjoyed the feeling of not walking. I had my first taste of bacon in 9 months and dear god it was good.

After breakfast Kat & I headed off to PNG Art for a quick bit of shopping. Then we went to the Yacht Club for lunch with the rest of the group. While sitting around at lunch it was so surreal to be back in Normality so quickly. I had my last naughty meal on the trip with a Burger and Chips. The chips were great but boy did I feel guilty. We jumped back in the taxis and headed back to the airport. It was an eventful taxi ride. The driver seemed to want to go as fast as possible, while cutting around other cars and also talking on the phone, all at the same time.

At the airport we said our final goodbyes to Kila before getting through immigration and the duty free stores. Picked up a few things at Duty Free before boarding. We were heading home on Air Niugini’s old 767. I mean old. It was old school all the way. It was an uneventful flight home. The A Team was played on the old screens which were great and I declined the full meal service, just took some snack mix and the dessert from the tray. As we flew into Brisbane on final approach, things started to hit home. I got through Quarantine & Customs easily and met my friend shortly after.

Aftermath & Thoughts
Now that I am back home and have time to think all of this through. I am not quite sure what to think or what to say. I am very glad that I have done this and I think in the future I might try it again and actually see if I can do it all the way without problems (and perhaps a little faster maybe). But looking back over it all I can say that I am happy I have done it. 9 months ago I set out to achieve some goals and lose a lot of weight and now I have. The only thing is… where to from here. I am not quite sure what to do or where to go. Life is a little bit all over the place right now. I guess the next few days/weeks I need to sit down and work out where I am going in my life as now that I have finished these goals I have kind of lost direction a little.

What will be my next big adventure? Well I do have my nice big Round the World coming up next year and this week I will do some planning of that before I go any further. I need to work out what to do with my life I guess. Things are not always as easy as it seems.

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So I know I promised one post ever day, I have been way to busy.

But I thought I would post up about a trip I just did over the weekend. Most of you know that I love planes. I have always wanted to fly a plane (and I should still be able to do this), but one thing I have also wanted to do is fly a flight sim. Not one of those pansy ass no movement flight sims. I can get that any time on my own pc by plugging in my joystick and throttle quadrant and firing up FSX. No what i wanted was to fly a proper commerical grade flight sim.

A few years ago I saw a post on one of the plane spotting websites I go to advertising a package in Melbourne with the Hilton Melbourne Airport in conjunction with Ansett Aviation Training for a 1 night stay at the Hilton and an hour in a real flight sim. Back then though they had a choice of a 767-200 or a 737-300. However the 767 sim is gone and its only the 737 sim. I had to think about this for a few days because it’s a really old sim, so wont be that fantastic graphics wise, but then the rest of me thinks, why am I judging this. It’s a chance of a life time. With credit card in hand, I booked it.

Saturday rolls around and I am as giddy as a little school girl. After getting dropped off at the Sim Centre by the Hilton I was in awe. While watching all the real pilots filing in and out of the sims I was jealous. To be able to do this on a regular basis. Then the Captain who was taking me for my session came in and took me up to the old girl. Almost as old as I am the 737-300 sim is 1980s vintage so it shows. This thing is MASSIVE! But its so authentic. It looks like a real cockpit. Feels like a real cockpit inside as well. It is so crazy sitting in there.

Then the flights start. First time around, no movement, just to get me used to the controls etc. It was amazing. The takeoff was smooth and good the cruise was fine. Then the landing. This has to be the most difficult time for the pilots as there is so much to think about and do. I didn’t exactly land all that well. Half on the runway, half off…. WOOPS!

then the movement came on. It felt so different. You can feel it respond to all your movements. You can feel the gear retract (not that there is any). You can hear movements etc It is so surreal. After about an hour and 15 mins it was all over. I was so wanting to just keep going.

It is something I will cherish forever. Now to see if i can do it again sometime!

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ok well ive been so busy the last few weeks I havent really had a chance to update everyone. But Kokoda is a go. I have had my medical clearance, my trainers are keeping me going and they believe I can do it, the only hurdle left now is for me to believe I can do it.

This is a big big thing for me. This will be the ultimate conclusion to everything I have done. Don’t get me wrong, I am sure there are going to be other experiences in my life that will be mindblowing. But to come so far and now have a real chance at actually doing this. Will be fantastic! It will be this crazy experience where I can just soak in the atmosphere and take the challenge and run with it. Surely I will be able to do anything by the time I get back from this.

Training for Kokoda is not easy though. I have 3 sessions a week specific to Kokoda. Tuesday nights is hiking around the gym area in Bowen Hills & Teneriffe (Dunkenfeld & Down Sts if you know them) and then Friday morning (530am mind you…ewwwww) is a gym session with lots of cardio and leg work. And then Sundays is the big session. Hiking at Mt Cootha. Not just one journey up the hill. at the moment it is 3 hours worth and the sessions will increase a LOT apparently. But if i can keep the falling over to a minimum, I will be very happy (two stacks at Mt Cootha so far).

In other news, My warddrobe has been emptied and some new clothes purchased. It has been crazy just buying clothes at normal stores. I can’t believe that i never thought i would do that. The one thing is though, I still find it hard to shop on my own. Places like target etc don’t phase me as I have shopped in their before. But other stores, I can’t do it on my own. That may sound really stupid but I get to overwhelmed and if I don’t know I just have to run out.

To give you an example yesterday I went to this Jeans store down the road from me which had 2 pairs of Levi’s for $40 which is a total bargain. Figured i could get rid of the old jeans that are way way way to big for me (and i only bought them in april so havent had much wear either). But i didn’t have any clue what size i was meant to be and so I go in and since its a factory outlet their was no real staff around, and after just looking and thinking to myself “what size am i” i just ran out of the store. I am so chicken. But after talking to Kat this morning at training she told me to just suck it up, put on the first pair and if they fit, they fit.

So i grabbed the biggest size (38) and I just put them on, and they fit. It felt wierd trying on a pair of jeans. I was like ummm but soon enough the fear went away and I managed to shop on my own. It’s not as bad if I have someone else with me though as I can usually just look at them for guidance/help/support.

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The weekend is finally over. I can sit back and just think about what has happened over the last few days.

I will give a brief run down of how my day went yesterday:

6am – Phone alarm goes off, get up, grab a juice, get changed.
6:20am – Voicemail from Trainer, “You better be awake”
6:21am – Ring back, yes im awake, are you?
6:30am – Tracey Parks Car on other side of Nerang River bridge and our warm up walk begins
6:45am – Arrive at the Race Precinct, Run into Meg, Scare Meg & Vinnie with how different I look
7:00am – Wander round the race precinct
7:20am – Hear the gun go off for First Wave as Andy & Tracey have a coffee
7:30am – Find a Spot in the line up
7:31am – What the hell am i doing this for again?
7:35am – Lots of people around, am i gonna get trampled wtf!
7:40am – Everyone else has their ipods in, stuff this no need to hide it
7:44am – WHY THE HELL AM I DOING THIS!
7:45am – BANG!
7:46am – WHY DID I SIGN UP FOR THIS!
7:55am – Ummm was that the leaders running past… what the hell i just left!
8:00am – In a Rhythm so far, Cadence is helping well

I dont really have any times to put now as i really don’t know what times i passed certain things but i will use km marks instead

1km – Looking good
2km – Rhythm set lets kick this shit
3km – Umm was that a black bib going the other direction… what the hell (black big is my wave)
4km – laughing at girls in capes running along side
5km – TURN POINT! thank god… now to go back over this bridge
6km – Wow… still seeing people running the other way, 4km to go, just a run from the gym to the powerhouse and back
7km – Theres the end of the line running past now, fighting with andy about how far 3km to go would be back at the gym (its the boats btw :P)
8km – Digging Deep now, focus on breathing, 15 mins to go
9km – HOLY CRAP I AM REALLY DOING THIS
9.5km – End coming in sight
9.7km – Tracey yelling me on
9.8km – Meg & Vinnie, Then Ross, Suz & Brendan
9.9km – Mum & Dad and Marcia & Richie
9.95km – the end shute, Dig Deep, hammer it home, dont run into the ladies
10km – Hear the words “get your arms up for the photo”, so raise my arms and hope that i get a good photo
10.1km – Feel a tap on my back and its Andy wishing me well, try not to vomit or fall over, stumble towards the cool off area, grab a water and an orange. Drink down a sports drink (bad idea i think this is what stuffed up my stomach later on), and try to recover, congratulations from a few other people. Walk towards the exit and grab my medal and tshirt….

What a feeling it was to come out of the exit of the recovery area, to my friends, beaming smiles, hugs, cheers and photos…. what an experience. I will definatley try to do it next year if I am around, but I am gonna help out Yena and help her with the 5k at Bridge to Brisbane (although i will see what others are doing with the Bridge to Brisbane, i may walk it instead).

I would really like to thank everyone who gave up their morning to come and support me. Marcia & Richie, thx for the sign and for suprising me on the start line! To meg & vinnie, guys thanks so much for coming down and staying for the race, it was great to see you both again. Ross, Suzanne & Brendan, you guys are always there for me and for coming down and putting up with me all weekend, I thank you! Jeremy & Yena, thanks for trying to make it there in time for me to cross the line, but i know you guys will always be good friends. (ps thx for the shirt, i love it). To Tracey, thx for the lift and for being there to take photos for me. To Adrian, dude, thank you for running with me, in bad shoes and not your running clothes. But most of all, a big thank you to Andy. Thank you for being there every step of this journey so far mate, your the best trainer ive ever had 😀

As for what else happened over the weekend other than the race. It was good times with friends and family. Friday was pretty relaxed, wandered around Robina and did some shopping (mainly food for the BBQ). Found 2 new awesome hoodies at Footlocker for University of Texas & Duke so that was cool. Then just relaxed and chilled out at Q1 on Friday night. After the race on Saturday i went back to the Apartment, and just tried to recover for a bit, Ate some breakfast and felt really sick. Then people started arriving for the BBQ and i slowly started to get food ready to go. We all moved down to the pool area and had an awesome feast.

Sat night after a good afternoon of just really doing nothing but having fun I felt fantastic. Went out for dinner in Surfers Paradise and had some Teppanyaki Kangaroo (yeah yeah i know, not very authentic), played some Uno and just had some fun with my friends.

This morning after waking up late and missing the Half Marathon and Marathon Starts (i did watch the Marathon runners go through Surfers though) i cooked breakfast and had a pancake for the first time in 8 months. Then after checking out and dropping some stuff off to the parents, Suzanne, Brendan & I went shopping at Harbour Town. What a haul I had today. You can see the photos of the haul in the picasa link but I am really happy to have clothes that fit now!

Anyway Masterchef is about to start and I need to have some dinner!

GC Marathon 2010

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So i just got back on Saturday from a week away in Port Douglas. I went away with my friend Ashina and it was a great time. It was so good to get away from work and just really in eseence do nothing. Managed to read 4 books during the week away and just generally have a good time.

We stayed the first two nights at the Treetops Port Douglas which had an awesome pool area (which i spent a solid day sitting by it reading on the lounges). Then we headed north to a favourite of mine. Silky Oaks Lodge. Located about 10 mins from Mossman the place was fantastic!!! I got to spend 2 days relaxing in the rainforest. I found that the chairs in the room were the most comfiest I have ever sat in. So thats what i did most of the time. It was FANTASTIC! We also had a day tour included up to Cape Tribulation and that was such a good day. Silky Oaks Lodge has a very good Day Spa called the Healing Waters Spa. They do some very good treatments which a lot of ladies love but we had 2 treatments for free. So rather than having a massage, which I don’t normally like cause I always end up feeling worse than when I started i decided to try something different. I went for a “Man Maintenance Facial” It was a very different experience. I had never done something like that before and it was totally unfamiliar.

I managed to enjoy myself up there, the food was great and I managed to keep myself on track as well. Once we left Silky Oaks we headed back down to Port Douglas and stayed at a hotel on macrossan st. Spent a day in Cairns doing a bit of shopping and doing general stuff. The rest of the time was spent just walking the streets of Port Douglas or reading. What more can you want from a Holiday.. relaxation and recreation.

Now its back to work, apparently i might make top 10 this year if i work a bit harder. I will have to crack down and really get into it! But otherwise its 6 weeks till the Gold Coast Marathon and the 10k run which I have entered. Lets see how it goes!

Port Douglas 2010

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So one of my favourite shows on TV has a big presence on Twitter. Attack of the Show (AOTS) is good for those of us in the world like me, Geeks and Nerds. They do follow a lot of trends etc and they like to think they start some trends. So this month its not Parched March or anything like that. Its EpicApril! So everyone is tweeting #EpicApril. Its a good way.

So I started to think, this month is pretty Epic. I will break the 40kg loss barrier hopefully, I will also manage to get in a lot of travelling this month. I am off to Norfolk Island tommorrow (don’t worry a trip report to come) and then I am home for a few days. Will be checking out my first Roller Derby Bout (and get some photos), Will be heading to Peppers at Salt Beach for a nice few days off midweek thanks to winning an incentive. Then I am home for just one night and flying to Sydney for the usual Anzac Day pilgramage. But while I am there I will also be getting in some plane spotting, cruising sydney harbour and just having a generally good long weekend.

What more can you want really from a month! It will really be Epic April!!

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So after hearing that my brother was due to make an appearence at home for a weekend I decided to dissapear south to visit my new friends Michelle & Stuart who I haven’t seen since the big North American Journey. So after a little bit of looking around and chatting with Stuart about dates managed to find some nice cheap S class tickets for pretty cheap against the red e deals and dropped some points for a bit of Business Class Indulgence (i gotta use the points somehow). I managed to book a few nights cheap at a hotel through work and it all looked good. Only later on did i find out that the weekend i was to head to Canberra would be the Weekend of Skyfire (a big fireworks spectacular).

Friday 19th March 2010

After a hard day at work and a morning at the Gym it was off work 15 mins early to make sure i get the train, meet a friend at the Station (who is heading north while im going south), and onto the Airtrain. With the last time i flew getting to use that scammed Virgin Atlantic Silver Status and making it off the Train, checked in and through security in 4 minutes, I was hoping that i could see just how much time i could save with Qantas doing a similar thing. So with the train arrived and a quick walk down to the Check In, i get up to the Priority lines for Business class and I have to wait 🙁 damn. I only had to wait 3 or 4 minutes but im already losing. After a total of 8 mins since off the train it was through to security and I was through in less than 10 minutes total. Not as good as Virgin but the distance was a little further.

Made my way up to the Business lounge where the Dragon (this time a male) was guarding the door and my quick flick of a boarding pass didn’t work, he called me back so he could inspect it. No chance of a reprint (checked in online to try and get a half decent seat) onto real card though as the desk was very busy in the J lounge. Pretty much exactly the same as how I remember the J lounge last April when I flew to Sydney, but this time, REALLY packed. Hard to find a seat but i did manage a quick connection to the net on my phone and a quick tweet. Mineral water drunk and then off to the gate just as boarding is called. Expecting to get boarded by Zones like Qantas usually does instead its a scrum.. and when i mean Scrum i really mean it. People were running from everywhere! I was about 20 or 30th to board (way down the line) and found my seat quite quickly after a very “meh” greeting by the Flight Attendants.

Qantas Airways
QF959
Brisbane to Canberra (BNE-CBR)
1905-2155
Boeing 737-400 (Rego Unknown)
Business Class – Seat 4A

Boarding: 1845 – Gate 17
Push Back: 1906
Take Off Roll: 1915 – Runway 19
Top of Descent: 2125
Touch Down: 2147 – Runway 35 – Gate 11

I hadn’t experience the Convertible Seats that Qantas use on a 737-400 in business class mode before. They were pretty comfortable but more familiar to the First Class Seat used on Delta being that you have a tray drop down rather than out of the arm rest. Not as good as the millenium seats used on the 737-800s and 767-300s as they had no footrest and not as much legroom (but still good enough!). A quick water before push back and the playing of the all to familiar Safety Video. Quickish Taxi to 19 and quick take off, turn left and up we go to cruising altitude. Seat belt sign off, ipod on, book out and out come the hot towels, such a way to relax.

Dinner was going to be an interesting experience tonight. I had tried to request the Low Fat Meal through Qantas. Doesn’t exist. Had to request the “Diabetic Meal”. I had been dreading just how bad this was going to be. But what was laid out infront of me was not to bad. Another Mineral Water (the stuff is growing on me) and I was ready to relax.

Flight felt very short after a decent meal, a nice relaxing seat and some good music to listen to.

We turned right over Sydney Airport and headed in for our descent into Canberra. We had an early arrival into Canberra, I must of been sitting on the wrong side to see any sights because I sure didn’t notice any.
Stepped off after a quick farewall to the young yet cute flight attendant (good to see some younger people rather than the normal older staff on QF domestic), downstairs to the greetings of my friends. After my bag came off right towards the end (is everyone in Canberra entitled to a Priority tag?) It was off to my hotel.

Sunday 21st March 2010

After a fantastic day exploring the city of Canberra with my friends they dropped me off Curbside to Canberra Airport (this place is a mess right now to!. So thinking I could get a nice quick check in process I figured I would be through quickly…….. WRONG!

I am standing by my theory that every single person with Qantas club must belong in Canberra as the Priority Queue was just as large as the normal Economy Queue… W T F. 15 mins in line and I finally check in for my Business Class Flight. I was instructed to go Up and to the right for the Business Lounge. Through security slowly (couldn’t find the aerosol can I had in my bag… stupid me) and up to the lounge. Stepped in expecting it to be packed…. wrong. It was nice and quiet, just the way you expect a business lounge to be.

Grabbed a spot by the PCs and got myself a mineral water from the Bar and it was time to relax. Jaunted around on the net for a while including some Flyertalk reading, some twittering and a bit of facebook. Then grabbed another mineral water (love it now) and sat back to read some of my book for a while. I had plenty of time in the lounge to relax and just chill out. This is what I love about flying in Business. Being able to actually relax before a flight so I am walking on calm and relaxed and not worrying about gate changes or where should I be or where can I sit etc.

Time kinda flew in the lounge and soon enough I saw that we were due to board in a minute or so. Rather than wait for the boarding call, I headed down. Good timing to. As I reached the bottom of the ramp they called for boarding as I was standing right next to the gate entry. Was 3rd on Board the aircraft (what timing), welcomed on board by name to.

Qantas Airways
QF962
Canberra to Brisbane (CBR-BNE)
1910-1950
Boeing 737-400 (VH-TJU)
Business Class – Seat 2A

(All times are local)
Boarding: 1850 – Gate 13
Push Back: 1919
Take Off: 1927 – Runway 35
Top of Descent: 1927
Touch Down: 19:44 – Runway 01 – Gate 16

On board with lots of people, as more and more people piled on, i got stuck into my book (Weary Dunlop’s POW Diary is really growing on me). Water or Juice on offer as usual, and enjoyed while the sun set in the window out side. Snapped a few photos, enjoying the sunset as we eventually pushed back it was a slow slow taxi (i think we were waiting on a Crash 8 to go past) to the active and a nice, quick take off. A few bumpy bits on the climb out (not much) and then we were cruising nicely north as the sunset on my side.

Drinks and meals were slow to come (But with a flight time of 80 mins i didn’t expect them to be). Rather than giving my special meal up first, they kept me till normal but this time, i went with a diet coke (didn’t ask for lemon or lime i forgot). Dinner wasn’t as good this time, but it was ok. A white roll was offered, it was put to the side as it was soggy.

Not much more to say about this one, the tv show didn’t interest me, so read my book some more, while sipped on my diet coke and a nice cup of coffee (I don’t know how they do it, but it was strong and black just the way I like it). Pretty soon we were on decent into Brisbane, coming in from the south, with approach to Runway 01 meant a slight track across the inner gold coast and the southern Suburbs with a lovely view of the city on my side. Was fantastic, just wish I hadn’t of put my camera away.
Upon landing it was a quick taxi but a long wait at the gate while they bought the mobile stairs over as I was lucky enough to end up with the only Qantas Jet capable gate without an air bridge.

Bags were quick (ish) and I was headed home.

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Well ive been using the fantastic plastic a bit lately and racking up some Frequent Flyer points by booking a whole heap of flying about for myself. In the coming months I am heading to Melbourne, Canberra, Sydney and Cairns. Also heading to the Sunny Coast and possibly the Gold Coast.

Who knows what else will be happening in there. It will be tough on the lifestyle choice (diet, exercise) but I will get through it. I can’t wait to visit my friends in Melbourne and Canberra and catch up with them as I haven’t seen them in soooo long. Missing them heaps!

As for life updates. Im down to 151.8kg… down roughly 20kg in 2 months. A HUGE effort… but i still don’t really see it. Work is turning around, I am back to being a consultant, trying my best to just make sales (although the first month or so will be tough!).

Hopefully everything works out!