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    Supertree Grove at Night

    10. Mai in Singapur ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    Once it got dark, I returned to Gardens by the Bay to see the Supertree Grove lit up. What I didn’t know: there were shows.

    First, a light and mist show, “Aurora“ - very dreamy, surreal, almost magical.

    Then, while trying to find both a higher vantage point and an exit (and briefly getting lost), I stumbled upon a group sitting on rocks - perfect spot.

    Right then, another show started. Music - film scores, opera, classical - paired with the light display.

    I recorded a bit, but then they played Greensleeves, and I just… stopped. I just sat there, watched, listened - completely absorbed. It genuinely moved me.

    That moment is now firmly on my list of travel highlights.

    By the end of the day, my feet were in serious pain. I grabbed a ride back to the hostel - walking was no longer an option after the 30,000 steps I had put in.    Weiterlesen

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    Views from the Ferris Wheel, the Singapore Flyer

    Two Domes and the Singapore Flyer

    10. Mai in Singapur ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    I also visited the two domes after exploring the Gardens.

    The first one — the Cloud Forest — featured a Jurassic Park exhibition. Impressive and visually striking. However, the crowd made it difficult to fully enjoy. Constant stopping for selfies and photos at every step, combined with the sheer number of people, made moving through the space quite challenging.

    The second dome - the Flower Dome - was even more intense.

    Imagine everyone you know who loves taking photos of flowers. Now imagine about a thousand of them in a space showcasing over 130,000 plants. People stopped everywhere, all the time. Movement was less “walking” and more a chaotic, slow-motion shuffle in all directions at once - like some sort of Fibonacci spiral descending into Dante’s inner circle of hell.

    I made a tactical retreat without properly exploring it. From what I saw, it looked beautiful - but under those conditions, not worth it. One positive note: it smelled fantastic.

    After a quick lunch, I headed to another destination I had spotted earlier: the Singapore Flyer.

    At 165 metres, it’s one of the tallest ferris wheels in the world. Getting there, however, was a journey in itself. I thought I’d just buy a ticket and board - but no. There was an entire pre-show experience spread across multiple levels: the “Time Capsule.”

    After yet another queue, I finally entered a capsule - together with a mother and her three kids, roughly 15, 13, and 10.

    So, here’s the situation.

    A) They did not stop talking. Loudly. Constantly. The eldest even sang. Loudly. Non-stop. My patience was… tested. I wasn’t sure whether to say something - you can’t exactly forbid people from talking - but let’s just say younger me would not have gotten away with that.

    B) Initially, they moved around, took photos and videos - fair enough. The views, especially around sunset, were incredible. Naturally, there were also a lot of selfies from every possible angle.
    But halfway through the 30-minute ride, they were done. Phones out, Instagram on — and that was it. They stopped looking outside entirely.

    I don’t know. That kind of thing genuinely puzzles me.    Weiterlesen

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    Marina Bay Sands Hotel/Casino/Mall etc.Some kind of semi-creepy, but cool exhibition in the Marina Bay Sands MallThe mall had a pool with boats! :DTWG Tea, check out Silver Moon Green Tea!View of Gardens by the Bay

    Time to Explore Singapore

    10. Mai in Singapur ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    What. A. Day.

    I missed that. Just walking around, exploring a new place. Great fun.

    I left my abode at around 10 am. From there on, I walked for more than 10 hours straight. My feet - as of writing this - are absolutely raw.

    I just chose a direction in the morning and went wherever my camera took me. I wandered the streets of Chinatown, saw lots of restaurants, cafés, scenic roads.

    I grabbed my camera, so happy to use it again. And then - it pouted. It threw a temper tantrum because it didn’t like the rapid change from 19°C cool, dry hostel air to 33°C hot and humid outdoors. Anyone wearing glasses will understand.

    So I walked past cool places, constantly checking my camera… to no avail. After about 45 minutes it cooled down (pun very much intended), and I hiked back to all the places I had previously missed. Thankfully all within about a 1 km radius.

    One of those places was Amoy Street - a picturesque old-town-style street. Evidently, I wasn’t the only one who thought so: a group of seven or eight painters had assembled there, capturing the scene live. At least three of the paintings looked very promising.
    I made my way to the harbour, enjoying the crafty, impressive architecture around me. My camera then directed me to Marina Bay Sands.

    It’s a massive building - three towers topped by the famous SkyPark, one of the highest accessible points in Singapore at around 200 metres. At the base sits a huge shopping mall catering to every single one of your bougie whims.

    I indulged a little, too. I went into a tea shop just to look around and sniff things. And sniff I did. I stumbled upon a green tea called “Silver Moon.” Wow. All the teas were otherworldly - intense, fragrant - but this one was going to be mine.

    And they had matcha macarons, would you believe it? … Nothing happened. The macarons were fine. The flavours that weren’t matcha were fine, that is. But they only lost one friend. Promise.
    If you’re intrigued: it was the TWG teahouse. You’re welcome.

    Next stop: Tower 3. I hopped into an elevator and went to level 56 - about 200 metres high. And boy, that is very high. I was battling clammy hands and trying not to drop my phone or camera. But the views were spectacular.

    All the container ships sitting out there made me curious - Singapore is one of the busiest ports in the world, and many ships wait offshore for docking slots or cargo transfers. Seeing that gave me an inkling of what the Strait of Hormuz might look like these days.    Weiterlesen

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    Noosa sunset with rainBrisbane from the CloudsSingapore Airport - said to be really awesome, but that's the only cool thing I saw with my luggage.DurianFondling of the Durian...Some musical entertainment in ChinatownAnd the not so inviting "ladder" leading to my dorm bed.

    Goodbye Noosa, Hello Singapore

    9. Mai in Singapur ⋅ ☁️ 30 °C

    Finally!

    I was yearning so much to travel more. While I loved having my own room in Noosa, having an oven and a pool (I so love a pool!) - and familiar people, friends, around me - I just needed to move on.

    My job (housekeeping) wasn’t sustainable. Apart from a few general ailments - back, elbow, occasionally knees (oh oh, I’m getting old!) - I developed severe issues with the cleaning agents we had to use all the time. Particularly the bleach. Long story short, I struggled a lot, and my workplace wasn’t big on personal protective equipment or smart cleaning strategies. I lasted 2.5 months - which was all good, since I left only a few days after quitting there.

    I enjoyed working at the food truck a lot more, but work there is always seasonal, and after Easter, that season just ebbed out. Winter is coming.

    After weeks and weeks of following the current political situation around the Strait of Hormuz, I grew increasingly worried and restless about what that could mean for my travels. I had already postponed my departure by about a month, but I had to make a decision - fast. Noosa is just way too expensive, especially without a proper job.
    I decided to leave - obviously - resolving to deal with politically charged disruptions as they arose.

    So, in the morning - 5:40 am - I was picked up by a shuttle to the airport that arrived 30 minutes earlier than scheduled.
    And after about 2.5 hours of riding a freezing bus - recent nights were really cold! - I boarded my 8+ hour flight from Brisbane to Singapore.

    My hostel is located in Chinatown - and while I saw a sign indicating it was nearby, I couldn’t find it. I asked people, but I must say this: no one cared. I was quite surprised. An older man actually pointed me into a back alley with all my luggage, telling me to just follow the road. Interesting advice, considering he didn’t even know what I was looking for - and it most certainly wasn’t that road.
    The others who tried to “help” seemed content with saying something - anything - that would make me leave them alone as quickly as possible, not remotely interested in actually helping.

    Someone was eventually able to point me to the correct door. I walked up three flights of stairs with all my luggage, only to be on the wrong floor. I walked down a bit to the check-in, but reception was closed, so I was confused again. I went back downstairs and asked someone else. The machine-based check-in for when reception is closed was in another entrance entirely.
    And it turned out that all of this unfolded with a staff member in my vicinity the entire time - and he just didn’t care. I was visibly confused, and I’m convinced that had this happened in Oz or NZ, Bali, or Vanuatu, people would have helped.

    I located my bed in a dorm of about 20 beds - luckily, it was a capsule “hotel,” which means you do have a modicum of privacy in a pod. Admittedly, it was the fanciest one yet, with a TV screen and a makeshift table. It was almost properly clean.

    I actually love getting the upper bunks. It’s just fun to climb up there. The design and layout of the steps for those capsules, however, left much to be desired. It was quite a mission to enter the upper pod: three metal sheets to one side and one “knee rest” in the middle to “ease” the entry. I never got into or out of the bed with any trace of grace, I assure you.

    Once checked in, I was rather knackered from the journey and only wandered about Chinatown for dinner (fried rice, which could have done with a little MSG), fondled some durian (it has such an interesting texture - like pudding: slick, gelatinous, velvety), and found out that while durian smells like the contents of a ripe trash can, I actually like the taste: It’s pudding-like, but with layered flavours - something tart, sweet, ripe, and very rich. The first aftertaste was very much reminiscent of having eaten a lovely, mature Tilsiter cheese. The aftertaste after the aftertaste - hear me out - for some reason reminded me of the smells of the surroundings on my way home from elementary school. Make of that information what you want.

    Lots of people describe the smell - and often the taste - of durian as reminiscent of vomit. I disagree with that, personally. The trash comparison, to my mind, is far more accurate.

    Durian - and incidentally, shoes (slippers are provided) - are forbidden at the hostel where I’m staying. One of them because of the smell.
    Excuse me while I’m giggling. 😁

    As for the photos, there‘s three more from the surfing festival in Noosa that are too pretty not to post, and then nothing special, but my first impression of Chinatown, Singapore, late at night.    Weiterlesen

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    Surfing Dogs, a Red Moon and a Snake

    14. März in Australien ⋅ 🌬 25 °C

    Three events to discuss today!

    First, the one that actually happened today: The Noosa Dog Surf Competition of 2026! 😁
    The annual Surf Festival is on in Noosa — for about 10 days. So if the beaches weren’t crowded enough already (they were), they definitely are now! I got to help out at the van again (selling hot dogs — not the surf comp dogs, though — ice cream etc.) because of the booming business during the festival. We’ve been absolutely swamped! It was probably the busiest day. People ordering non-stop. I was “mildly” stressed. 😁

    The next day, Sunday (15.03.), was a little quieter (thank goodness!), but still busy. And for whatever reason, in the stress I handed out a frozen hot dog sausage. Well… oops… 😁
    When the customer wasn’t on board with eating that — can’t blame him — I fixed the situation slightly embarrassed…

    The second faux pas of the day was a gross miscalculation with one order. It was embarrassing the whole nine yards. 😁 Only took me three attempts to fix it…

    I will say, I’m decent at simple addition without a calculator. But the pressure of getting these orders right when there’s a long queue and people being somewhat incoherent about what they want — sometimes changing their orders more than once or twice — it’s getting to me! 😁
    I better have a ripped intraparietal sulcus when I’m done with this job. 😁

    In other news: There was a lunar eclipse on 3 March.

    Clear skies — what more could you want? Apart from them staying clear. Which they didn’t.

    Up until three minutes before the eclipse started, clouds came into view and steadily progressed to lay a thick, impenetrable blanket of soft anthracite over the sky. Well…

    The event was supposed to last for about an hour, and I just kept lurking about on the balcony, waiting for a tiny break in the clouds. Sometimes there was one, but as soon as I tried to focus my lens on it, it was gone again.

    For 55 minutes, basically nothing could be seen.

    And then, for about 5–10 minutes, the eclipse! Better late than never. And as soon as the window of opportunity arrived, it was gone again. More clouds. But at this point the moon was already back in the penumbral phase.

    A few days later, our house had a visitor!

    During day-long rain, one of my housemates suddenly knocked on my door and informed me to close my balcony door. There was a snake on the balcony.

    I quickly closed my door, of course, but having grabbed my camera, I went to get some prime footage! It was a harmless python, after all. Or carpet snake, as the Aussies would say.

    It was most assuredly a fantastic sight — the little snake! It crawled into the rain gutter eventually and came out again a few hours later. No one knows where it is these days. 😁

    I, for one, can’t wait to see another snake. 🐍    Weiterlesen

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    Mount Tinbeerwah

    18. Februar in Australien ⋅ 🌙 25 °C

    Here’s a retroactive post I hadn’t gotten around to writing before now because — get this — I have a job! 😄

    I’ve been working in housekeeping for 1.5 weeks (started on 19 February). I’m mainly assigned to one resort so far, where guests can rent full apartments during their stay in Noosa. And for those of you who only read my blog: surprise — I’ve been back in Noosa since 10 January, job hunting for what felt like forever until, 1.25 months later, I finally found one.

    It’s nothing glamorous, of course, but it pays my rent. Unfortunately, that’s pretty much all it does. It’s not a job that allows me to save. But right now, it’s better than no job at all.

    On 18 February, I went back to Eumundi Markets in the morning — this time with lovely weather. And yes, I did spot the racist lady from half a year ago. No, I did not engage her in conversation about how “my kind of people” shouldn’t be allowed into Australia in the first place. 😄

    The main reason I went back to Eumundi, though, was a booth specialising in iris photography. I’ve always wanted that done — so that day was the day. And I’m genuinely pleased with the result.

    In the late afternoon, a new housemate, Molly, drove us to Mount Tinbeerwah, a small mountain about 20 minutes from Noosa that offers spectacular views and a stunning sunset. Being the responsible grown-up that I am, I brought soap bubbles.

    Molly and I proceeded to blow bubbles straight into the sunset, creating a rather stunning scene. The people gathered there seemed to enjoy it — cameras came out, photos were taken. One lady even thanked me for thinking of it and for delighting everyone.

    All in all, it was a very nice day — one that ended with sharing cake together back at the house. 🍰😄    Weiterlesen

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    Quokka Heaven: Rottnest Island

    9. Januar in Australien ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

    Today is dedicated to the whole reason why I was keen on going to Perth in the first place. This reason is a 1.5h ferry ride from Elizabeth Quay on Swan River to a quaint island called Rottnest.

    Now, let’s talk about history. Rottnest Island was part of the mainland about 6,500 years ago, before rising sea levels separated it. Long before it became a holiday destination, it was used as an Aboriginal prison from 1838 to 1931. Thousands of Aboriginal men were incarcerated there under brutal conditions, and many died from disease, malnutrition, abuse, and neglect. Those who died were buried in unmarked graves on the island.

    Gruesome history aside, the island is home to the largest population of quokkas — often referred to as the world’s happiest animal. Just look at them smile! 😊

    While these animals are absolutely wholesome and adorable, they are nocturnal. However, close to the bakery in The Settlement (a tiny town near the main jetty), there is a group of quokkas roaming about during the day. And yes — they are very much the centre of attention there. Unfortunately so.

    They are wild animals. You don’t touch them, you give them space, and you don’t feed them. This is communicated clearly on signs across the island, during the ferry ride, and in leaflets — and yet people ignore all of it.

    I’ve expressed my general dislike of disrespectful behaviour before, and this really got to me. With the monkeys in Bali, at least there was some form of consequence — they fought back when people crossed boundaries (to be fair, the monkeys were asses sometimes too). The quokkas, however, are defenceless. People shove phones into their faces, sit right next to them, prod them, touch them, and corner them when they try to retreat for peace and quiet. You could see how tired the little marsupials were. They just wanted to sleep, but instead they were stuck in survival mode. Watching this made me absolutely furious.

    When I sat down for lunch — a pie — I was lucky to be approached by a very young quokka.
    The little guy was clearly interested in my food, so I put it well out of reach and simply watched. Oh, so cute.

    The quokka hopped up next to me and then climbed straight onto my lap, looking around and inspecting me as if I were the attraction. I stayed perfectly still, mildly stunned and very amused.
    Once it realised it wasn’t going to get my pie, it hopped down and went on its way.

    That was a genuinely happy moment I’ll treasure — all without me invading the furry guy’s privacy. Maybe the other way around, but I was fine with that. 😁

    One quokka mum even had a baby in her pouch, occasionally poking out its head — or tail. Adorable. Unfortunately, people found that even more spectacular and got even closer. Every time I saw someone crossing boundaries, I spoke up. I ended up standing guard for about 30 minutes, and at least people moved on eventually.

    The island is largely car-free. You get around on foot or — like almost everyone there — by bike. My ferry company rented bikes, so I took mine out for a 25 km ride around a bit more than a third of the island. Our company didn’t provide e-bikes, though, so I conquered all the hills myself. There were many. 😁

    The nature is stunning: shrubland, beaches, inland salt lakes, and lighthouses. Absolutely delightful.

    At one beach, not only did the rock formations look amazing, but I also spotted a snake — my second snake in Australia! Very exciting.
    Another AI confidently told me it was not a snake but a legless lizard. Proper research later confirmed it was a dugite, a species of brown snake, typically ranked somewhere between 10 and 15 among the world’s most venomous snakes. Moral of the story: don’t trust AI blindly. 😁

    I wish I could have stayed on the island longer, but after 25 km of cycling through hills in 30+° heat — and doing quokka protection duty — I was pretty knackered.

    Interestingly, this was the first mostly overcast day I’d experienced in Perth. Until then, I hadn’t seen a single cloud in the sky. Still fine, though I did miss the sunshine a little. 😄

    Around 4:30 pm, everyone gathered back at the main jetty to be escorted back to Elizabeth Quay, where I arrived by 6 pm.

    Oh — and a shout-out to the Rottnest Island ferry provider I didn’t choose, but whose slogan I couldn’t ignore. I know a bad pun when I see one. See last pic for said pun.
    You were warned. 😄    Weiterlesen

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    One Year

    6. Januar in Australien ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    Not much happened today (apart from a walk to Hyde Park — which, honestly, wasn’t all that interesting). Still, today marks a milestone worth sharing: one year ago, I boarded a plane to Bali and started this journey. When I first left, I genuinely thought I’d be back home by now. I still can’t say where this journey will take me or how much longer it will last. I’ll admit it’s harder now that Timo has flown back…
    A new chapter will begin soon — but I’ll know more once it’s been written.    Weiterlesen

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    Kings Park and Botanic Garden Perth

    5. Januar in Australien ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    As advised, I spoke to management this morning about the state of the room — after first assuring myself that its condition did, in fact, violate Australian Consumer Law and basic health and safety standards.

    The manager didn’t quite know what to do and tried to offer me the third and last budget room they had. I declined. There was no reason to believe this one would be any better than the previous two, and simply moving a guest from room to room, hoping housekeeping had been more thorough in one than in the others, is not an acceptable standard.

    Instead, she sent a member of housekeeping to meet me in the room so we could inspect it together.

    Well. She was not happy that her work was being criticised.

    I don’t blame her — according to her, they are given ten minutes per room to clean. That, of course, doesn’t exactly allow for stellar results.

    I pointed out a visible trace of blood in the bathroom that hadn’t been cleaned. She stomped in apprehensively and informed me that it was not, in fact, blood, but food sauce stains. When I replied that this hardly made a difference and that it should be cleaned regardless, she commented:

    “Jesus Christ! No one has ever complained. It’s a budget room — deal with it!”

    I tried to remain sympathetic, making it clear that I wasn’t blaming her personally, but rather expressing concern about the substandard setup and conditions. Another “Jesus Christ” was thrown in my direction, and she left.

    My subsequent attempt to resolve the situation with the manager was nearly dismissed until I became a little more direct. I was eventually issued a refund for the unused nights, plus one additional night. Only at this point did she apologise for the actual state of the rooms.

    At least the past few days have shown me how differently people handle criticism — and that it is okay to speak up, even though I did feel properly gaslit at the last hotel.

    ⸻

    I then checked into a capsule hostel in Perth. While it means more people around me (and I’m quite tired of not having peace and quiet), it does offer privacy curtains, a noticeably higher standard of cleanliness, and a modern setup.

    After check-in, I put on my best flip-flops (I might — or might not — only own one pair) and walked to Kings Park and the Botanic Garden to explore the area.

    The alley leading up to the gardens emanated an intense citrus smell, which likely came from lemon-scented eucalyptus, a native tree known for releasing strong lemony oils, especially on warm days.

    The gardens are… nice? The view over the river is certainly unique and lovely, and the DNA Tower (with its helix design) was a fun five minutes. But all in all, the gardens are nothing to write home about.

    So far, Melbourne wins.

    Oh — and I may have discovered matcha-flavoured frozen yoghurt in Perth. Eating green things is healthy after all, isn’t it?    Weiterlesen

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    Elizabeth QuayTerracotta Warrior ExhibitionEntrance to London CourtLondon CourtPerth LibraryHay Street

    Exploring Perth

    4. Januar in Australien ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    After leaving my last abysmal hotel, I checked into another one — this time more conveniently located in the Perth CBD.
    Upside: the bathroom was en-suite and not shared.
    Downside: the hotel was shit. (Huh. Déjà vu.)

    This hotel, too, was award-winning — proudly displayed certificates and all — and it probably was award-winning. In 2004. When those certificates were issued.

    There was a multitude of stains on every conceivable surface, leaving you guessing what could possibly have caused them. After the last hotel, I was honestly tired of complaining and thought, well — how bad can it be?

    Then I went to take a shower and saw a bunch of hair in the drain. That’s where I drew the line.

    The lady at reception did her best to accommodate me and offered me a second budget single room, which I accepted.
    Until I inspected the bathroom a little more closely and realised: no toilet paper. Well — none within reach, anyway. Awkward.

    There was an extra roll at the far end of the bathroom. With more hair on it.

    More stains everywhere. The toilet bowl resembled a stupefied attempt at kintsugi — minus the gold.

    At this point, I was told to wait for the manager to return the next day.

    In other news, I took the time to explore the Perth CBD a bit more, and I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves. 🙂

    Just one thing worth mentioning: so far, my favourite spot is the library. It’s a beautiful building — and more importantly, it’s quiet and clean.    Weiterlesen

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    The End and a New Beginning

    1. Januar in Australien ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    The day had to come eventually. In the early morning of 01.01., Timo had to fly back home — and I miss him dearly. 😔

    And I flew to Perth via Melbourne. After just having explored Queensland, New South Wales, and Victoria with their different time zones and ridiculous versions of sunset and sunrise, I was now greeted by yet another time zone in Western Australia. I genuinely felt gaslit by my watch, which kept quietly adjusting itself while I tried to make sense of time.

    I arrived in Perth an hour before midnight and took an Uber to my well-rated hotel.
    Well. Here’s the thing.

    The hotel was absolute shit.

    The pub downstairs was award-winning — which is clearly where the reality-distorting good reviews came from. The accommodation itself was one of the worst I’ve encountered so far. “Luckily,” enough things were awry to warrant a multi-layered complaint and, eventually, a refund and a free lunch.

    Highlights included: no toilet paper (apparently, the responsible person had simply forgotten to buy it) and enough dust and grime to build your own life-sized dust bunny.    Weiterlesen

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    The Beginning of the End

    31. Dezember 2025 in Australien ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    Our last full day together. 😔

    There was still quite a bit to organise — like packing. Wow. That always takes so long. 😄
    In the afternoon, we walked around the South Bank area and went to the Brisbane Library (which Timo had also visited when he was younger — back when books had just become a thing).

    Walking through South Bank, we saw countless people arriving early, trying to secure a good spot for the fireworks later that night. It was a little too crowded for us, so — wanting to squeeze in one last swim — we decided to leave and head for the coast.

    One nearby option was Nudgee Beach and
    a) it’s ugly.
    b) it’s not exactly suited for swimming.
    and c) the weather turned rather dramatically right at that point. Dark clouds, ominous vibes — very end-of-year appropriate.

    Instead, we explored the nearby playground, where I gracefully rode — and fell off — a “pony.” 😄
    After a bit of childlike fun, we grabbed a Subway dinner and went back to the hotel to celebrate the New Year with some sparkling wine.

    The hardest part, though, was staying awake. I may or may not have taken a two-hour nap before midnight. 😄

    P.S.: I borrowed a picture of the New Year’s celebrations from the previous year — just for a festive feel. We couldn’t actually see the fireworks from the balcony of our hotel — not properly at least. There was a large palm tree blocking the view. 😄    Weiterlesen

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    Kenilworth, Noosa and Peregian

    30. Dezember 2025 in Australien ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    First stop of the day: Kenilworth.
    If that sounds familiar — yes, we’d already been there on December 6. Naturally, we went back for more pies and filled doughnuts. The Kenilworth Bakery is famous for those, and judging by how packed it was in that tiny town, appropriately so.

    After Kenilworth, we headed to Noosa one last time. More goodbyes, and passing on our camping equipment to a lucky (?) duck. 😄
    We also spent some time in the library in Noosaville to look a few things up. I’m growing to like libraries. So quiet! 😊 That‘s where we were watched by the little black-grey birdie.

    Today, we definitely wanted to go for a swim and ended up at Peregian Beach, not too far from Noosa. That‘s where we saw galah - grey and pink cockatoos! Aren‘t they pretty?

    Unfortunately, I had already parted with my bodyboard. 😔
    Still, swimming was fun — though “swimming” might be a generous term. With the strong current, it was more like wave survival. Spot the wave, decide how to meet it with minimal damage, repeat. 😄
    Dive under it, jump over it, or just… jam into it.

    You could actually walk quite far into the water — if you figured out where, timed it well, and had the strength to move forward between waves while fighting the current. Timo was pretty good at that. I, on the other hand, felt safer closer to the beach — but once we started battling the waves together, being each other’s anchor, progress was suddenly possible without being swept sideways. 😄

    In the evening, we checked into our hotel near the Brisbane airport for the last two nights.

    The last pic shows you what our little rental car looked like after a month on the road. It would have looked way cleaner hadn‘t we conquered all those potholes-ridden gravel roads. 😄    Weiterlesen

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    Byron Bay, Surfers Paradise and Maleny

    29. Dezember 2025 in Australien ⋅ 🌬 26 °C

    Driving out of Mobong Creek in the morning was… more fun. Not.
    But once we reached proper asphalt, Timo started enjoying the road a little too much again. I think this was the windiest road yet — and without a doubt the sickest I’ve felt in the car since we started our road trip. 😄

    Today’s plan was ambitious: Byron Bay and Surfers Paradise.

    We reached Byron Bay, grabbed a matcha/coffee, and left almost immediately. It was so crowded. Absolutely insane.

    Later in the day, we arrived in Surfers Paradise and spent some time there making plans and organising the last few days of our trip. We also thought about going for a swim, but — surprise — it was windy. Again. So we opted for a short stroll instead and were quite happy to retreat back into the wind-still comfort of the car. 😄

    Our last night of camping!
    We arrived late in the evening at the Maleny Showgrounds — one of the very few campsites that still had availability. And I’ll say it again: finding a campsite, free or paid, during peak season is an absolute pain. 😄
    Maleny was far enough inland and north to still offer a spot, though.

    When we arrived around 9 pm, everything was quiet. Almost eerily so. We didn’t see anyone at first, which felt a bit odd. There was one group nearby, though, partying close to where we set up camp. Timo thought, ah well, let’s say hello — and before we knew it, they had equipped us with beers and even offered us flashlights to help set up our tent. We had our own, but honestly — how kind is that?    Weiterlesen

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    Port Macquarie and Nambucca Heads

    28. Dezember 2025 in Australien ⋅ 🌬 23 °C

    Guess what? More driving. 😄
    Though my personal highlight was definitely bodyboarding in Port Macquarie. I had so much fun! We didn’t stay long — we had to keep moving — but it was a great spontaneous stop.

    At a little rest area, Timo took the time to read one of those “what to do in the area” boards and decided that Nambucca Heads looked kind of cool in the pictures. So we drove there. And yes — he was right. It was lovely.
    That said, I was also quite glad when we moved on: it was so incredibly windy that breathing felt like a challenge. 😄

    A short shout-out to the burger place we went to, Coastal Harvest, where we also happened to see a cloud of bats flying into the sunset. Quite a sight!

    Finding a (free) place to sleep close to the coast is more or less impossible in this area. Unless you’re lucky enough to secure a paid spot during peak holiday season — which we weren’t — you have to head inland.

    Unfortunately, getting to tonight’s campsite at Mobong Creek (which Google Maps didn’t even seem entirely sure how to reach) turned into a bit of an ordeal. The road was completely unsuitable for a 2WD: rocky, full of deep cracks and potholes. The campsite wasn’t even that far away — about 57 km from around Coffs Harbour — but that hellhole of a road took ages. Maybe two hours? Hard to say. And of course: no reception.

    We finally arrived in the dark and barely found a suitable spot to pitch the tent. Thanks to some friendly Aussie guys who gave us permission to set up camp next to them, we managed just fine.

    I do remember waking up in the middle of the night, asking Timo whether the air mattress felt weirdly deflated to him. He said no.
    In the morning, however, there was no doubt about it. 😄
    It wasn’t broken — someone (not naming names, but Timo) had accidentally loosened the valve while brushing past it during the night. 😄    Weiterlesen

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    Leaving Sydney

    27. Dezember 2025 in Australien ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    What an exciting day! While we did check out of the hotel and prepared to leave Sydney behind, we went back to my beloved matcha place from three days ago. I went in, ready to order my coconut milk matcha frappe, excitedly looking up at the server — who promptly said:
    “Sorry, our mixer is broken.”

    Ow. Ow. Oh, the pain. I was not happy. 😅

    As a consolation prize, I got more Thai mochi and a green, pudding-like Thai dessert with Pandan (green stuff that tastes like cake - it‘s a plant). 😄😄

    We took the train back to our car — Timo had found a free parking spot when we first arrived in Sydney, and we were so thrilled about it that we’d left the car there and carried our heavy necessities to the second hotel on foot. What a shame to leave Sydney behind like that.

    Our next stop was Collaroy, where Timo had spent some time in his younger years, back when Australia was still a colony.
    Enjoying a pie, we strolled along the beach and later grabbed some surprisingly good fish and chips for the road.

    Surely something else must have happened today as well. I think. I just can’t remember.
    All I know is that we eventually ended up at McNamara Park, where we spent a night in the tent — with surprisingly decent temperatures.

    P.S.: The last pic shows you some yummy stuff we could have eaten at yet another Thai restaurant in Sydney. We didn't. I don't think we were very hungry... 😄    Weiterlesen

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    A Night at the Opera

    26. Dezember 2025 in Australien ⋅ 🌙 17 °C

    We checked out of our hotel but decided to stay in Sydney for one more day. Our new hotel was in the Darling Harbour area, which made it easy to explore the surroundings. And, conveniently, my Thai dessert place. 😅

    Today was also the day we finally got around to doing some proper night photography. After dinner (yes, Thai curry, this time it was a good one), we headed to the Botanic Gardens area, which offered a beautiful view of both the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge.

    What I do remember very clearly is how tired I was — and how unimpressed I felt about having to walk all the way back to the hotel late at night. I also had absolutely no idea how to get there without navigation. But Timo, of course, got us back safely.

    I’m still slightly cross that he did not, in fact, simply carry me.    Weiterlesen

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    Botanic Garden and Inedible “Curry“

    25. Dezember 2025 in Australien ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    I’m having trouble remembering the events of today. I think we went to the Botanic Gardens in Sydney, to my Thai dessert place, and then had dinner at yet another Thai restaurant (I really should go to Thailand… 😄).

    What I do remember clearly is the so-called curry we ordered there. It turned out to be an incredibly spicy bowl of soup (I specifically said “mild“ when I ordered it) containing chicken cartilage and various other generally inedible scraps. It looked very authentic — just not like something we would ever have ordered had we known what it was going to look (or taste) like.

    Timo did a pretty admirable job eating at least some of it. I, on the other hand, was completely defeated by both the spiciness and the textural surprises and barely touched my food.

    What a disappointment. 😅    Weiterlesen

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    Sydney 2.0

    24. Dezember 2025 in Australien ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    Our hotel in Sydney was a little less than conveniently located — about 5 km from the CBD. But since we’re good on foot, we simply walked. And walked. And walked. Until we got there.

    Sydney is another place familiar to Timo. Although this time around, traffic lights had been invented. And colour TV.

    I thought I’d explored Sydney fairly well on my previous visit, but with Timo I discovered quite a few new spots. One of them was the Harbour Bridge. Okay, I had seen it before — but I’d never actually walked across it. I think we spent around five hours on that bridge and in its immediate vicinity. Doing what, you ask? Taking photos. Every. Single. Possible. Angle.

    Yes, Timo is a bit of a perfectionist. And silly me had shown him one or two interesting camera modes earlier that day — which he then explored thoroughly. Had I kept my mouth shut, we might have spent three hours less on that accursed bridge. 😅

    My growing sense of urgency had a very simple reason: earlier that day, I’d discovered a new matcha place that made coconut-milk matcha. And it was good. I desperately wanted to go back and try their matcha-coconut frappé. But after our extended bridge intermezzo… the shop was closed. Worse still, it wouldn’t reopen until after Christmas — and we were leaving on December 26.

    However! Salvation appeared elsewhere.

    I found a Thai restaurant/dessert place. Just thinking about it gives me goosebumps. You may have gathered by now that I’m a bit of a mochi fan — and this place had Thai mochi: Khanom Tom. Rice dough on the outside, palm sugar-fried grated coconut on the inside. Absolute heaven. Their sweet rice with mango was also excellent. Yes, I went there every day.

    Fast-forward to our last day in Sydney. Timo suggested I ask them for one of the stickers they put on their takeaway containers as a memento. Brilliant idea. So back I went.

    The staff were… confused. Very confused. After confirming several times that I really did mean a sticker, and after a brief discussion among themselves in Thai, one of the waitresses finally stepped forward. She had a sticker on her index finger, looked at me seriously, and asked:

    “Where do you want it?”

    I had to laugh. I took it on my finger - and carefully stuck it into my travel journal. 😅    Weiterlesen

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    The Three Sisters

    23. Dezember 2025 in Australien ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    We were woken up once again by a chorus of cockatoos — honestly, they’re adorable. This time, they got particularly close to us. One cockatoo deserves a special mention: it flew onto a branch that unfortunately did not possess the load-bearing capabilities the bird anticipated. The branch dipped, the bird slowly tipped sideways, and before I knew it, it was hanging upside down, stubbornly refusing to let go. The whole thing unfolded in slow motion and had me in absolute stitches. 😄

    Since Timo had already been to the Blue Mountains on a previous visit — sometime in the late 1950s, give or take a decade — he remembered the Three Sisters as being a particularly nice sight and showed me around the area. Naturally, things had changed since then: new roads, new viewing platforms, more tourists… and electricity had apparently been invented in the meantime, too.

    After a short hike of about two to three hours — and thankfully far away from the countless (!) tourists — we got back into the car and drove on to Sydney, where we would be spending Christmas.    Weiterlesen

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    Empress Falls in the Blue Mountains

    22. Dezember 2025 in Australien ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    Today we got ready to head to the Blue Mountains — something I was particularly excited about.

    Before that, we stopped at the Kangaroo Valley Lookout, followed by… several more lookouts whose names have completely escaped me by now. 😄 I do remember driving through Wollongong, though, and I’m fairly sure that’s where I treated myself to a coconut mochi ice cream and a matcha. Naturally. 😄

    By afternoon, we finally reached the Blue Mountains — not without a crucial stop for famous pies along the way. Famous, yes. Tasty? Well… if bland and tasteless is your thing, you’d have been thrilled.

    Pie disappointment aside, we headed out on a waterfall hike (Empress Falls and Sylvia Falls). Sadly, the trail was blocked after about two kilometres (no idea why), but what we did get to see was absolutely stupendous. I love waterfalls!

    The hike back involved climbing endless stairs, leaving us slightly wrecked and suddenly very tolerant of the chlorine-heavy tap water waiting at the top.

    We then drove to our free campsite for the night and experienced a strong sense of déjà vu. Despite all prior research claiming no booking was required, it turned out — again — that online booking was necessary. Naturally, reception disappeared right at that moment. The sign warned of a gate blocking entry for anyone without a booking… but luck was on our side. The gate stood open, with a note explaining it stayed that way due to past access issues.

    In we went — and somehow snagged one of the last remaining spots, only later noticing they were numbered and nearly all taken. Getting there late worked in our favour. The ground, however, was less cooperative: boulder-like gravel that clearly hadn’t been designed with tents in mind. Still, we made it work.

    And a small victory to end the day: a surprisingly affordable sleeping bag from Aldi, bought just hours earlier, that even unzips into a quilt. What can I say — best night yet. I didn’t freeze. 🎉

    The last six pics/videos are from lookout points along the way to the Blue Mountains from our campsite in Kangaroo Valley.    Weiterlesen

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    Glowing Water? Not Today…

    21. Dezember 2025 in Australien ⋅ 🌧 24 °C

    Before turning inland, we made a final stop at Jervis Bay, Callala Bay, known for its bioluminescence. We were hoping for a glowing, otherworldly shoreline, but the phenomenon didn’t make an appearance that night. If you’ve never seen it, I recommend looking it up — it must be extraordinary in person.

    Dinner was simple: homemade wraps and chocolate cookies. Or it would have been, had we not given the cookies to a young boy whose enthusiasm for them was impossible to ignore. His parents were mortified, apologising profusely as he demanded more after promptly dropping the first one. We, on the other hand, were quietly relieved — the cookies weren’t that great anyway.

    We took a last stroll along the beach, still hoping the bioluminescence might change its mind. It didn’t.

    Driving out of town late that night, we stumbled upon an unexpectedly extravagant Christmas light display. Music played through a speaker set up for passing cars, and the entire house was transformed into a glowing spectacle. We weren’t the only ones who stopped, momentarily stunned by the sight.

    Two more hours of driving followed before we reached our campsite in the Bendeela Recreation Area in Kangaroo Valley. Although advertised as free, it required online booking — something I hadn’t been able to access anywhere. By the time we arrived, deep inland on a gravel road with no reception and no realistic alternative, turning back wasn’t an option.

    There were staff checking bookings at the entrance, but after hearing how far we’d driven that day, they waved us through. Kindness goes a long way. It was late, dark, and we still had a tent to put up — sleep had become the only goal.

    On the bright side: The campsite was alive with wombats and kangaroos, wandering calmly through the area!

    Pic quality is... Mediocre at best, but you can make out the kangaroos and just trust me when I tell you pic 2 shows a wombat. ^^    Weiterlesen

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    Eden and Mogareeka

    21. Dezember 2025 in Australien ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    Most of the day passed in the car again, broken up by two stops. The first was Eden. We were, unsurprisingly, on the hunt for pies — though my memory of whether we actually succeeded is hazy. Many shops were closed, but I’m fairly sure we did find pies in the end. What I remember vividly, however, is a Portuguese tart from another bakery. It was so good I went back for a second one — the last of its kind. Whether I shared it with Timo remains questionable.

    We also went down to the beach in Eden. The weather was far from ideal, but the scenery made up for it: rugged coastline and striking blue water.

    From there, we continued on to Mogareeka, where we spontaneously stopped at a lake before taking a short walk to a cliff viewpoint nearby. According to the photos, we also visited a beach somewhere along the way — though its name escapes me now.

    Pics 1-6: Mogareeka
    Pics 7-14: unknown location
    Pics 15-19: Eden    Weiterlesen

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    Leaving Melbourne

    20. Dezember 2025 in Australien ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    How did this happen so quickly? Check-out time!

    But we still wanted to go to the beach in Melbourne — St. Kilda. It looked nice in the pictures, and I’m sure it would have been… had it not been cold and windy.

    It’s true, Melbourne is known for “blessing” you with four seasons in one day. Though this particular day seemed to leave out the sunshine — just like the one before.

    Apart from driving lots and lots, not much was happening today. More pie samples, I’m sure. I’m actually wondering whether we had a single day without some kind of pie?

    Our campsite for the night, Scrubby Creek Rest Area, was basic and roadside — but honestly, it was pretty nice! It sat in a forested area, tucked away like a little, cosy, protected alcove. I actually think it was one of my favourite campsites of the trip.

    Tonight was also a bit warmer than the last campsite before Melbourne. I do wonder whether this was genuinely a night with a pleasant temperature — or whether I was still just slightly cold. Probably the latter. 😅    Weiterlesen

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