Rob

Dear Rob,

I was so excited to see the photos of Neko. What a gorgeous, gorgeous dog – I’m sure he’ll have admirers everywhere you go!

I wanted to give you an update on my summer break and travels around Oz. In November of last year I decided to join 18 friends and friends of friends traveling to the Whitsundays (a group of islands at the southern end of the reef). I worked extra hours at the restaurant where I hostess to pay it off, and we took off on January 2nd. The adventure that followed was beyond anything I could have imagined.

We arrived in Airlie Beach on Sunday night, then boarded a boat called the Wings 2 on Monday at noon. Besides the 18 of us, there were about 12 others, plus the skipper (a brash, tough-as-nails frizzy blonde named Leila), an adorable 25-year-old hostess named Courtney who never stopped smiling and cooked us the most delicious meals, and two scuba dive instructors who both looked like Tarzan.

We stayed on the boat on Monday and Tuesday nights, then docked back in Airlie Beach on Wednesday at noon. During the days we sailed between different dive points for diving and snorkeling (I snorkeled—my fear of fish was enough to overcome for one week without getting into my claustrophobia), and in between we hung out on deck, reading and relaxing. It was so insanely hot. I put on sunscreen incessantly but still got tanner than I’ve ever been before—it’s crazy how strong the sun is here. I seriously looked like I was a different race when I got back. Anyway, here are some photos from the boat.

When we got back to Airlie Beach, we stayed at a resort for three more nights. Those days were total relaxation—just laying by the pool, talking, reading, hanging out. We went out for dinners in town at night, but otherwise we pretty much just hung out together at the resort. One day a few of us took a little vehicle called a Mini Moke that one of the guys had rented to a waterfall, which was incredible. Teenage locals were climbing to the top of it and jumping off into the shallow water. Scared the life out of me—guess that means I’m getting old!

Once I got back, I moved from Surry Hills to North Bondi (basically, from the city to the beach). I’m living in a house with a Swedish girl named Steph who’s been living in Sydney for three years. She’s a new friend I met through friends on New Year’s. My best friend Anne was in town from LA, and we spent the evening on a boat in the harbor. It was a great night—incredible views of the fireworks show with a fun group of people. It was amazing having her here and getting to show her around. Here are a couple photos of us around town.

The new house is a total 180 from my old apartment. Whereas my old place was in a metropolitan area and was very new and clean, the place where I’m living now has been here for a long time (apparently the landlord’s mother grew up here), and I don’t think it looks much different than it did then. There’s no air-conditioning, and there’s a major roach problem we’re working on sorting out right now. But on the other hand, there’s a huge amount of space as well as a big backyard, it’s in a quiet little neighborhood, and it’s a ten-minute walk from the beach—can’t beat that during summertime. I’m so glad I’m getting to experience both sides of Sydney life by living first in the city, then at the beach. I really think having both is making the most of my time here.

So it’s been an eventful summer, and in between it all I’ve been finishing my rewrite on Franklin, which I’ll be turning in to Dial this month. Then back to classes at the end of February—I’m ready to start back!

Love you and miss you,

Megs