Tuesday, April 18, 2006

Lonely Planet!

Excitement of the day: I got my Lonely Planet guide to Australia and New Zealand on a Shoestring in the mail today (I got a discount for filling out some silly survey). The only complaint I have so far is that there are no color pictures. I guess it doesn't matter too much, as I will be there in about 5 weeks to see the color reality with my own eyes, but I still like to look at pretty things. But, I've been looking through it a little, and the one great thing I've noticed is that it points out which restaurants have veg-friendly options! :-D The very first restaurant listed for Sydney says "Vegans need to look no further" which made my day! I know that this guidebook is geared at backpackers, who are younger and hipper, and there may be more veg*ns in their midst, but it's still cool. And, my parents got the Oahu guidebook (they're going in January) and there is a whole section on vegetarian dining. We're making such an impact in the world that even travel guides are mentioning us! Wee hooo!!

Of course, I'm not going to rely solely on Lonely Planet to lead me to some deelish vegan eats. Veg restaurant guides like HappyCow.net and others will be key in my traveling, fo' sho'. Alternatively, I can throw a message up on the Vegan Freak message boards, and the awesome, global vegans there will respond with TONS of suggestions (I've seen it happen! They're cool!).

The other thing that I reckon I'll be doing a lot (for dietary and budgetary reasons) is buying groceries and cooking for myself. Andy and I (me?) have a plan to drive around Australia, stopping at cool sights along the way, working here and there, and just seeing as much as we can. Most days we'll probably sleep in the car (he currently has this Outback/station wagon type thing... I'm not really sure what it is exactly), or camp somewhere, but I can see us breaking into hostel kitchens to cook up feasts. Or, just living off the abundant fresh produce in most of Australia seems like a good option to me. Much better than the death burgers and pus-cheese that most backpackers eat for cheap food...

I'ma get back to perusing that guidebook.... 5 weeks until I leave! eeee!

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

heya fd,

some colour pics of where i live back home

http://www.sandon-point.org.au

both new and old site (links on page) have galleries

a|v

Theresa said...

Thanks for that link! The pictures are absolutely beautiful. I especially like the one, on the old site, with the view and the ocean and the Aboriginal flag. A gorgeous area, and a worthy cause. I'm going to add that to the list of places to go, for sure.

I see there is good surfing... is the diving any good?? I think I'd be really bad at surfing, the whole coordination and balance thing, but diving I can handle!

Anonymous said...

the surfing is some of the best in oz...

as for diving, their are great spots not too far away - check ou 'bushrangers bay'

i have snorkelled their and where at sandon.

if i am back in oz in the summer, we could have a paddle!

Theresa said...

Definitely! Andy's family lives in Eden, near the Victoria border, and his bro is in Sydney, so I reckon we'll be in that area for Xmas/New Years. I expect VF meet ups!