I'm officially done work, and am starting the dive course tonight in Manly.
I can't believe it's already time to start moving around the country again. I can't wait until Monday when I head south, and the inevitability that comes with "South = Colder?" that I'm not used to at home.
The thing I'm probably most looking forward to is diving in a place called the Cod Hole. I heard about it on a travel show here and thought it was in some far off remote location I'd probably never go to. Then I signed up on this Mike Ball trip in the Great Barrier Reef and find it's one of the places we go.
Why am I excited? Well, it's home to a species of fish known as Potato Cod (Impressive, n'est pas?). These fish are the size of, if not bigger than people, are very curious and not afraid to swim right up to you, and swim along while you're diving. Being eye to eye with a fish the size of me is going to be a great experience!
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Finalization
I've thrown some research behind Cairns, and have decided on what I want to do.
The Mike Ball Expeditions 7-day Coral Safari (itinerary / map). It's bloody expensive coming in at just over $3000, but I think it will be well worth the investment. It includes all food, beverages, fees, transport, food, fuel, air, etc. The only extras would be if I wanted to rent a camera for a day.
On the topic of expense - this is probably why I've left myself $3000 sitting in my bank account at home. My rough calculations estimate that after paying for this trip, I will have about $5000 AUD to cover any costs incurred while travelling. Which should be plenty of cash to survive 16 days on a bus + the last few weeks of living and working here.
I'm also refusing to touch my taxes and superannuation (pension) until I leave so that I will be able to afford paying tax in Canada on the money I've earned. As of my last paycheque I've paid $1622 in tax, of which I get a percentage back, and $849.77 in superannuation, of which I get all of it back.
The Mike Ball Expeditions 7-day Coral Safari (itinerary / map). It's bloody expensive coming in at just over $3000, but I think it will be well worth the investment. It includes all food, beverages, fees, transport, food, fuel, air, etc. The only extras would be if I wanted to rent a camera for a day.
On the topic of expense - this is probably why I've left myself $3000 sitting in my bank account at home. My rough calculations estimate that after paying for this trip, I will have about $5000 AUD to cover any costs incurred while travelling. Which should be plenty of cash to survive 16 days on a bus + the last few weeks of living and working here.
I'm also refusing to touch my taxes and superannuation (pension) until I leave so that I will be able to afford paying tax in Canada on the money I've earned. As of my last paycheque I've paid $1622 in tax, of which I get a percentage back, and $849.77 in superannuation, of which I get all of it back.
The State of the Union
So, I am officially the Restaurant Associates supervisor for all Twilight at Taronga concerts. This includes the VIP section as well as the sponsors buffet and bar the we have at the concerts. Which means I'm responsible for the 150 guests (or so) plus the 4 staff I have working for me.
The state manager of New South Wales (a similar position in Canada would be the manager of Ontario) has officially given me a pay raise for my remaining weeks as a thank you for all the hard work I've done. I've moved from pay grade 3 to grade 5, a level usually reserved for management, and there are only 6 grades.
My Contiki tour is fully booked and paid for, set to begin Mar. 8. My Advanced Open Water course is booked and paid for and is Feb. 28 - Mar. 1. All I have left to do now is book my liveaboard in the Great Barrier Reef with Mike Ball Expeditions. My dive shop in Manly is good friends with the people who do the bookings and said if there are any upgrades I will be first on the list.
That's life as it stands now. I'm a bit homesick and have wanted to go home for the past 2 weeks or so. I have a feeling it's because of the monotonous routine of work. I'm really looking forward to travelling and coming home. I've rebooked my flight home and it is set for April 15, which I think is going to stand depending on how the liveaboard in Cairns goes.
The state manager of New South Wales (a similar position in Canada would be the manager of Ontario) has officially given me a pay raise for my remaining weeks as a thank you for all the hard work I've done. I've moved from pay grade 3 to grade 5, a level usually reserved for management, and there are only 6 grades.
My Contiki tour is fully booked and paid for, set to begin Mar. 8. My Advanced Open Water course is booked and paid for and is Feb. 28 - Mar. 1. All I have left to do now is book my liveaboard in the Great Barrier Reef with Mike Ball Expeditions. My dive shop in Manly is good friends with the people who do the bookings and said if there are any upgrades I will be first on the list.
That's life as it stands now. I'm a bit homesick and have wanted to go home for the past 2 weeks or so. I have a feeling it's because of the monotonous routine of work. I'm really looking forward to travelling and coming home. I've rebooked my flight home and it is set for April 15, which I think is going to stand depending on how the liveaboard in Cairns goes.
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