Hi guys! Terkkuloita Tasmaaniasta!

Here I am at Hobart, the capital of Tasmania or Tasi as the Aussies call this island. Oh my god, it is freezing down here!!! After tropical Queensland +16 feels like -30 in Finland. I had to go to the flee market today to buy me a wool sweater in order to survive.

Taalla sita ollaan todella "down under" Tasmaanian paakaupungissa Hobartissa. Herran jestas etta on kylma!!! vain 16 astetta trooppisen Queenslandin jalkeen tuntuu jaakaapilta. Oli pakko kayda ostamassa villatakki etta selvian ilman flunssaa taalla muutaman paivan.

From Myella we drow down to Noosa Heads...yes, we were driving a couple hours in the dark even though you are not supposed to drive after the sun set. This is bacause the animals start looking for food and water at night and hop around the roads. We were driving very carefully and all we hitted were billions of insects of all kinds. Mauri was pretty much covered with them in the end... Noosa Heads is a really nice beach vacation destination with nice beaches, restaurants and shops. We were lucky enough to find a caravan park right off from a beach and our tent place was just 5 meters from the beach. We enjoyed the sun, had drinks both at the yacht and surf clubs, went shopping to a big craft market and I took a 2 hours surf lesson... oh my god!!! Even though it looks pretty easy, it is hard work!! I was so dead meat after the lesson but I was able to stand up and surf a little in the end...yeppee! There was about 7 of us in the same lesson from all over the world. The instructor was giving advice to everybody where they can surf in their own country... he was thinking quite long before giving an answer about Finland... Sorry, hopeless, no surfing there, just snow boarding available :o). What a surprise :o).

Myella maatilalta ajelimme Noosa Headsiin joka on rantaloma kaupunki Sunshine Coastilla. Jouduimme ajelemaan muutaman tunnin pimeassa, ei hyva! Elaimet alkavat pimean aikaan hortoilla ympariinsa etsien ruokaa ja juomaa ja monet kengut paatyvat nailla retkillaan auton alle. Ajoimme tosi varovasti ja onneksi tormasimme vain tsiljoonaan hyonteiseen... Mauri oli aamulla aika lailla hyonteisilla kuorrutettu. Saimme telttamme pystyyn 5 metrin paahan rannasta, huippua! Uiskenneltiin, kaytiin ostoksilla isoilla markkinoilla ja ma kokeilin surffaamista... hih, oli se sitten kuitenkin (yllattaen) hippasen vaikeampaa kuin milta se nayttaa. Paasin kuitenkin pystyyn ja surffasinkin oikea oppisesti hiukkasen kurssin lopussa. Opettaja koitti kovasti miettia missa voisin jatkaa surffipummi elamaa Suomessa mutta joutui pitkan mietinnan jalkeen toteamaan etta ei usko etta Suomessa pystyy surffaamaan... heeh, ehka taytyy siis keskittya vaan snoukkaamiseen...

After Noosa Heads we drow down to Bribie Island which is about 1.5 h drive North from Brisbane. Nothing exciting there, just nice beaches and expensive houses all over the place. On Friday we drove back to Brisbane and spent the weekend there. We were finally able to find the hiding bar and restaurant street in Fortitude Valley... oh yes, we were partying both nights... On Friday we almost got 30 dollards tickets for walking on red light... it was quite funny, the policeman was asking us all kinds of questions like how long we were in Brisbane for...but as tourists we were able to get a way with no tickets. The locals, however, were not as lucky as us. One guy got even arrested while we were sipping down our drinks in the bar next to the road.

Noosa Headsin jalkeen ajelimme Bribie saarelle josta on n.1.5 tunnin ajomatka Brisbaneen. Saarella ei ollut mitaan kummallista nahtavaa. Hienoja taloja ja kivat rannat... heeh, alkaa rannat nayttaa aika samanlaisilta joka paikassa :o). Perjantaina ajelimme Brisbaneen ja asustelemaan tuttuun hostelliin. Talla kertaa oltiin hiukkasen enemman keski-ikaisia ja paatimme oikein repasta ja ottaa kahden hengen huoneen. Loysimme vihdoin Brisbanesta kauan kaivatun paari ja ravintola kadun... joten tietty oltiin juhlimassa siella kumpanakin iltana :o) Perjantaina meinattiin saada sakot (yllatys, kun mina the poliisimagneetti olin matkassa) kun kaveltiin vahingossa muiden mukana pain punaisia. Onneks vedettiin turistikortit kehiin eika saatu sakkoja. Moni muu paikallinen kylla sai sakot ja yksi poika joutui jopa kasirautoihin kun oli muutenkin aika sekaisin.

On Saturday we went to see the great Andy Warhol exhibition in the Gallery of Modern Art. It was just amazing to go through Andys life story and see his work in real. Loved it!

Lauantaina kaytiin ihailemassa Andy Warholin nayttelya modernin taiteen museossa. Aivan mieleton tuuri etta nayttely oli just avattu. Esilla oli yli 300 Andyn tyota ja paljon matskua hanen elamastaan. Huikeeta!

On Sunday Paula flew up to Cairns to meet Janne there and I flew down to Tasi. Paula and Janne are taking a diving cruise from Cairns for three days. Yes, we had to leave Mauri on his own to the Brisbane airport for a few days. Paula and Janne are going to drive it down to Melbourne in the end of this week and we'll all meet down there on Sunday. Anne K. and Mette are also travelling to Melbourne on Sunday and then we will all spent our Christmas there. I'll be leaving Hobart to Melbourne already on Wednesday.

Sunnuntaina jatimme Maurin lepailemaan Brisbanen kentalle ja mina suuntasin alas Tasmaaniaan ja Paula Cairnssiin. Janne lensi myos sunnuntaina Australiaan ja ylos Cairnssiin. Paula ja Janne menivat Cairnssista nautiskelemaan kolmen paivan sukellus purjehdukselle riutalle. Sunnuntaina me sitten kaikki kohtaamme Melbournessa, Janne, Paula, Anne k., Mette ja Mauri ja rupeamme nauttimaan Aussi joulusta taysin rinnoin.

I am staying at a hostel in the center of Hobart. It is pretty full with back backers. Quite many of them Germans (it feels like all the German Uni students are travelling around Australia at the moment...) and Koreans. In my room there is an American girl and whole lot of Koreans. This morning there was a new group of Koreans arriving to my room while I was still sleeping...lets just say that they are not the frendliest people on earth... like us Finns ;o)

Asustelen hostellissa Hobartin keskustassa joka on pullollaan kaiken maalaisia reppumatkaajia. Joka paikka on pullollaan saksalaisia yliopisto opiskelijoita...ei taida olla lasnaolo pakkoa niissa kouluissa :o).

After sleeping in I took a double decker bus tour around the Hobart city. It was really informative and the driver was a lot of fun as the tour guys usually are here. After the bus drive I walked down to the harbour and to Salamata place which is full of handi craft stores... Yes, I did spent a couple of hours there talking with the store owners and looking at the beatiful pieces of art. One lady was even nice anought to make me a skirt with my measurements since she did not have a right size in the store... talking about good customer service! Hobart is a nice little harbour town full of good seafood restaurants... it is just weird that everything closed really early, at 6 pm the latest. Tomorrow, I am going to take a day tour to Port Arthur which is about 100 km south from here. There used to be a prison there which is now a museum.

Tanaan ajelin ympari Hobartia kaksi kerroksisella bussilla. Kuski oli tosi hauska niin kuin yleensa taalla pain maailmaa. Iltapaivan hengailin kaupungilla ja eksyin yllattaen kasityokauppoihin. Juttelin kauppojen omistajien kanssa ja yksi jopa lupasi ommella mulle hameen mun mittojen mukaan kun kaupassa ei ollut mun kokoa jaljella... aika huippu palvelua! Hobart vaikuttaa oikein leppoisalta paikalta ainoa miinus puoli on se etta kaikki menee kiinni jo viimeistaan kuudelta...monet jopa viidelta, jestas. Koko kaupungin keskusta autioituu heti kuuden jalkeen. Huomenna lahden paivaretkelle Port Arthuriin joka on vanha vankilakaupunki 100 kilometria etelaan Hobartista.

I am really sorry that once again I can not upload any pictures with this computer. I'll try to put them up here the soonest.

Harmillista mutta taaskaan en saa tasta vehkeesta ladattua kuvia tanne... mutta niin pian kuin mahdollista...taidan alkaa jo toistaa itseani...not :o)

Oh yea, a couple of weird Aussie things from the road:

1. A music collection "A barbeque music collection volume 2" (I just have to buy this one for those special barbeque moments, how can you barbeque without it? :o))

2. A video add in the hand dryer in the public bathrooms...  talking about advertising getting every where...

Muutama Aussi outous mika on osunut silmiin matkan varrella:

1. Cd levy " Grillaus kokoelma volume 2" musiikkia grillailu hetkiin (NIIN pakko ostaa ens kesaksi, eihan sita pysty grillaamaan ja tsillaamaan ilman asialle vihkiytynytta musiikkia :o)

2. Yleisissa vessoissa kasien kuivaus laitteessa video mainos jota voi katsella kun kuivaa kasiaan... jep, mainokset tunkevat JOKA paikkaan...

Take care and try to relax a little eventhoug it is Christmas week...

Koittakaa hengahtaa hiukan vaikka onkin jouluviikko...

Hugs! Haleja!

Sanna

Ps. I have not seen any Tasmanian devols, yet. In the pictures they look pretty scary so hopefully the ones I meet are in a cage.

Ps. Tasmaanian paholaisia ei ole viela nakynyt ja kun nakyy niin taytyy toivoa etta jompi kumpi meista on hakissa.