the people we've met

We've seen some incredible things on our trip: the greenest greens, the bluest blues, black sand beaches, beautiful mountains, deserted beaches, the great barrier reef, quaint little surf towns, inspiring national parks, glow worm caves, incredible wildlife, the oldest rainforest in the world....the list goes on. But the best thing about the trip has been (by far) the people we've met and learned from on our journey. We've met people from all over the world. Many of them I know we'll keep in touch with. I truly believe that people come in and out of your life to teach you something. I am so grateful for the relationships we've made on our journey. We've learned so much from them and now we have places to stay all over the world! What a gift.

Peter (Australia) was our host at Ironbark Grange. He taught us about permaculture, how to garden, salsa dance, brew beer, make cheese, bread, yogurt and how to cook amazing Asian meals from scratch. He taught us to work hard but play harder. This guy knows how to live life to the fullest.

Rob (originally from Holland, but has lived in Australia for over 20 years) was our host at the Rainforest Hideaway B&B. He's an amazing builder and artist. He taught us how to work with concrete and live in the rainforest. His calm demeanor taught us how to be at peace with our surroundings. He taught us not to be afraid of scary rainforest creatures and to just laugh off the small stuff in life.

Marco (France) and Lisa (Japan) were our flatmates in Cairns. They met in Australia while traveling. She doesn't speak French and he doesn't speak Japanese, so they communicate in English. They are incredibly sweet and we spent a lot of time comparing notes with them about where to go and what to see. They taught us to be open to whatever experiences come our way on the trip.

Pierre (France) was another flatmate of ours in Cairns. He had been traveling for a while and was studying to become a PADI certified dive master. We had some very good conversations with Pierre about politics and life. He was definitely a free spirit.

This is Matteo and his girlfriend, Michela (Italy). Matteo worked at Ironbark Grange with us in Brisbane and Michela met up with him later in Melbourne. They are from Northern Italy near Venice and we can't wait to visit. They're hysterical and fight like crazy. Matteo taught us that it's okay to eat bread with every meal and what it means to be a true friend. Yeah buddy! (or as he would say yeah boddy!)

Peter and Amanda (Vancouver, Canada) were our flatmates in Melbourne. They bought our car about a month ago and started their journey to Perth. We really enjoyed getting to know them. We laughed a lot, had some awesome conversations and they're both really good people.

Yusuf (Mauritius) is one of our flatmates in Melbourne. He is a 21 year old college student and he and Robbie are brothers from another mother. He has taught us how to cook all kinds of wonderful things and has been incredibly generous to us. Before we met Yusuf, we'd never even heard of Mauritius (it's a little island off the coast of Madagascar) but now we can't wait to visit some day. We will always know him and be grateful for the time that we got to know him. Through his generosity, he's taught us that the substance of life is sharing what you can (time, energy, spirit, money, a ride, a listening ear, a smile, whatever...) to other people.

This is Yusuf (right) with Fahad (middle) and Ali (left). Fahad and Ali are originally from Pakistan and moved to Australia to work and study. Fahad cooked us an incredible Pakistani curry dish one day. Ali loves movies and his favorite actor is Al Pacino. His family nicknamed him "Ali Pacino." They've become good friends. Ali is moving to Toronto to study accounting so hopefully, we'll see him states side at some point. They've helped reaffirm our belief that people, regardless of culture or upbringing, are fundamentally more the same than different.

Isabelle (Isa) and Alan are our flatmates from France. They are so silly and have taught us to be more light hearted and playful. They are always laughing, playing and making things into a game for fun. They are so fun to be around and their energy is infectious. We've really enjoyed our time with them and have learned so much from them. We hope to visit them in France someday!

There were many other people we met along the way who we met very briefly or who we just never snapped a picture of. We'll always remember them, recount their stories and be thankful for the lessons they taught us. It's been an incredible journey. I wouldn't change a thing.