Under the sea - diving in Mauritius

As promised, this entry is dedicated to my amazing experience diving in Mauritius.

Diving is one of those things that you either love doing, have always wanted to do but never got around to getting your flippers on and sitting the course, or have no inkling whatsoever to do even if somebody paid you! Up until two weeks ago I fell into the second category (I still have the brochures next to my bed to prove it!), so seized the chance to do my PADI Open Water diving course on my second week in Mauritius, visiting my Dad who is living and working on this island paradise.

The course took four days and I instilled (my gorgeous, very calm and patient instructor) Brian with my complete trust. A very rare thing for me to do but I was out of my depths, excuse the lame pun!

So on day one, after a quick rundown of the equipment, it was into the pool for some basic training. The best part was having to walk through the lobby of the hotel scarying the Italian tourists who the majority of, as I later found out, would rather die than go swimming in the ocean letting the 'fish touch them'. And this was coming from a good looking guy, about my age covered in tattoos. Boy, did he soundly seem so unattractive!

So out into the ocean we went. Our first dive was a wreck dive but I am buggered if I noticed or enjoyed my surroundings. I was so busy focusing on breathing and what I was doing that i may aswell still been in the pool. But I must confess, after 15 minutes I did the signal that I wanted to surface - and we did. I wasn't freaking out but was short of breath. We got the to top and I was like, right I am ready to go stright back down, much to Brian's shock!

I guess my reason was that I just needed to know I could safely surface and get out of there if I had to or even needed to. And well, I now knew I could. Go on - call me a control freak!

So after that it was amazing and by my third open water dive to 18m for over 40minutes I had completely forgotten I was underwater and was just loving swimming with all of the amazing fish. Brian realised he could now have fun with me and on one of my levitating excuses decide to position me over a live lobster on the ocean floor - unbeknownst to me - until he pointed and I looked down at this poor creature freaking out just 20cm away from my thigh. I had a great dinner that night - lobster! No, not that one but obviously a close relative.

The hardest part to getting my lisence was the theory side. I had decided to do the course in 4 days so had a lot of reading to do, before sitting the test on my last day. What I found was the more reading I did, the better I understod the situation and my equipment and the more at ease I was. I passed the test despite horrible flashbacks to high school mathematics when it was time to complete the dive table section and am now a qualified diver. Man I love being able to say that!

Diving in Mauritius is relatively affordable and my course cost around AUD$450 which is over half the cost of what it would have been at home in Australia. The only major downfall is that most instructors speak French so you must find an English speaking dive centre for when hand signals just won't do. So now I need a dive buddy to continue my underwater exploration in my own backyard now that I am (sadly) back on home soil.

Simone x

Snow one day, sunshine and surf the next

The 2007 snow season has officially come to a close, but not without drama of course. On the final days, we had 20cm of snow fall, not only keeping most resorts open for business for another two weeks but also nearly forcing me to dig my way out before driving home to Sydney after 4 amazing, fun and hard working months!

So, after two days at home, I unloaded my winter gear from Bertha the backpack and then reloaded her with my summer gear, leaving a wake of clothing mayhem behind me. It was off to Mauritius to visit my family who are living/working there at the moment and to defrost.

I had such a fabulous trip that I am going to have to break all my adventures down into a few blog entries as there is too much to write and too many gorgeous pictures to show.

But for those of you not familiar with Mauritius, it's a small Island off the coast of East Africa, not far from Madagascar. There is a large French/Mauritian population as well as Indian population now too, asthey were originally brought over to help with the sugar can crops, Mauritius' main export.

So stay tuned for my next blog on scub a diving in paradise....

Sim x

Gone fishin'

Who says fishing is just for boys? Not me - at least not after going for a fly fishing casting lesson! My boss thought it would be a good idea to write an article on girls going fishing so - guess who wound up (excuse the pun), ankle deep in womabt crap and sitting on an ants nest on the banks of the Thredbo River. Yep, moi!

But much to my shock and horror, I had a great time. Fly fishing is quite an art and actually requires some skill, unlike normal fishing which requires only patience and a good book in my opinion. Plus, there's a crafty element which is right up my alley and involves making your own flies using animal hair, feathers and whatever materials you dig up from Lincraft. Now this is my kind of sport!

My teacher, the very patient Haig, told me that girls generally make good students because we listen as opposed to boys who just want to cast the bloody thing as far as they can. And well, in no time I was on the village green casting like a pro and the old pitching arm from my softball days came in handy, once again!

Unfortunately, all I caught was a twig. And don't scoff - it was a pretty decent sized twigs as far as twigs go but I threw it back because it's all about catch and release! Wouldn't have tasted too great either!

But seriously, the fishing season doesn't officially open until this weekend so it is illegal to fish in the National Parks before then. So for the next few days I guess it will be back to the village green, practicing my technique. Hmmm... maybe today I might catch a frisbee or a small child?! x

Quarter of a Century and Not Out!

Last Saturday I turned the ripe ol' age of 25! As per usual, it just meant another excuse to go out and party - drinking far too much and dressing like I don't own a mirror!

It just so happened to be Fiona's birthday 3 days later (we are 3 years and 3 days apart) and so we had a combined retro 80s ski wear party since we are both 80s babies, at karaoke. And let's just say that when we arrived the bar it was packed but after just 2 songs, there weren't many people left! Gotta love how you sound like Whitney Houston after 2 drinks - or is that just me? We rocked the casbah, watched in awe as here came the hot stepper and remembered the summer of '69. It was all class, all the time.

We had an absolute blast - which was the main thing. With the gorgeous Helen and Lauren coming up from Sydney just for the party - thanks guys. Hels, you did that bib and brace proud and Loz, no one will ever do justice to those tight, flouro lycra tights like you did! Amen for St Vinnies!

And a special thanks to Fifi, who I know will be reading this because as she confessed, she loves reading about what she gets up to on my blog. The treasure hunt in the morning was gorgeous - thank you fo making my day and night super special.

OK, back to the embarrassing stories. So I have had many flashbacks of what happened that night, ranging from mounting the bar with the microphone to serenade the guy behind the bar (cringe) and running through Thredbo village (fully dressed) saying 'we are all going streaking, to the quad - come with!'. Oh, too funny. Lucky I am leaving this village soon!

Sim x

Shagwell by name, shag very well by reputation

So my latest batch of incriminating photos come from Monday night when it was the lifties party. It was fancy dress and my old flatmates invited Fiona and I. Scooter went as Austin Powers (he makes a great Austin!) and so I went as Felicity Shagwell just in case you can’t figure it out from the pics – ha! It was cheap and easy – OK.

So Fiona, at the 11th hour decided to go as cat woman much to Luke’s horror who had hoped she would tramp it up and be his Bond girl. But I think she looked puuurrr-fect if trampy enough in her fire engine red lipstick!
So people went to a lot of effort for the party, one guy going as Borat in the green man-kini. He pulled it off well, we thought at first. But on closer inspection at the bar he had a very pimpley bum! ‘You - not so good!’

It was a sit down dinner but well, Fi and I managed to get food poisoning. And no, it wasn’t alcohol induced! We only had a few drinks as we were still recovering from our HUGE Saturday night two days before.

And I know I seem to always say what a huge night I had, but they seem to, somehow, be getting bigger and bigger as the season comes to a close. Thank goodness there is only 2 weeks left – I don’t think I can take anymore partying.

I never thought I would say that!

Sim x

Over & Out - but not without drama!

I just completed my last TV report for the season which will air on Sports Tonight, tonight. There is now on 2 weeks left of the ski season, with everything wrapping on the October long weekend! Time has absolutely flown by!

Anyway (before I get all teary), in typical Simone style even my last TV report was full of drama! Our tripod carrier/camera assistant called in sick today so they got one of the ski instructors to fill in, since there seems to be alot of them and not many punters today. So out of the hoardes of instructors, who did they get? The Italian stallion I was 'kind of seeing' who got angry at me last weekend and we had a fight and I walked off and had a great night (i.e. read between the lines... met someone else). So anyway, I hadn't spoken to him since then and today he has to stand next to me and watch my report, throw snowballs at me for the report and be on panda eye alert (why didn't I wear waterproof mascara today?). Typical! It was awkward beyond belief!

Attached is a gorgeous pic our resort photographer got ealrier this week. It's a stunner and I had to share it with you.

So, I guess for the last time... "This is Simone Smith with the latest snow report."
xx

The past can be haunting...

It's been one of those weeks where the past has been catching up with me!
It all started when, on facebook - the website I love and hate simultaneously yet can't seem to get off - I recieved an e-mail from 'The X'. It had been a blissful two-years and well, it was a shock to say the least to see his picture and name pop up in my inbox.
And then today, I recieved a message from a friend saying: Oh man, oh man Sim. Go to www.news.com.au . Which of course I then did, only to see that picture of me with my blow up kangaroo taken by a photographer when I was in Germany at the World Cup last year flash on screen next to a story on the 'Aussie Cultural Cringe - Loud and Proud!' Wow - I am now the unofficial poster girl for cultural cringeing the world over.
That damn photo has haunted me for a year now, running four times (that I know of), in The Times, the London paper twice and once in the SMH and now this. Actually, one of them is quite a funny story.... I had just started work at the Arts Council England when I was working in London, 3 weeks after returning from Germany. My first job on day one was to go through the paper and cut out cultural clippings. So pretending I was a civilized, arts-savvy Aussie (trying to shake all convict stereotypes the poms like to mutter at us whilst looking down their nose), I opened the newspaper to see this same picture staring back at me! I screamed and of course my new employer asked if I was OK and despite my efforts to prevent her from coming over and assuring her it was nothing, she came over to see what was wrong and she couldn't help but laugh at the pic of me with the blow up roo - musttering as she looked down her nose at me! Damn it!
Then, since things always happen in threes, I went to work drinks last week and ran into a guy up at the bar who I had snogged when I was 17. It was very random to bump into him 8 years later and when i got back to the table I relayed this story back to the people at my table, not realising that he was actually part of the table - dating the girl sitting one chair up from me! It was a big table, OK!!! When will I learn to keep my mouth shut?
So, hopefully all of my skeletons are out of the closet for now - I don't think I can handle anymore surprises, just yet.
Lots of love,
Sim x