from noosa we headed north to rainbow beach and cheaper digs...armed with a couple of pitiful tourist maps and some vague directions from the information center, we somehow ended up on the 20k dirt road through the forest that you're supposed to have a 4x4 for! we eased gingerly along for an extra hour in our little red hyundai (offroad was not covered by the rental insurance) before we found black top again. 
lol! and we didn't see another soul for almost that whole hour! no worries...we arrived in rainbow beach a bit later than anticipated, but no worse for the wear... rainbow beach turned out to be a lovely (and tiny) little town w/ one strip plaza complete w/ 3 restaurants, a market, a post office, and a souvenir shop! we bunked our first night a pippie's beach house...a ramshackle little hostel where the receptionist showed us the bathroom and said, "it's a bit messy...do you want us to clean it for you, or is it ok like this?" jokes! we declined, and decided we'd rather wash off in the sea! (we moved next door the next night to much nicer digs for the same price.)
we spent another couple days lazing around the beach (rainbow beach's waves are as cool as noosa's.) on our second day we discovered the beautiful carlos sandblow, a huge moving sand dune system! we watched the sunset from there & wished we could stay forever!
Hi Dee & DP,
Looks like you guys are really enjoying the country and seeing the sights. I wish I could be there with you. I had another surgery on both my feet on the 15 of Jan. I am at home recooporating. I will be back at work on the 29th. I'll have to email you about that. I miss all the traveling and having fun, no kids, no worries...although they have been doing incredibly well. Chris has a 3.75 GPA : ) Adrienne has a 3.875 GPA and Aliah is in accelerated math and is reading above grade level. I guess I can only be proud of theyand all their accomplishments. I am equally proud of you and DP for taking this risk and going deep in to each countries culture and experiencing life as they do. It will be memories you will treasure for the rest of your lives. And what better way to enjoy one of the most rewarding and educational experiences with the one you plan to spend your life with. You will have so many wonderful stories to tell your children and inspire them to be open minded and willing to explore other countries and learn their culture and really appreciate no only America but the rest of the worldand how everyone else lives. I know you all will take this as a learning experience as well as something fun and exciting to do. I wish you the best and continue to tell us your stories, I enjoy them thoroughly!
Luv ya,
Pam, David, Chris, Adrienne, and Aliyah
Posted by: Pam Barnes | 19 January 2007 at 10:17 PM
Hey Darryl & Dee, i would like to begin by saying that you guys are absolutley amazing! Dee we have never met but if youv'e hooked up wit Darryl you have to be as aswome as he is. Darryl and I got our engineering degrees at CCNY.
The entire family is hear reading of your exciting travels and adventures. The girls think that you guys are like superheros traveiling the world and posting your pictures online. You guys are up there with noggin.com which for pre-schoolers is platinum status. I wish you guys the best, safe travels, stay vigilant, enjoy, and, litterally speaking don't let the bed bugs bite.
Posted by: Ty, Ana, Brigette, and Gabriella | 20 January 2007 at 06:47 PM
Hey DP & DD . . . don't leave me hangin'. What's up with the champagne & mud & steam & green pools? And the rock face and silica deposits . . . how did they form? Why did they form? Where else in the world do you find them? Did the water eat through your sandals? Com'on bloaks . . .what's the skinny?
Love Dad
Posted by: Ronald David aka Dad | 21 January 2007 at 09:03 PM
greetings my people. i haven't dropped a comment in a minute. it was lovely seeing you all the other night and sending a cryptic peace sign and solidarity fist through cyberspace. so here's what's new in the west that really is the west. if those austrailians want to be part of our western mores they will have to push that piece closer. so... george w. (he is the president of the united states, if you've forgotten...it would be easy to do) gave his state of the union speech the other night. he begged the congress to give his new plan to send 22,000 more u.s. troops to iraq a chance. he was like...just because my first plan was whack, my second plan was worse and my third plan was worserer this one will be the bomb...i promise. but the real drama came while he was giving the address. solomon, our turtle, was watching the president too. he has these two fish friends that live in the same apartment with him: one blue neon fish, and one yellow tailed guppy. in the middle of the speech solomon got so pissed he was like yo... you stole the election in 2000, lied about the whole joint, stole another election in 2004 and now you talking madd s&%t about sending more troops. he was sooo pissed he looked at the yellow tailed guppy, named mos, and just bit his head and slammed his body up on the glass and then ate him....tail, fins and all. then he looks at the president on channel two and was like, that's what i think of you and your stupid-ass plan. sadira said, "i don't think solomon likes georgie double-you." i said, "word up!!" (yes, that's how i speak to my child), "niether do i."
so... consider yourself up to date on american politics, some aquatic truths about the relationship between turtles, guppies and incompetent presidents and the degree to which we miss you.
madd love and continuous jokes...
Posted by: kamau | 25 January 2007 at 07:43 AM