Cairns: Diving the Great Barrier Reef

May 8, 2015May 21, 2015 / lifeafter9to5 / 3 Comments

View of the reef from our plane

When we planned our trip to Australia, the number one, top thing we all wanted to do was go diving in the Great Barrier Reef, a living structure so massive it can be seen from outer space. The Great Barrier Reef stretches for more than 2,000 km off along the Queensland coastline in north-eastern Australia. This rich and diverse ecosystem is made up of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands where the world’s largest collection of corals, colorful fish, and countless other species thrive. Continue reading →

Cairns: Hiking Mossman Gorge

May 6, 2015May 5, 2015 / lifeafter9to5 / 2 Comments

[via nprsr]

After four relaxing days on Hamilton Island, we headed up the Queensland coast towards Cairns. The further north we went, the hotter and more humid it got, temperatures can easily hit 38 C / 100 F in the summer. We rented a car and headed towards Port Douglas, a sleepy little beach town right on the coast. This region is a unique blend of sandy beaches and tropical rainforest. The lush green forest gives way to to clear blue water, both only separated by a winding road. As we were driving on the road to Port Douglas, we could not help but admire this distinctive landscape.

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Photo of the Week: Sand Surfing

May 4, 2015May 10, 2015 / lifeafter9to5 / 2 Comments

IMG_9240-ACTION Arabian Desert, Dubai, UAE

Recently sand surfing has become a popular sport in the Middle East, and while on our short trip to Dubai we had a chance to experience this adrenaline filled past-time in the Arabian desert. We took a 4×4 out to the middle of the desert, strapped on a board, and glided down the soft sand dunes. This picture was taken of my friend Nate as he crushed it, on his first time down the dune.

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Whitsundays: Whitehaven Beach

May 1, 2015May 2, 2015 / lifeafter9to5 / 1 Comment

Close your eyes and imagine a tropical paradise. With fine white sand and clear blue water as far as the eye can see, Whitehaven is probably as close to paradise as you can get. I’ve been to my share of beautiful beaches, but nothing holds a candle to Whitehaven. It’s no wonder that it’s considered one of the world’s most unspoiled and beautiful beaches. The area is uninhabited and can only be accessed by boat or helicopter from the surrounding islands.

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Whitsundays: Hamilton Island

April 29, 2015January 21, 2016 / lifeafter9to5 / 2 Comments

After five days in the city, we were ready to fly to beautiful Queensland. We decided to stay on Hamilton Island, one of the 74 tropical islands at the heart of the Whitsundays. The island is situated between the Queensland coast and the Great Barrier Reef, making it the perfect base for exploring the surrounding areas. Even though it’s the largest of the inhabited Whitsundsay islands, it’s less than 2 square miles in area.

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Photo of the Week: Charms

April 27, 2015May 10, 2015 / lifeafter9to5 / Leave a comment

Tokyo, Japan

We spent a morning in Tokyo walking through the Asakusa district. Along Nakamise-dori, you’ll find many stores selling all kinds of things; from traditional kimonos, to okashi (Japanese sweets), to souvenirs as pictured above. The streets are crowded with tourists and locals in their traditional fineries making their way to Sensoji Temple, the oldest temple in the city.

11 Things To Do Around Sydney

April 23, 2015June 30, 2015 / lifeafter9to5 / 5 Comments

Sydney is a vibrant, multicultural city surrounding one of the world’s largest natural harbors. Unlike other metropolises, this easy going city is known for its idyllic beaches and rugged national parks as well as its lively food scene and culture. There are so many things to do and see in Sydney, that we had a very packed schedule during our 5 day stay. Our goal was to see as many things as possible, from the sandy beaches to the mountains to the city. Here are the highlights of some of the places we visited in Sydney:

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Photo of the Week: Traffic

April 20, 2015May 10, 2015 / lifeafter9to5 / 1 Comment

Hanoi, Viet Nam

The traffic in Vietnam is notorious. This picture of a gentleman smoking on his bike while surging ahead of the crowd was taken on the chaotic streets of Hanoi. The streets are often congested with motorcycles, cars, and bikes jostling to get to their various destinations. In Vietnam, crossing the street is often a feat in and of itself.

The Day My Life Changed

April 11, 2015April 12, 2015 / lifeafter9to5 / 19 Comments

Two years ago on this day, I found out I had breast cancer. Yes, the dreaded ‘C’ word. This was a shock to me, because to be honest, no one in their early 30s is expected to deal with this, right? At that age, I still feel invincible, and there was no time to contemplate my mortality. I still remember getting the call from the OBGYN office asking me to come in for my results. It was then that I knew it was going to be bad news (why else would they call you in?). In that minute my world changed. At 33 years old, with no family history, I sat there in silence as the doctor told me I had ductal carcinoma-in-situ. That was the bad news; the good news I was told, is that the cancer was caught early and was non-invasive. Yay me?

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Sydney: Bondi Beach

April 8, 2015April 8, 2015 / lifeafter9to5 / 4 Comments

Sydney is a seaside city with many world famous beaches located right around the metropolitan area. Bondi Beach (pronounced: bond-eye) is one of the busiest and most popular beaches in the city, only about 30 minutes from the city center. It is well known for it’s soft white sand as well as prime surfing location. The beach is only 1 km long and receives hundreds of thousands of visitors from all over the world.