Blue Mountains, Australia + Sandusky, Ohio
We recorded this month's youtube companion video while on our Philadelphia trip, so check us out on our Youtube channel! Within the first few minutes there is so much communicating and gesturing that must be seen to be...seen.
Alison is obsessed with stretching, after realizing how inflexible she is in an adult ballet class. Lulu is obsessed with our #10KSundaySocial gatherings. Every Sunday at 9pm EST, we go live on our 10K Dollar Baes Facebook group, and you can join in on the fun! We announce the topic in our Instagram Story in the few days before, so you can be prepared to join in on the lively discussions! Come hang with us, Lulu obviously is obsessed with those of you that do! It's like a party, where you can drink with us and new friends while in your comfiest pajamas. Oh, and you can win prizes!
Alison is wishing for this citrus spritzer from Amazon. It's an under $5 device that you stick in a lemon or lime, and it immediately becomes a spritzer. This would be an easy stocking-stuffer wishlist come true. Lulu's wishlist item is one that a guest googler had on their list. In our episode "The Three Masketeers with Brian Baez!" before Brian about his imaginary 10K Day in Siem Reap, Cambodia, he details the virtues of the Ember Mug. Now that Lulu fully understands that you can have your coffee stay hot always and forever even if you are a slow sipper, she's added it to her wishlist too! You can also get a travel mug version...so if Santa thinks she's been reeeaaal good this year, can he bring her both?
Blue Mountains is the name of the mountain range near Sydney in New South Wales, with many towns, campgrounds, and activities near enough to imaginarily explore the area in a day. Alison decides to do a combination vacation. What does that mean, exactly? She's going to spend part of the time roughing it, and part of the time living in the lap of luxury. Alison purchases the Alvantor Outdoor Warrior Pro Pop Up Tent to set up camp at Acacia Flat campground in one of the more secluded areas of the Blue Mountains National Park. It's free to camp, all she needs to pay for is the recommended carry-in supplies: tent, drinking and cooking water, food, and a personal locator beacon. Lulu thinks this beacon is like a batman signal. No, it's not going to shine Alison's face up into the sky, but it can send a 406 MHz Distress Signal to search and rescue agencies worldwide. To prepare, Alison gets a Prime delivery of a 6-pack of Smartwater, a thrown together bag of trail mix and protein bars, and the Artex Personal Locator Beacon (PLB, for short).
To get out into said remote wilderness, Alison rents a 4WD Jeep from Sydney 4WD Rental. After some camping she gets ready for a hike, letting a little luxury creep into her day by buying the Dolce & Gabbana Leo Mixed Media Hiking Boots. They are sold out, so if you want to rock the luxe outdoor look, you'll have to choose between one of D&G's other pairs of trekking boots, also priced at $1,000.
Alison takes off on a trek to see the legendary Three Sisters rock formation. The original story goes that three sisters fell in love with three brothers from a neighboring tribe. A spell was cast on the sisters during a family feud, turning them to stone – where (according to legend) they remain until this day. It's considered an easy hike, less than 1 km in and out, max 45 minutes, so with these incredible views we're talking low-impact, high-reward. Just think how cute an Instagram post of her in her hiking boots will look when there's been barely enough time or distance for them to get any wear and tear!
Now for the real luxury of the day. Alison found the incomparable Emirates One&Only Wolgan Valley Resort for her second night. She stays in the two-Bedroom Wollemi Villa, which features a large living room with separate lounge and dining areas, a double-sided fireplace, two spacious bedrooms with their own en-suites, and a private, temperature-controlled swimming pool. Oh, and the extensive views of the Greater Blue Mountains aren't too bad either. Packages at the resort include gourmet breakfasts, lunches, and dinners, with selected wine and beers, as well as two on-site activities. It’s like an all-inclusive PLUS situation.
After her included lunch, Alison heads to Scenic World. There are some great views to be had in this area anyways, but taking them in from the glass-bottomed cable car and a 52 degree incline rail car Scenic World has to offer is an otherworldly experience.
After that scenic undertaking, Alison heads back to the resort to select from an unbelievably extensive menu of activities…especially intriguing to her are the horsemanship session and a private archery lesson.
Next is a stop to the resort's spa with its impressive list of offerings. Alison chooses a two hour Chakra Balancing session, and a Youthful Silhouette Bust Treatment which is described in this unforgettable verbiage - "Invigorating massage techniques will bring new life to the area and promises to be an unforgettable experience."
Remember that her room rate came with breakfast, lunch and dinner, and One & Only Wolgan Valley offers multiple dining options with a farm-to-table philosophy at the heart of its menus. Post-dinner Alison's going for a bottle from the wine cellar to take back to her villa, where sipping while soaking in her private pool will close out her day.
Lulu is staying at Hotel Breakers, partially because of its proximity to her main reason for visiting Sandusky, but mostly because she loves the Jack Daniels burger at TGI Friday's and they have one on-site. Seriously.
Now, Lulu loves a good shopping spree, and this one's a doozy. A significant amount of her 10K goes towards this. Okay nearly all of it. First, she needed comfortable shoes, so she got the Kuru Pivot Lightweight Active Shoe in an adorable Blush Pink! She makes a wishlist item “imaginarily” come true, as she buys the Ember travel mug, which should hold the remainder of her room service carafe of coffee. She'll need the caffeine to get through her day.
Prepared for a chance of rain, she gets this Gucci logo reversible nylon poncho. She takes care of any possible hydration and sustenance needs with the purchase of a Hydro Flask Stainless Steel 40 oz water bottle, the FitCrunch sampler box, and Tillamook beef jerky packs.
To hold some of these things, along with her phone and wallet, she got a vintage Chanel quilted black lambskin fanny pack from 1stdibs.com for $6300.
What has all of this preparation been for? She is spending her day at Cedar Point amusement park. She could have just upgraded her general entrance ticket to the Fast Lane Plus pass, but she really upgraded and got the Gold VIP tour ticket. This comes with a complimentary dining plan, an unlimited drinks wristband, a guide taking you up the exit of rides aka SKIP-THE-LINE, and early entry one hour before the park opens! Can you just picture her in her Gucci Poncho and Chanel Fanny Pack skipping ahead of everyone in line so she can ride all of the roller coasters multiple times? This is like a style-savvy middle schooler's fantasy. Or Lulu's. She closers out her day with some pizza and pierogis at Zinc Brasserie.
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