If I were to choose one word to describe the month of April it would be: travel.
Extreme Melbourne Trip May 31-June 4
The month started on a trip I booked through STA Travel called 'Extreme Melbourne.' Laura V. and Scott booked their trip the second they heard about it, but since I was going to Melbourne later in April already, I wanted to make sure that the trips didn't overlap on content. But after looking at the adventure's itinerary, I was happy to notice it involved sites and events I had on my 'to do.' Before I knew it we were lugging our baggage through campus (and oh man, I way over packed...), to meet the STA bus at 8pm. An hour and a half later, we had successfully picked up about 30 more students from the University of Sydney and UNSW, and finally got on the highway for a 12 hour drive. On a map of Australia, you can look at the distance between Melbourne and Sydney and think, 'Wow, we could be there in like 3 hours.' Wrong. Very wrong. Australia is the 6th largest country. Interestingly enough, it is also Earth's largest island. It is the only island that is also a continent, and the only continent that is also a country. But I digress, although things look close on a map...they are most definitely very far.
We did get toilet breaks throughout the long bus journey. At the first stop, Laura and I bought some chips to share, along with some Tim Tams. Unfortunately, neither lasted very long. Tim Tams are...well delicious, and the Sea Salt chips...The bus wasn't a luxury vehicle by any means. In fact, the entire back seat (which Laura and I decided to share because between us 2 shorties...we could lay down and be comfortable) was somewhat broken. I was sitting on the edge of one, and well...it flipped forward spilling me onto the ground, and the whole bag of chips poured into the space underneath the broken cushion. Apparently the chips wanted to have a party with all the gum, dust, and other garbage that was collecting under our bums.
At another stop, there was a guy who apparently really had to go use the Lou, because he booked it off the bus and couldn't even make it to the toilets. Instead, he claimed his territory right next to a Maccas playpen. The rest of the bus ride was just as entertaining, with Laura basically sleep talking, and saying things that made no sense. I think we were all beyond tired and loopy at that point. So we slept. Laura and I stretched out in the back seat for quite some time. I woke up once to peer our the window into remoteness. However, the stars were the brightest I have every laid eyes on. The next time I awoke, we were pulling up to our home for the next few days, Base X, a backpackers hostel.
After breakfast and a quick change of clothes, we hopped on the tram into the city of Melbourne. First I would like to take the opportunity to say that Melbourne is pronounced Mel-ben, and is the second largest city in Australia. Also, it is known to be Australia's cultural capital. Another interesting point is when you go south in Australia you do not travel into warmer weather, in fact it is the exact opposite of the States. You must travel north to get to the warmer weather, and south to reach cooler weather. Any who, back to the tram...Melbourne is home to the largest tram network in the world. It is the city's major form of transportation. So we hopped on the tram, however, we lost one girl named Davi because the doors closed before she could enter the tram. Poor girl was lost in an unfamiliar city within the first 10 minutes of our journey. However, there was not much we could do, so we continued on our trip.
On the itinerary for day one was a tour of the city. Major landmarks of Melbourne include Federation Square or 'The Meeting Place.' It is a central place in the city with several buildings of peculiar design. From there, we walked along the Yarra river, the river that runs right through the heart of the city, to the Eureka Tower. The Eureka building was the tallest residential building in the world when completed in 2006, standing at 91 stories high. It is one of the tallest buildings in the southern hemisphere. On the 88th floor there is a 360 degree public vantage point available overlooking the city. Luckily, the lost member of our group found us before we went up to the sky deck. The Eureka Tower, like many other buildings in Melb, has a very different architectural style. On the front of the building it has a golden bees. From the inside, you can see for miles, peering through telescopes to specifics landmarks like Flinder's Station, Federation Square, Parliament, and the 1956 Summer Olympic park.
After touring the rest city, we went in search of these 'hidden bars' Melbourne is famous for. Apparently, you could go walking down the street, turn a corner, and right passed the dumpsters you have yourself a literal 'hole-in-the-wall' place. Scott, Laura, Leah, and Davi successfully found one, and settled down for a drink and a foodbaby-making meal. This was my first encounter with kangaroo, which I tasted in burger form. It was surprisingly decent, but I couldn't get over the fact I was eating kangaroo. Australian's have no problems buying and eating kangaroo, because the population of the native, iconic animal doubles the Australian human population (about 5 million kangaroos pounce around the continent).
Melbourne is very artsy. Lining the walls of several of their alleyways is mural upon mural of graffiti. We headed back to St. Kilda (an area of the city where we were staying) and walked along the beach, watching kite boarding (I have never seen so many in my life), and to look for penguins around the rocky barriers. We caught a few glimpses of a few!
Day 2 of the Extreme Melbourne trip took us on an all day bus tour of the Great Ocean Road. The Great Ocean Road is a 151 mile stretch of road along the south-eastern coast, just south of Melbourne. The Road was built by returned soldiers between 1919 and 1932, and is the worlds largest war memorial dedicated to World War I veterans. We saw some breathtaking views of beaches and cliffs, and unique houses. The bus made stops at Bell's Beach, where several famous surfing competitions occur. Also, we stopped at Apollo Bay, the little town of Lorne, and stopped along the side of the road to spot wild koalas amongst the trees. Of course the trip highlight was the 12 Apostles. The 12 Apostles is a collection of limestone stacks off the shore of Port Campbell National Park. They were formed by erosion: the harsh weather conditions from the Southern Ocean gradually eroded the rock to form caves in the cliffs, which then became arches, which in turn collapsed. They formed stacks up to 45 metres in height. Their proximity to one another has made the stacks a popular tourist attraction. Due to erosion, the Apostles are falling, currently there are only about 9 Apostles left.
The last bonus of the tour was The Loch Ard Gorge. "The gorge is named after the clipper ship Loch Ard, which ran aground nearby Muttonbird Island on June 1, 1878. Of the fifty-four passengers and crew, only two survived: Tom Pearce, a ship's apprentice, and Eva Carmichael, an Irishwoman immigrating with her family, both of whom were 18 years of age. According to memorials at the site, Pearce was washed ashore and rescued Carmichael from the water after hearing her cries for help. Pearce then proceeded to climb out of the gorge to raise the alarm to local pastoralist who immediately set into plan a rescue attempt. That ache of the nearby Island Archway collapsed in June 2009. The feature now appears as two unconnected rock pillars. They have since been officially named Tom and Eva after the two teenage survivors of the Loch Ard shipwreck."
After all that exhausting site seeing, we started our journey back to Melbourne. Along the way, our tour guides whipped out plastic cups and goon, and we spent 2 hours partying on the bus. The tour people must not have thought it through very well though...What do you get when you mix drinks with no bathroom on the bus? Eventually we must have complained enough, because the bus driver pulled over to the side of the road and we all sprinted off the bus and into a park. "Shotgun that tree! Shotty the other side of that tree!" People just squatted and did there business, and then resumed the bus party activities. They played spin the goon bag, and then had people sprint down the isle. Not the most genius plan, because the next day our legs were spotted with black and blue blobs. Good thing the weather was cool enough and pants were an alright choice. Only in Australia.
Day 3 began with some more walking around the city, shopping, and exploring. Then we met at Federation Square to head to an AFL game. AFL stands for Aussie Rules Football or 'Footy'. The sport is particularly popular in Victoria...the fans go crazy for it! AFL is a sport played between two teams of 22 lean, quick, and strong men (18 on the field and four interchanges). We walked up to the stadium and I instantly felt like I should see broomsticks zooming around in the air like I was at a Quidditch match. And one of the teams colors, the Hawthorne Hawks, were just like Gryffindors!
The object of an AFL game is to score points by passing the ball through the opponent's uprights. The main way to score points is by kicking the ball between the two major goal posts in the middle, scoring six points. If you make them on the out two posts, that is worth one point. That team with the higher total score at the end of the 2 forty minute halve, wins. During play, the players can pass the ball by kicking, handballing, and running with the ball. There are rules on how the ball can be handled: for example, players running with the ball must intermittently bounce or touch it on the ground. Throwing the ball is not allowed and players must not get caught holding the ball for too long. A distinct feature of the game is the mark, where players anywhere on the field who catch a ball from a kick, are awarded a free kick. AFL is very much a contact sport, very fast moving, and very high scoring. I wish it was televised in the States...
At the Melbourne Demons versus the Hawthorne Hawks game, there were two Hawk's fans sitting in from of me. They were pretty young, but absolutely loud, and into the game...So I went down to sit next to them. The two little boys were 12 years old, fiery, and loved the sport. Reminded me of the way I am with football. They spent the time answering my many questions and taught me everything about the game. Who their favorite player were, how often they come to games, their favorite teams, etc. etc. Every time they scored...all I could think about was: TEN POINTS FOR GRYFFINDOR!
The drive home was long and uneventful. We arrived back on Monday morning about 8 am. I had 4 days of rest and then I was off for 2 1/2 weeks for our mid-semester break...
New Zealand
"It's time to get up, the time is 3 am" --This is what I woke up to...my alarm from my phone. Why would my dad book a 6 am flight?! was all I could think about when I heard this. It was that time already. A 2 1/2 week break from Uni, and my parents, grandma, and aunt were visiting this side of the globe. Erin, bless her heart, saved my life by taking me to the airport, where I would fly from Sydney to Melbourne and then on to New Zealand. I boarded the first flight, where in sleepy delusion, I sat in the wrong seat and began to sleep. Someone woke me up and was like "Um excuse me, you are in my seat." So I finally made it to the correct seat, up one row. My next fight to Queenstown, New Zealand I had a row all to myself so I gladly spread out. My flight to NZ was the first time I ever flew completely alone...and I slept basically the whole 3 hours. Coming into the southern island of the country I saw the beautiful, mountainous country, and remember being shocked by it majestic peaks and clear blue waters. Simply breathtaking. Once I stepped off the airplane, my nostrils were filled with some of the cleanest air I've ever sucked in. So far, a great beginning to two week straight of travel.
I finally reunited with my family. It was great to see them safely on the ground, because the trip to this part of the globe is a feat of its own. We chatted in the gorgeous Hertitage villa. Our first thing on the itinerary was a boat tour on the T.S.S. Earnslaw. The T.S.S. Earnslaw is a rare 1912 coal-fired steamer plying the waters of Lake Wakatipu, the beautiful reflective lake in Queenstown. The boat cruise took about an hour, where we were free to watch the crew in action, shoveling coal, and walk about the boat. I remember looking to the sky, seeing the sunset put on a show. One thing about the T.S.S. Earnslaw is that it is 98 years of age, and left a steady stream of black smoke all the way across the lake. The steamer reached Walter Peak High Country Farm, where we walked up to a long white and red-shuttered building surrounded by unique vegetation. There we splurged on a buffet dinner, with delicious desserts, including a new one named Sticky Date Pudding. After dinner, jet lagged and in food coma, we were ready to hurry and get back the villa. Once my head hit the pillow at night...I was out cold.
Again, I wanted to throw the alarm at the wall in the morning when we woke up at the butt crack of dawn for our first tour. We were promptly picked up by a big bus taking us to Milford Sound. Along the way, we stopped at several immaculate sights. After a quick stop in Te Ano, the bus pulled over next to a flat field, which jutted straight up into mountains. I couldn't help but join my dad in singing "The hill are alive..." Next, to stretch out legs, we took a 15 min walk through the forest with interesting umbrella-like ferns. I remember hearing rushing water, but not seeing anything (and I was just about to declare myself insane). Then we turned a corner and saw the Chasm. The Chasm is a big, natural bottomless bowl where the water of the Cleddau River flows. The stone around the rushing water has been carved naturally over the years. Henry David Thoreau describes it best when he said "The finest workers in stone are not copper or steel, but the gentle touches of air and water working at their leisure with a liberal allowance of time."
There was more driving, I dosed off every now and then because the bus drivers commentary was so soothing and the bus heater was right at my feet...they were just asking for it. When I was looking out the window, I would see mountains, glaciers, cerulean blue waterfalls, deer farms, sheep, sheep, and more sheep? We stopped again to go on another hike along a boardwalk to the Mirror Lakes. When you looked down at the water you literally saw the most perfect reflection of the blue sky with white fluffy clouds and the massive mountains. The world temporarily flipped upside down. There was some more driving, then we finally arrived at Milford Sound.
It has been judged that Milford Sound was the world's top travel destination in 2008 and is acclaimed as NZ's most famous tourist destination. Rudyard Kipling dubbed it the 8th Wonder of the World. So naturally it was a must see. Milford Sound runs inland from the Tasman Sea, and is surrounded by sheer rock faces that rise 3,900 feet or more on either side. There are several peaks that are shapes of elephant heads and lions. There's lush rain forests that cling to the cliffs. In the waters, there are seals, penguins, and dolphins. We saw a few seals veggin' out on the rocks. Milford sound is home to two permanent waterfalls, Lady Bowen Falls and Stirling Falls. The captain of the Pride of Milford motored the boat withing 20 feet of the waterfalls. Everyone outside on the balconies, ran for cover from the heavy mist spraying from the water hitting the rocks. There was even an area in the Sound name Harrison's Cove.
At first this beautiful wonder was overlooked by explorers, because its narrow entry did not appear to lead into such large interior bays. Other explores feared venturing too close to the steep mountainsides. My family and I snapped pictures, enjoyed another buffet-style meal, and even chatted with the captain. There was so much to take in.
No one would have been able to handle another tour after our almost 12 hour journey round trip to Milford Sound. So we took a free day. Queenstown is known as 'The Richman's Playground.' It is the capital of extreme sports. In fact, Queenstown is home to the first bungy, and the tallest bundy and cliff jump. This has always been on my bucket list, so with a little convincing, I talked my dad into it. "There will be two jumpers and a spectator," the lady at the concierge desk phoned in to Shotover Canyon Swing. I decided on a cliff jump, the world's tallest, that way I could get creative. My dad, mom, and I went to Canyon Swings 'office' at noon, and my aunt and grandma went shopping for the day. I remember tooling around watching videos of those that have gone before us, and looking at the 'Swing Undies.' The swing undies were a pair of whitie-tighties with a poo stain on the back and the words 'even my shit was scared!' Quite comical!
The anticipation was building, and finally a guy called me over to weigh me in kg, and then proceeded to draw randomly on the back of my hand. In colorful permanent marker, he scribbled green and blue mountains with a smiling sun and purple clouds. And I still don't know why. About 8 of us piled into a tiny van and began our ten minute ascent. The ride to Shotover Canyon was terrifying, the van rumbled along a narrow dirt road with no guardrail and a sheer drop off spied dauntingly at us. We finally arrive at this outhouse, where Doug explained that it was the last restroom, could be the last restroom of our life.
To get to the canyon we had to walk along a narrow path. To my right was a sloping mountainside with the occasional random shrine, like a gnome behind a skull with antlers. To my left was a straight drop off. I peaked over the edge to see the occasional shrubbery among rocky cliff faces and a turquoise river flowing blew. Yikes. Needless to say, I stuck closer to the right. We finally reached the jumping site. They strapped us in, and we all laughed nervously as we tried to creatively choose our jump styles. They told us to choose wisely because this could be the last thing we do before they die so we should make it count. I looked at underpant ratings (the more underpants next to the jump, the scarier), before settling on the pin-drop. When it was my turn, they had me stand on the very edge, while nudging me gently. Pinkie and Doug held me over the dropoff for my first glimpse and a photo opportunity. Finally, it came down to swing time.
"Whenever you are ready...to die...go ahead," they taunted.
So I started counting, "One, two...""Wait, wait...when are you going to jump? What is it with you Americans, everyone else around the world counts down...but you guys count up. You could be jumping on 5 for all we know."
"Ok...three...two...o..."
"Wait! Are you going on one, or go? hahaha"
With my hands behind my back, "three, two, oneeeeeeeeeee" I hopped off the edge....and went into a twisting free fall for 4 seconds, going down, down, down, screaming. And I survived to tell the tale.
I loved it SO much, I went a second time. This time, I had the jumpmasters choose. After contemplating between the Osama, and a few other jumps with less appealing names, Pinkie and Doug settled on the first ever Backwards Bicycle. Next thing I know, I am strapped to a tiny yellow and red kid's tricycle with a white helmet for procaution. We were laughing and working through how to exactly push me off the cliff.
"Maybe we should grab onto her harness?...No, maybe push her like a bobsled...Yes, that could work." It was so comforting to know that I was in experienced hands haha
"One, two, threee..."
Bungy jumping is the most exhilerating thing I have ever done in my life. When you are up that cliff, your brain cannot calculate the fact your body is going to be thrown from such a dizzying height. Then the other part hopes that you don't splat on the river rocks below. For that 4 seconds of freefall (60m freefall, 109 m height, 200m swing), you don't feel anything, just head the rushing of wind in your ears. It is not like a rollarcoaster, where you can feel the chair beneath you, and feel your body going fast. It is a weightless feeling. I watched as I fell further from the jumpmasters that pushed me off, tumbling into oblivion. Then the rope swung, I snapped back into reality, and my adreniline kicked it. I couldn't help but laugh and breath, and take in the gorgeous canyon. I continued to swing for a min or so, listening to the rushing water and echos of this spectacular view...the calm and peaceful after the terrifying.
They slowly brought me back to the top of the platform, and spun me away from the edge. "You looked pretty special with that helmet on, you probably didn't need it." Great, I couldn't wait to see the pictures and video, which we couldn't help but purchase. I have always been an adreniline junkie so up next: Skydiving!
The next day we embarked on another tour through the beautiful south island. Again, I saw millions upon millions of sheep, heaps of deer farms, a few smoking glaciers, and massive mountains that disappeared at the cloud line. For lunch, we stopped at Mt. Cook, where we had a delicious three course meal (as you might be able to tell, we never went hungry), with an incredible view of New Zealand's tallest mountain. Reaching 12,316 feet, Mount Cook is a favorite challenge for mountain climbes. The next stop was Lake Tekapo. I couldn't even imagine water being so glasslike as Lake Tekapo (Teak-a-poe not Take-a-poo). On its shoreline was a tiny little church called The Church of the Good Shepard. The church is arguably one of the most photographed in New Zealand, and with good reason. It's so quaint, and the alter frames a killer view of the lake and mountains in the background. Right next to the church is the Bronze Sheepdog Statue. The statue was erected for all the hardworking sheepdogs...I mean there are a ton of sheep!
After more specatcular views and a stunning sunset of reds, oranges, and pinks, we arrived in Christ Church. About 2 month prior to our arrival, Chirst Church suffered a city tumbling earthquake. The devistation was still quite evident, as bricks lay in piles on the sides of sidewalks, and the church steeples complete gone. The the heart of the city was condemned, and no one could get within three blocks of it. Someday I will have to revisit the area to get its full effect of what it once was.
Random, but New Zealander's are known as Kiwi's. The Kiwi is an endemic bird to NZ. It cannot fly, it's about the size of a domestic chicken, and lays the largest eggs compared to their body size. They are an endangered species, so we didn't see a real life one. However, everything there had Kiwi's on it. It's the nations symbol, making appearances on the dollar, and on every souvenier you encounter.
It was time to leave NZ and the Kiwis and head for Aussies and Roos.
Sydney
Another early flight took us to Sydney International Airport, where we had a driver pick us up and take us to a little boutique hotel in The Rocks district. We had the afternoon as a free day in the city. I took my family to Macquarie University, where I showed them my apartment and the campus. After all that walking and train riding, we kicked back at Jackson's on George with some cider. The next morning, we woke up to blue skys and a perfect day for sailing. A friendly white-haired man dropped us off in Darling Harbour were we caught a yacht and met the informative and friendly Capt'n Collin. Collin took us through the numerous bays and coves in Sydney Harbour, talking about the $90 million houses, cursed residences, and the location of many celebrities' homes. I wouldn't mind having one of these homes to see the fireworks over the harbour on New Years...Daddy please??
Eventually we put the sails up and coasted among racing yachts and ferries, it was one of the best days to be out on the harbour. The private tour ended at Watson Bay, where we once again joined the friendly white-haried man who fed us chips, cheese, and wine in the shade of giant trees. Later, I tried fish and chips from Doyle's...yep, I still don't like fish. After a Q&A with our personal chauffeur around Sydney, we made a stop at The Gap. The Gap is an ocean cliff, in eastern Sydney. The Gap is not only known as a suicide location of notoriety, but the site of a shipwreck in 1858. The sailing ship Dunbar carrying 63 passangers, and a 59 member crew crashed into the rocky cliff at the foot of The Gap. The weather was stormy, with a strong wind, and very poor visibility. As a result, the captain misjudged the entrance to the harbour and the Dunbar impacted the rocky cliff. The top masts snapped and the ship turned boardside. The Dunbar was being pounded into the rocks. The next day, crowds watched as breakers pounded victims' corpses against the rocks, while inside the harbour the incoming tide carried naked bodies, many mutilated by sharks amid cargo and wreckage. One solitary man survived all of this. The man, James Johnson, clung to the rocky ledge below for 36 hours!
Next, we checked out the skyline view of the city from Bondi Beach Hill, there I tossed around a rugby ball with some little boys. I taught them how to throw a football the American way, which they call 'gridiron,' and in turn, they taught me some rugby rules. From there, my family got a glimpse and the history of Bondi Beach. Bondi is the most famous beach in Australia. It was home of the beach volleyball competitions in the 2000 Sydney Olympics. It is also home to some of the best lifeguards in the world, and the rescue show called 'Bondi Rescue.'
From the beach we went through some more suburbs until we reached the Royal Botanical gardens. The view from the botanical gardens encompasses both great views of the Opera House and the Coathanger (Sydney Harbour Bridge). Also in the gardens is Mrs. Macquarie's Chair. The chair is an exposed sandstone rock cut into the shape of a bench on the botanical gardens peninsula in Sydney Harbour. It was hand carved by convicts for Governor Macquarie's wife, Elizabeth. Noticing the obsession with the name Macquarie yet?
At night we had dinner in the 360 revolving restaurant in Sydney's tower. In an hour you would get to enjoy a delicious 3 course meal and see various views of the city lit up in lights. I tried rare kangaroo, which had a strange texture I didn't care for. Also, for dessert, we sampled some dishes, and received a Happy Birthday dish (even though it wasn't my birhtday).
The next day we ventured about 2 hours out of the city to the Blue Mountains. For breakfast, we stopped at Featherdale Park, where we had breakfast with koalas. Our group had access to the park before it opened, and had the opportunity to feed and interact with wallabies, kangaroos, and pet wombats. The cockatoos loved my dad, screeching with their obnoxious call. We continued our journey out to Katoomba, a town in the Blue Mountains, where we took the sky car down to the rain forests below. The main attraction in the blue mountains is The Three Sisters, three towers of rock. There is an Aboriginal dreamtime story that explains the formation: Three beautiful young ladies had fallen in love with three brothers from the Nepean tribe, yet tribal law forbade them to marry. The brothers were not happy to accept this law and so decided to use force to capture the three sisters causing a major tribal battle. As the life of the three sisters were seriously in danger, a witchdoctor from the Katoomba tribe took it upon himself to turn the three sisters into stone to protect them from any harm. While he had intended to reverse the spell when the battle was over, the witchdoctor himself was killed. As only he could reverse the spell to return the ladies to their former beauty, the sisters remain in their magnificent rock formation as a reminder of this battle for generations to come.
The Blue mountains were formed around one million years ago. They are densely populated by oil bearing Eucalyptus trees. The atmosphere is filled with finely dispersed droplets of oil, which , in combination with dust particles and water vapor, scatter short-wave length rays of light which are predominantly blue in color. Hence, this creates a 'fog' of blue in the mountains, which is how the Blue Mountains got their name.
After we viewed the Three Sisters, we rode the Katoomba rail, which is the steepest railway (52 degrees) in the world. Next, we walked some trails and enjoyed mimosas, along with some amazing overlooks over the mountains.
The next day we had our first bad weather of the whole vacation. And of course, it had to be the day of the bridge climb. Newspapers called it the wettest day in Sydney in 10 years. At noon, we traveled to the Bridge Climb place under the southern end of the bridge. After going through videos and safety information, we finally started suiting up. I felt like an astronaut in training. They provided jumpsuits, gloves, rain jackets/pants, we put on harnesses, and various other safety equipment. Finally, our group of 15 was hooked up to radios, and we began out climb. My grandma, who is 81 year old did this, along with several famous icons like Oprah, Steve Irwin, Matt Damon, Daniel Radcliffe and Will Ferrell (to name a few).
Despite the torrential rain, the climb up the 440 foot bridge was a workout, and a great time. It really gave you a sense of what the workers who constructed the bridge faced, although I am sure they were not as well equipped with safety. Bearing the elements, ya know? Once we got to the top of all the steps, the rain cleared so our group could look out over the dreary harbour without getting pelted by rain. We snapped a few pictures, and then started our descent. And the rain came down, and the wind blew. All the training and the climb took about three hours. The Bridge Climb was rated one of the top 10 experiences in the world.
After just 5 days in Sydney we headed north...
Cairns
In order to head to warmer weather, remember, you have to travel north. Cairns, pronounced Cans, is a tropical touristy town in the state of Queensland. The city itself reminded me of the Key's in FL with beaches and bays and lots of tropical vegetation. Basically it has the same type of weather all year round, warm. Cairns is one of the main outlets for foreign tourists who want to visit the Great Barrier Reef, and that is just what we came to do.
The first day in Cairns we checked into our hotel at the Shangri La, which had an amazing view of the port. I went straight for the pool and loaded on the sunscreen. After a few hours of laying out, the Harrison clan went to dinner along the boardwalk and then went out to explore the town. We called it an early night, because the next morning we were off to see the GBR!
The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest reef system. There are over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 island that stretches along the northern coast of Australia for 133,00 square miles. Basically it is the size Texas. It can be seen from outer space and is the world's biggest single structure made by living organisms...Quite impressive.
Of course there are horror stories...The most famous being the married couple from Louisiana, Tom and Eileen Lonergan. The couple went scuba diving with a company on January 25, 1998, and were never seen again. There are theories surrounding their deaths ranging from being eaten by sharks to murder-suicides. The 2003 movie, Open Water, was a film about the couples disappearance.
After a quick bus ride, with a cheery one-armed bus driver who climbed part of Mt. Everest and had his face on the Australian phone book, we reached Port Douglas and boarded a large boat.We motored for about 2 hours, and finally started to see bits and pieces of the reef. The weather when we departed from Port Douglas looked like it was one the verge of rain, but the people assured us that once we were out to the reef it would be beautiful out. Sure enough, they were right.
The boat was chaotic as we climbed aboard the pontoon. I grabbed my lycra suit, which would protect me from getting burnt and from getting stung from jelly fish, my goggles, flippers, and a mouth piece. Once I had everything on, I went out to the platform to begin exploring the reef. Right by the platform were huge floppy looking fish being fed by another group on the station. I submerged my head under the water and it opened up my eyes to a whole new world.
This was my first time snorkeling EVER, and what a place to start. Nothing will ever surpass the extensive living, breathing mass of coral below the surface. I saw fish the color of purple, green, yellow, and orange highlighters. Many Nemo's and Dory's. Schools upon schools of shimmering fish swam by me, as if creating a sign that directed me onward. There was a clam the size of a california king bed, which I could see breathing. At one point I saw a shark in a dark cave area. Sharks are nocturnal, so I think it was sleeping. Regardless, it gave me the heeby-jeebies, and I shudder away. When I turned around, I was practically face-to-face with a gray fish larger and wider than my body. I could hear the fish pecking at the coral with little click reverberating through the water. I was all my myself, floating in a salt water wonderland. No wonder people could get lost out here...
I was out there for about 3 hours getting lost in the underwater world. That night it was going to be a full moon so the tide was fluctuating greatly by this point. That is when we made our way to the helicopter area. This was another first. We watched the helicopter come in and land on a tiny floating pad. They strapped us in, and away we went. Just a recommendation to any one who wants to go to the Great Barrier Reef, the helicopter ride is the way to go. My camera was exhausted after I was done with the hour long flight back to Cairns, and the pictures were phenomenal. Blues, greens, turquoise...and the reef was showing above water. My pictures turned out amazing but it still doesn't do the GBR justice. Our pilot was female, and we were one of her only English speaking customers all day, so she surprised us with a landing on a small beach off the end of one on of the reefs. Absolutely immaculate. And we even saw a shark...the thing had to be massive if we could see it way up in the air.
The snorkeling and the helicopter ride were by far the most spectacular things I did on my entire 5 month journey. My family and I could not stop talking about it. When my grandma recounted her flight she talked about how she kept thinking she saw a shark, but then realized it was the helicopter shadow, we named it the Helicopter Fish...very amusing!
The next day we took the Kuranda Scenic Railway through the rainforest, spent some time in Kuranda, and took the Skyrail back. Then we took part in learning to throw a boomerang and some other cultural traditions performed by the Aboriginals. When it was my turn to throw the boomerang, I let it fly and the guide turned to me and said "What tribe are you from?"
Later that night, I met up with two guys, Hector and Max, who I went to uni with in Sydney. It's a small world, and we ended up going out and experiencing some Cairn nightlife, which included jello wrestling? This was the first time in about a week and a half I was around people my own age. It was refreshing!
Melbourne. Again.
I ended the 2 week holiday in Melbourne...and by this time the temperature had dropped a bit. The first night we had dinner in a old fashioned tram car that went around the city as we ate and drank. Unfortunately you couldn't see much because there was a lot of rain. When we got off the tram, we stepped into ankle high pools of water.
The next day we enjoyed a trip to Phillip Island. Along the way we stopped at a koala preserve, where you can walk amongst the trees and see koalas sleeping...since they don't do much else. They sleep about 16-18 hours a day and eat the rest. We did however see a koala walking along the boardwalk railing and cute baby munching on some leaves. We toured the beautiful coast, watching hawks swoop and kangaroos hop. Finally, by nightfall, we were at the penguin parade.
The penguins in Australia are called 'Little Penguins.' They are the smallest penuin in the world. The penguins have to come in at night or face the hawk higher up on the food chain. The penguins would quack like ducks when coming out of the water, and their little legs would waddle their way back to their burrows. Some of the burrows were miles upon miles away. Occasionally we would see an insanely fat penguin, which had eaten enough food for 14 days of malting (or shedding its feathers). They were adorable.
The next day was Good Friday and everything seemed to be closed. We roamed around the city, seeing the sights and eating some good food. That night, we bought tickets for the huge Comedy Festival going on in Melbourne. Spontaneous Broadway was a show kind of like Who's Line is It Anyway? but dictated by the audience. They performers would then come up with a storyline and title and sing the song from that musical.
My first night back to 115 was an eventful one. I met up with friends who had gone on a 2 week long backpacking adventure across both the north and south island of NZ. Afterward, I met up with Onur to run around and kick the soccer ball. He insists the sport is called football NOT soccer, because "you kick the 'ball' with your 'foot.' Foot-ball get it?" After a little much needed exercise, I went home and Torill came over. We decided we were in the mood to go out into the city for one of our friend's (Matt from the UK's) farewell. However, first we died from laughing on the lounge after noticing my severe double chin rearing its many rolls in my bungy jumping picture. We. Were. Dying. Torill: Stiff limbs! The night out was great! We went to a bar called Scary Cannery where they have toy pales that you drink out of. We met some of Matt's cricket friends. One named Laz thought I was Swedish.
I had reached my 2 month mark...2 months left in Aussieland and still so much to do....
Up next: May.
G'day!
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