Tropical North Queensland = Life

I can tell you how beautiful Tropical North Queensland is but you really cannot appreciate it unless you see it. This was honestly one of the most gorgeous places I’ve ever been to, a true gem of Australia. I went on this 4 day trip with my roommate Heidi. There were no dramas, we had tons of fun, and everything went off without a hitch. Enjoy our journey in these next few pages (but make sure you do the same at some point in your life…)

After turning in a 3,000 word paper, I came home to get my bags and Heidi and I left for the airport. With all of the stresses of school behind us, we hopped on a late flight and flew to Cairns, the hub of Tropical North Queensland. We took a shuttle from the airport to Port Douglas, about an hour and a half north of Cairns. We checked into Rendezvous, a “resort” made up of over 100 villas. Our villa was two story 2 bedroom, 2 bath, and a living room/kitchen area…perfect for the two of us (and the same price as staying at a backpackers!).

We were exhausted so we decided to sleep in on Thursday morning. After consulting Shannon, the front desk manager, for tours to take in the next couple of days, we started walking into town. A couple (both of them who worked on boats that went out to the reef) told us they were going into town and offered to give us a lift…they saved us from the forty minute walk and gave us great tips about the area. We grabbed a wrap and smoothie at a little café then walked down to the beach. A Canadian girl sold us two beach chairs for 15 dollars each and we were set for the afternoon. There were these little crabs who rolled little balls of sand and the beach was covered with them, it was cool I promise (and I obviously have pictures of it). We didn’t get in the water cause most of it was roped off because of jellyfish. After laying out and reading our books for a while we walked back into town to get some snacks, and wine, for our room. We took a shuttle back to the villa, showered, and went back into town for dinner. It was Carnivale weekend, Port Douglas’ yearly festival, and we had no idea. It was a great time for us to go because there were live bands playing at the restaurant, a big parade the next day, and tons of people were out. But we called it an early night because little did we know the most amazing day was to come…

We were outside to be picked up for our Daintree Rainforest tour at 7:45am. It was a small group of 8 and our tour guide Grant was FANSTASTIC. He was so knowledgeable about the area and excited to teach us about it. We took a ferry across the Daintree River onto Cape Tribulation where we had morning tea ON the beach with baby bananas and lamingtons, a small cake dipped in chocolate and rolled in coconut (don’t worry mom, me and Heidi shared one :)). Then we took a short walk through the rainforest in that area and through the water. The tide was really low and the water came up to a little above our ankles. There were fish and stingrays swimming around us, it was awesome. We got back into the van and drove through Cape Trib for a little while, and then stopped at a river/watering hole for a swim. It reminded me of the river we walk through before Sliding Rock (for all you camp people). We had a great lunch at a long, gorgeous wood picnic table, and then put on our sneakers to get ready for our Rainforest Walk. We walked through the Daintree for a little over an hour, learning about the trees, vegetation, legends, and history of the area. Grant was like a Daintree encyclopedia…he literally knew the answers to every question we had. After our great walk, we stopped at an ice cream place where they give you four small scoops of locally made ice cream in a cup. You don’t get to pick your flavours…you get what you get. The flavours for that day were Apricot, Coconut, Passionfruit, and a seed that tasted kind of like coffee…it was sooo good. Then we got into a boat and took a ride up the Daintree River spotting a few crocs, kingfisher birds, tree frogs, and snakes along the way. After a great day we went back to the villa and took a shower and nap. Then we went into town and had an amazing dinner at a restaurant called Salsa…fresh salad, local swordfish, and their signature chocolate Cointreau soufflé. We hung out at a bar for a little while after and went back home to get some rest to get ready for another early day.

It was another 7:45am pickup for our Great Barrier Reef tour. The company, Haba, picked us up from the villa and drove us to the marina where we checked in and got on the boat. We were greeted by an American named Trevor who came over to Australia to work for a few years before getting a job back in California. He loved having us two American girls on the trip that day. We didn’t get to scuba which sucked, Heidi has bad ears and apparently your sinuses can explode (or something) if they’re not in great condition (so I was out of the question), but snorkeling was still great. We made two stops on the reef. It wasn’t as vibrant as I thought it would be because a lot of it has been bleached out from the sun/global warming (so sad – STOP GLOBAL WARMING) but it was still amazing. We did find two Nemos, along with a bunch of other gorgeous fish and corals. After a great day of snorkeling, we sat on the front of the boat for the whole ride home, taking in the gorgeous surroundings (including Snapper Island, an island whose shape looks like a crocodile). It was definitely a day to remember. We went back to the villa and took a shuttle back to Cairns because we heard it was the place to be on a Saturday night. We checked into Gilligan’s backpackers, a five star backpackers that has a hotel section, and it was great! They messed up our room situation so we actually got upgraded…we even had comfy robes to relax in…it was nice to be spoiled :) We walked around town for a little and grabbed some Subway and went back to the room to hang out before we went out, the first Pirates of the Caribbean was on TV. Then we got ready and went to the club that was attached to the backpackers which was sooo much fun. One of my friends was actually staying there at the same time so we hung out with him and his friends for some of the night. It was a good time.

Heidi talked her way into us getting a late checkout so we were able to sleep in Sunday morning. We walked around Cairns for a few hours on a gorgeous but very hot day. There was a public swimming pool by the ocean which had tons of people, you can’t really swim in the ocean in Cairns, and we walked around the shops and the marina. We had lunch at a Mexican restaurant which we were so excited to find. We walked through their big mall for a little then went back to Gilligan’s where we took a 5 minute cab ride to the airport. It truly was an amazing trip, and it’s definitely a place I need to go back to in the future. I can’t wait to share pictures with everyone.

The following weekend was my friend Kara’s 21^st birthday weekend and since her mom couldn’t make it to Sydney (she was supposed to come in that weekend) she got her a hotel room at the Marriott in Sydney Harbour for two nights. On Friday me, Kara, and our friend Ashley did the evening Sydney Harbour Bridge Climb. It was by far one of the coolest things I’ve ever done. It’s a three and a half hour tour, you’re on the bridge for about 2 hours – the rest of the time you spend putting on and taking off the insane amount of gear they make you wear. You are attached to a cable the whole time and it wasn’t scary at all. It was kind of unbelievable that 3 months ago I couldn’t walk and since then I’ve climbed a glacier in New Zealand, snorkeled in the Great Barrier Reef, and climbed the Sydney Harbour Bridge…I hate to toot my own horn but go me! All of the lights on the bridge project a black stripe, what they call a black rainbow, into the sky that you can only see from the top of the arch, it was gorgeous. We got to take in the city for all it was, and think back on the incredible semester we’ve spent here. I would recommend the climb to anyone. That night we went out to Argyle in the Rocks with a bunch of people.

The next day we had breakfast at Pancakes on the Rocks which if you ever come to Sydney you HAVE to go to. I went back to Bondi Junction to shower and stuff, then went back into the city for dinner. We ate at Kobe Jones, an amazing sushi restaurant in Darling Harbour, then went back to the hotel to pregame. We went out to Hugo’s in Kings Cross, one of Sydney’s hottest clubs, and had one of the best nights of the semester. We danced until 4 in the morning and just had a ball. We finished Kara’s birthday celebration at Hurricanes, a very American-style BBQ restaurant on Bondi Beach, on Tuesday. It was a great weekend of festivities.

So you’re probably thinking what about school?!? Well in the past week I have written two 2,000 word papers, two 1,500 word papers, and took 2 exams…I can honestly say that I really did work (although played a lot) while I was in Australia. This semester has been amazing and I can’t believe it has come to an end. Last night we had our Study Australia farewell dinner and partied one more time at the Eastern, the club in Bondi Junction that we’ve gone to almost every Wednesday of the semester. I’ve been packing all day and reflecting on my time here which has exceeded every single one of my expectations. If you’ve been reading this blog throughout my journey here, hopefully I have sparked a desire for you to come to Australia because it truly is one of the most fantastic places in the world. I’ve spent four months here and the fact that I’m already thinking about when I can come back definitely says a lot about this country. From the people and the culture to the amazing sites and gorgeous landscape, I truly appreciate Australia’s beauty and what it represents. There are so many more places here that I haven’t been to, and I can’t wait to experience them one day. Obviously this experience wouldn’t have been so incredible if it wasn’t for the people I’ve met and reunited with along the way. My roommates and friends, both American and Australian, were fantastic, and have made this experience so memorable. And of course, this whole experience would have never been possible without the love and support from my parents. You know how much I love you.

So what’s to come? Tomorrow I go to Fiji for one last hoorah before returning to the states. I’ll be there for 6 days, then head home next Thursday. So get ready for one more blog! Until next time, peace out Australia…it’s been real. Cheers :)

Melbourne, Byron Bay, and Surfer's Paradise

Ok, so it’s been a really long time since my last post but honestly I haven’t stopped to breathe in the past two weeks. I’ve been non-stop traveling (which has been amazing) and I’m going to try to remember everything I’ve done so here we go.

On April 26^th I went to Melbourne for a fabulous weekend. The flight is a little over an hour from Sydney. I got in at night time and my camp friend Fitzy met me at the train station in the city where the shuttle from the airport dropped me off. We took the tram to Nomads, my hostel, where I had my own room with a King Size bed (which was soooo nice) and a TV where the only thing on was Big Brother. Side note: Big Brother Australia DOMINATES this country. It’s on every night for the next 12 weeks and it’s soooo good. Me and Leah are addicted.
Anyways, Fitz and I had a beer at the hostel and talked about the city: places I should go, things I should do and see. We said good night cause I had to get up early the next morning.

It was supposed to rain the whole time that I was going to be in Melbourne but it maybe drizzled twice. The day I was hoping for sun the most was Friday because I was going to the Great Ocean Road. I took a longgg day trip (which lasted 14 hours). I was picked up at 7:30 in the morning and we didn’t get back til 9:30pm…but it was definitely worth it. I thought I was going to be alone, but this girl Lauren from my New Zealand trip was randomly on this tour with her friends. It was nice to have someone to spend the say with. We stopped at all the sites like Bells Beach, Split Point Lighthouse, a place with wild Koalas, Maits Rest Rainforset (which we took a walk through), Apollo Bay, the 12 Apostles, Loch Ard Gorge, London Bridge, and more. I can’t express the beauty of the Great Ocean Road through words, but I took lots of pictures. After the tour, Bella and Mel picked me up in the city and we drove to Seaford where they live (about an hour outside of the city). I was obviously so exhausted so we passed out and went to bed early.

The next day, Mel and Luke had to work so Bella and I went to Chadstone, a huge mall outside of the city. We didn’t find anything too exciting, but it was a very cool place to walk around. That afternoon our friend Darren, from camp, who lives in Bendigo came up to Seaford for the night. We all went out to dinner then to a club called 21^st Century which was so much fun. Nothing like going out on the town with camp friends :)

The next day we got up around 10:30 and went into the city for a footy game. Aussie Rules is huge in Melbourne. The state of Victoria has the most teams in all of Australia. We saw the Hawthorn Hawks, Darren’s team, play the Western Bulldogs at the MCG (Melbourne Cricket Grounds). It’s an interesting game and I don’t know how, but it’s kind of like American Football, Soccer, Basketball, and Volleyball all in one. The field is gigantic, and round, and there’s no commentary (other than from the fans) which was weird. When a team messes up or makes a bad play, the fans laugh at them which was really amusing. Our friend Dave also came to the game so it was another fun day with the CPW crew. We went back to Seaford that night, had dinner at a good Japanese place and took it easy for the rest of the night…Big Brother was on :)

On Monday, Mel, Bella, Mel’s ex-boyfriend Al, and I took a drive through the country and had lunch. Then we drove back along the coast which was BEAUTIFUL. The views were spectacular; the sun shining on the ocean, gorgeous beach houses, and you could see the peninsula of the bottom of Victoria from one of the lookouts. Then we went back to Frankston, the town right outside of Seaford, to walk around the shops and get some Gelato. That night we went to a bowling bar called Strike with Casey, Bella and Mel’s friend from Seaford who came to camp in ’04, and her boyfriend. It was fun…I lost boo haha (Mel only beat me by 1 point).

On Tuesday we drove into the city. We had lunch and walked around Chapel Street which was said to have great shopping but I didn’t find anything. It was still a really cool area. Then we went into downtown and met up with Fitz for a quick coffee after Uni. The city was great, very European with little “squares” to sit around in and alleys with cute shops and cafes. We took the tram around and walked for a while. Then Bella, Mel, and Luke dropped me off at the airport. Sad to say goodbye, but it was such a fun weekend.

I got into Sydney around 10:30 cause my flight was cancelled and I had to take a later one. I unpacked and did laundry on Wednesday, only to pack again that night. Thursday morning we took an early flight out to Byron Bay. We got into town checked into our backpackers which wasn’t the nicest accommodation, but it had a bed and a bathroom (even if it was down the hall), so we were set. The town was so cute. It reminded me of the keys but a little nicer and bigger than some of the other beach towns we’ve visited so far. We spent a couple of hours on the beach, but it was really windy so we decided to go to lunch then lay out on the grass at the hostel. We had a really nice dinner at this place called the Balcony, an indoor/outdoor restaurant and bar that looks over the town. Then we went out to a place called Cheeky Monkeys for a few drinks.

Saturday we took an 8:45am bus to Surfer’s Paradise and when we pulled in I fell in love instantly. It reminded me of Miami with its high rises along the water, and the main street was a lot like Lincoln Road with a lot of cafes and cute stores. Our hotel had a pool so we sat outside for a little and walked around the town which was awesome. On Sunday, we went to the beach and my camp friend Richie, who was up visiting from Canberra, met us for lunch and spent the afternoon with us. It was so nice to catch up with him. We took a late flight back to Sydney that night. I was in Sydney for about a week and a half then it was off to Tropical North Queensland…but I’ll save that for the next post. Until next time…cheers :)

Little Bo Peep...We've Found Your Sheep

I just came back from an AMAZING trip to New Zealand. It is an incredible piece of the world that everyone must visit. It has everything from gorgeous mountain ranges, glaciers, and lakes, to big cities and small townships. There are 10 sheep for every one Kiwi (that’s what they call New Zealanders) and even more cows and deer. It’s nuts...they are everywhere. The Maori (Mow-o-ri) culture is the heart of the country and you can count on every mountain, lake, and city to have a Maori name and legend behind it. NZ’s top industries are tourism, forestry, and farming…and boy were we tourists (by the way when I say we I’m referring to me and my friend Bryn who I took this incredible trip with :)). We probably took close to 600 pictures and multiple videos and I’ll try and post them online as soon as possible. So Kia ora (that’s Maori for hi/g’ day) and welcome to my trip (but beware 'cause this blog is very long)...

Day 1 – Good Friday = Everything’s Closed…But That’s Ok ‘Cause We’re in NEW ZEALAND!!!

The alarm rang at 4:45am and after a night of no sleep (due to packing and excitement) I met Bryn in the lobby and we took the bus to the airport. Along the way we met a guy from England who was just coming home from a big night out in the city. Our giant suitcases (we wouldn’t be good backpackers) sparked conversation, and he told us that he had just recently traveled to NZ and we would have an unbelievable time. We checked in at Qantas and boarded our flight. After a decent breakfast (Bryn and I requested vegetarian meals but they thought I was vegan, it was funny) we took a nap, and by the time we woke up we were flying over some of NZ’s amazing mountains. We landed in Christchurch and my camp friend Hayley picked us up from the airport. She drove us into downtown so we could check in at our Hostel, The Stonehurst. We had a tiny room with two beds, a bathroom I almost got stuck in, and a great movie channel, but it was perfect for what we needed. We walked around the city center for a little but everything was closed for Good Friday except some of the restaurants on this one street. We actually had a great lunch at this place called Coyote. When we went back to the car-park we discovered Hayley’s car had been clamped and we had to call the man to remove the boot. Who knew they clamped cars on Public Holidays…shitty job. We tried to get out of it but he wasn’t budging so she paid the fee and we were on our way. Bryn and I passed out for a quick nap while watching “A League of Their Own”, showered, and went to dinner at Lonestar with Hayley and her boyfriend Mike. It was a nice night but we were still exhausted from our long day of traveling so we said goodnight early and went to bed. Wedding Crashers was on…it was perfect.

Day 2 - “Kia Ora! I’m Kristy, This is Deane, and Together We’re Connections!”

We woke up at 7 to a rainy Christchurch and walked about 10 minutes down the road to where our bus was picking us up. After checking in we got a quick fix from Starbucks (that’s one thing about this country…it may be small but you can count on finding a Starbucks on every corner in their major cities). We got on the bus and were greeted by our tour guides Kristy and Deane (we found out later that they’d been dating on and off for about 6 years. They were so cute!) They said we had a long day of driving ahead of us and to sit back, relax, and enjoy the scenery...even though it was pouring. There were 18 people on our tour, all American accept for one girl from Korea, studying in Australia at multiple universities. We made a few photo stops at the Viaduct and a place called Death’s Corner where we saw Kea birds who tear apart people’s cars (seriously, that's what they're known for). After playing a few get to know you games we stopped in a small town called Hokitika. We went to a Jade Factory and had lunch at a place where they collected teapots and they were displayed all over the restaurant. They had a Noah's Arc one with a koala and a giraffe on it...obviously I took a picture. We got back on the bus and drove to Franz Josef Glacier for a photo stop (it had stopped raining by now). It was gorgeous. Our next stop was Fox Glacier where we would stay for the night (by the way, Kiwis pronounce it Glay-see-ier – kind of a bus joke I had to note). The sun was setting as we took a 40 minute walk to Lake Matheson which had the most gorgeous reflection you ever saw (the pictures are amazing). We were staying at the Fox Galcier Hotel. Even though it was just me and Bryn in a room, we had bunk beds, a sink, NO HEATER (it was freezinggg and of course we were the only room without one) and a communal bathroom. We had a buffet dinner in their dining room and then took a walk (in the dark using one flashlight and my camera screen for light) with Kristy through the Glow Worm forest. After, a few of us sat together in the common area and got to know each other a little, then we headed to bed in our freezing cold room (we doubled up with the blankets from the other two beds).

Day 3 – Helicopters and Glaciers

We had to be up early and load our bags on the bus before breakfast. By 7:30 we were on a different bus driving to the helicopter pad where we would begin our journey up to Fox Glacier. Our tour guide Matt led the group of 8 people through some basic procedure and safety stuff. He gave us hiking boots and backpacks and we boarded the Helicopter. It was about a 10 minute scenic flight up to the Glacier (we started at 800 meters up – about 2,600 ft). It was absolutely gorgeous. There were waterfalls coming down the side of the mountain and you could see the Tasman Sea which blended into the sky. The Glacier is 13 kilometers long (about 8 miles) and moves approximately 7.2 meters a day. It’s an amazing thing. We put spikes on our shoes and walked the glacier for about 3 hrs with hiking poles (I used two to ensure my knee didn’t pop out. It was amazing knowing 4 weeks ago I couldn’t walk from my bed to the bathroom and now I was hiking a glacier in the middle of New Zealand! -- cautiously of course ;)) Matt used a huge pickaxe to chip out steps for us in the ice. It definitely made the hike much easier! We hiked til about 10:45am and Matt told us we had to turn around and head back… I guess the saying’s true: what goes up must come down. The two and a half hour hike up only took us about 30 minutes to do back to where the Helicopter would land (the steps were already carved out and we weren’t constantly stopping to take pics etc.). We flew back down and drove into town where we had lunch at a little café and started our 6 hour drive to Queenstown. It was a gorgeous day with not a cloud in the sky, and definitely one of the coolest things I have ever done in my life. We stopped at some pretty lakes, beaches on the west coast, and waterfalls to take pictures along the way. We even played bug-splat bingo on the windshield. Kristy drew up a box of 36 numbers and we all had a paper of 24 numbers at random in a box of 4 rows and 6 columns. Every time a bug hit the windshield she’d call out the number it hit and we would mark it on our paper. If you got a line you’d shout Bingo! – hey, entertainment is limited on a 6 hr. bus ride. We also saw a lot of sheep, cow, and deer along the way (well, this was everywhere in NZ). We drove into Queenstown while Mike (a kid on our trip) serenaded the bus with some karaoke and we checked into the Queenstown Lodge. Bryn and I had a nice room with one queen-size bed, a twin, and our own (big) bathroom. We had dinner and went to bed early after a very tiring, but fun, day.

Day 4 – Welcome to the Adventure Capital of the World: Queenstown, NZ

How crazy can Queenstown really be?? The answer: Nuts! Although we didn’t skydive or bungee (since we spent our $ on the helicopter ride and glacier hike/we were terrified) we took it easy in Queenstown…but no one else did. People were leaving by 8am to do all of these extreme activities like skydiving, bungee jumping, paragliding, and more. Bryn and I slept in a little, since our activity wasn’t until 1, and went into town around 11. We had a gorgeous view of Lake Wakatipu and the mountains surrounding it from our room. We went to the Internet Café and caught up on some e-mail and Facebook (obviously) and had brunch (finally broke Passover yayyyy). The town reminded me a lot of Whistler: cute streets with shops, restaurants, small cafes, and bars. You could tell it would be amazing to be there during the ski season (by the way, it snowed there 4 days after we left). We checked into the Shotover Jetboat at 1pm. They drove us in a bus to the Shotover Canyon where we got on a jet boat that held 14 passengers, went up to 85 kmph, and only needed 10cm of water to operate. The water is drawn in through 2 inlet/intakes in the bottom of the boat, 2 jet units containing the impellors then drive the water out through 2 jet nozzles at the rear of the boat with great force (400 litres of water per second per jet unit) – I got this from their website not gonnna lie. Our gorgeous “Jet Pilot” Shane flew by cliffs and did 360 degree spins throughout the canyons. It was definitely a fun time. We came back to town and walked around the cute shops and stopped at the World Bar for an afternoon snack of wedges and a local beer. We came home and napped, met the group for dinner at the lodge, and then got ready for a fun night out. We started at a bar called Frasier’s where we took Flaming George shots and drank happy hour cocktails. The we went to an ice bar called Minus 5 next door. We had a 10:30 reservation and they bundled us up in winter coats with fur hoods, sheepskin boots (with blue plastic socks), and mittens. Everything was made of ice, even the glasses we drank out of. It was very fun and very cold. Bryn’s camera broke which was sad, but we were still able to capture the night on mine. After that we went back to the World Bar where their signature is putting drinks in Teapots…it was cute (and they tasted yummy). We partied there for a little while longer, then went back to the lodge for a goodnight sleep.

Day 5 - Milford Sucks…

We had breakfast at the lodge and were on the bus by 10:30 and off to Milford Sound. A couple of hours into our drive it started raining…this was not going to be good. It took us 6 hrs. to get there (including stops in Te Anu at the Pop Inn Café and a few others). We drove through the Homer Tunnel which is the longest underground tunnel in NZ and finally arrived at the Milford port in the pouring rain. I hate to be negative, but we were all miserable to begin with, but seeing the boat we were about to get on made our moods 1,000 times worse. I’m going to try to describe it, but you can’t really get it unless you’ve experienced it. We walked onto the boat which had this awful plad, old looking carpet. The main deck was what they referred to as the “Saloon” which was full of booths and tables and the kitchen. We got a quick introduction which included “you’re lucky it’s raining because Milford Sound only has 6 permanent waterfalls. When it’s raining there are over 1,000!”. Too bad it was practically Tsunami-ing outside and if you went on deck you’d get soaked and your camera would be ruined. Ok, it was pretty…but it was POURING. We basically spent the afternoon/early evening playing card games, Connect Four, and Jenga. Let’s just say we were avoiding every possible reason to go to bed. Our beds were like barracks, a 6 by 8 room (if that) with four bunk beds, a peep hole (that water occasionally poured into), and a curtain that divided us from everyone else. There were probably 8-10 of these cubicles in the area we were sleeping in. It was AWFUL. The showers and bathrooms were communal and unisex…we decided we’d stay dirty for a night. The boat rocked us to sleep but we were woken up by screaming 13 year olds running around downstairs…o yea, I forgot to mention there was a school trip of about twenty 13 years olds on our boat too, in addition to people who actually paid for the experience cause they thought it would be enjoyable and exciting --- NOT. We finally fell asleep, and at 7am were obnoxiously woken up by “Wake Me Up Before You Go Go” over the loudspeaker…we were not happy campers. We went up to the saloon to have breakfast, saw a few seals and some other waterfalls, then went back to our little cubical for a nap before it was time to leave (water pouring in though the peep hole woke us up). The boat went out to the Tasman Sea before returning to the dock (it was super rocky). We couldn’t have run off the boat any faster. Our bus was the first one out of the port at 9:30 on the dot…peace out Milford.

Day 6 – Chasing Wild Sheep Off of Glacial Lakes

Our drive brought us back through Te Anu (for morning tea) and Queenstown. We stopped in Arrowtown for lunch which is about 30 min outside of Queenstown. It was a cute little township. They actually had a candy store where we purchased our first bag of Haribo Gummy Bears in the Southern Hemisphere (for all of you who know my obsession it was a very exciting highlight of the trip). We continued our long day of driving to Lake Ohau (O-How). The weather cleared up and we stopped at some cool places to take pictures. As we were approaching our lodge, we had to get out of the bus so Deane could drive over this tiny bridge (praying it wouldn’t break) and walk it. After we got in the bus, we discovered wild sheep roaming at the bottom of the lake. They made their way up to the road we were on and then to the hill to the left of us. Deane said he’d buy a beer for anyone who could catch one, opened the door to the bus, and 6 of the guys ran out into the bush (which was full of pricklies and thorns) to catch a sheep. They were baa-ing up the hill and trying to run as fast as they could, but one of them couldn’t escape Steven. We were all hysterical, definitely a moment to remember. We arrived at Lake Ohau Lodge had dinner, and all hung out in the common area reminiscing on the past 5 days. We watched everyone’s bungy DVDs and hung out at the bar, telling stories and playing drinking games all night. We played one game where we took a cereal box about 6 inches tall and you had to bend over and pick it up with your teeth without using your hands or touching the ground with your knees. After each round you would tear the box a little and it got shorter and shorter. It was funny to watch everyone attempt. Most of the guys even got to the final round (and they were wearing jeans – it was impressive) and little Bryn got to the finals! Yayyy hahaha. We went back to our room to go to bed after a fun night with the group.

Day 7 – Goodbye South Island, Hello North Island

Everyone woke up not feeling too hot from the night before (probably something we ate at dinner…) but we had breakfast and got on the bus to complete our last leg of the trip. We stopped at two glacial lakes, Tekapo and Pukaki (yes, I said Pukaki…it made us giggle when Kristy said it). They were a gorgeous milky light blue color. They were created by receding glaciers and the rock particles from the glacier are what give them their distinctive color. We also stopped at a lodge near Mt. Cook for morning tea and to take pictures of the tallest mountain in New Zealand. We continued our drive and stopped in a small town for a quick lunch and in another township called Geraldine for afternoon tea. They had this amazing apple crumble ice cream there…so yum. Our 6 day tour of the South Island came to an end back in Christchurch. We said our goodbyes to everyone, stored our bags in one of the hotels for a few hours, and walked around the town for a little. We had dinner at Element, a great pizza place next to the backpackers, and Hayley picked us up and took us to the airport. We checked in and were the first ones at the terminal. We started playing cards and these two guys sat down in front of us and were watching our game. They were counting in Hebrew and we could understand a little of what they were saying so finally we asked them if they were Israeli. They were shocked that we were able to make out some of their conversation and they introduced themselves to us. Their names were Benny and Ronnie and they had been in Australia and NZ working and traveling for the past 3 months (it was their gift to themselves after getting out of the army…they were a little older than us). Turns out they tried to get into Australia a day after their visa expired and they weren’t allowed to be readmitted to the country so they decided to buy a ticket to Hong Kong (flying out of Auckland), stay there for a few days, and then go back to Israel. We exchanged e-mail addresses and they told us if we were ever in Tel Aviv to look them up. Nice guys. It was a short flight to Auckland (a little over an hour) and it was raining when we arrived. We took the shuttle from the airport to Auckland Central Backpackers, our hostel. It was in a perfect location, right off the main street (called Queen St.) of town. By the time we were checked in and got to the room it was late so we called it a night and went to bed.

Day 8 - Put Your Hands Up for Auckland…I Love This City

I don’t know what it was about Auckland but we absolutely LOVED the city. We woke up around 10 and Bryn went down to the Internet Café while I took a shower and got ready for the day (our shower was like one of those sinks where you had to constantly press the button every 10 seconds so the water would stay on… it was amusing). We walked out of our hostel and had breakfast at a little café down one of the side alleys. Then we saw it, heaven in the middle of Auckland, a Dunkin’ Donuts! We ordered coffees and made the lady behind the counter take pictures of us with our cups…an ultimate tourist move but it was so nice to have that taste of home :) (there was also a Wendy’s on the same street, one of the only ones in the Southern Hemisphere, which we made an appearance at in the afternoon. Sure that’s not what the Kiwis have in mind for afternoon tea but it was right up our alley!). We burned off our calories by walking around the city for about 6 hrs (not joking) we walked up and down Queen St. which was full of cute shops, malls, and restaurants. It was like a mini New York but cleaner. Then we walked down to the Wharf where the ferries leave from and to the Viaduct which is like a smaller version of the Sydney Harbour (lots of bars and restaurants – popular area at night). The next stop on our self guided walking tour was the Sky Tower. It’s 328 meters high (over 1,000 ft.) and is the tallest tower in the Southern Hemisphere. We took lots of pictures (even sitting on the glass bottom floor) and watched “Tower Jumpers” jump off the side of the tower (attached by ropes and harnesses of course). It's the highest jump you can do in NZ at about 700 ft. high. After our tour we walked through Arthur’s Park and the city campus of Auckland University. We went back to the hostel and relaxed for a couple of hours. Last week's episode of American Idol was on (we were very excited since they don’t air in Aussie). We showered and got ready and went down to the Viaduct for dinner. We ate at this amazing Italian restaurant called Portofino and made friends with the waiter who gave us good tips on what to do in the city the next day. We tried to go into a club called Spy Bar but I was wearing flip flops so the bouncer wouldn’t let us in (he didn’t care that I had just dislocated my knee and actually had the nerve to say it would ruin other patrons’ experiences…no biggie). We walked around and went to a bar called Dany Doolands, kind of like Kilroy’s but the music was live. Turns out the lead singer of the band went to Pinewood last year…small world ay. After a few drinks there we took a cab back to the hostel and hung out at the bar there for a little. Fun night out and a good night’s sleep.

Day 9 – Aotearoa..That's Maori for New Zealand

We had to check out of the hostel by 10 so we woke up early and packed up our bags. We stored them downstairs for the day while we walked around the city. We took the advice of our waiter friend and went to the markets around the city. We started a couple of blocks up from the hostel in Aeotea Square at their market that they hold on Saturdays. We walked around a little then headed back down Queen St, obviously making a coffee stop at Dunkin, and went to another coffee shop for muffins. We then walked to Victoria Market which was a lot bigger than the other one and did some souvenir shopping. I bought a couple of cute things and then we caught the bus called “The Link” that does a giant loop around the city. We headed to Newmarket which is a cute area of town filled with more shops and restaurants. After walking around a little it started raining so we made refuge in one of the indoor malls. We’d been dying to get our nails done and there was a place on the second floor that looked decent. Bryn got a manicure and I got a pedicure…let’s just say it was the WORST experience of life (next to Milford ;)). The women were so slow and did an awful job. Between that and the weather we were not happy campers. We walked around a little more afterwards, found a bite to eat, and then waiting for my friend Natalie to come and pick us up in Newmarket. She works for Air New Zealand and had just finished a long 3 day shift and even though she was exhausted, she was in great spirits, excited to take us around. We drove through Mission Bay, a nice suburb of the city, then back to downtown to get our bags. We went back to her flat which was sooo cute and just hung out for a little, showed her pictures from our trip, and caught up on life. She said there was this cute restaurant downtown called the Mexican Café where we could go for dinner. She only lives about 10 minutes from the city so we drove in. We had our first good Mexican meal which included Passion Fruit Margaritas (yummm), then went back to Natalie’s flat. We thought we’d have a big night out, but we were all so wiped from our day that we stayed in, watched Big Fish and went to bed early.

Day 10 – Sulfur and Culture

We heard Rotorua was a place we couldn’t miss if were in the North Island, so Natalie graciously offered to be our tour guide and drive us down there. It took about 3 hrs. and we stopped along the way for petrol/gas and brekkie. When we got there, the smell of sulfur overtook our senses. Rotorua is full of geothermic hot springs, mud pools, and geysers…and they smell sooo bad. We checked into the Kowhai (Ko-Fah-I) and Colonial Motel. We had a cute little apartment style room for the 3 of us. We drove down the road to a Rotorua “tradition”: the gondola and luge. We took a gondola (cable car) up the side of a mountain and then rode a luge about 2km down. We took the scenic route :). That night we went to a Maori show called Mitai (it’s the name of the family/tribe that owns the company). They reenacted Maori tradition and culture by doing a show and presenting a traditional Maori feast called Hangi for dinner, which they slow cook underground for about 4 hours. Afterwards we went on a walk through the glow worm forest where we saw actual silver ferns (the symbol of NZ), and a fresh water spring with rainbow trout and eel in it. They took us back to our hotel in their bus and we went to bed. It was such a fun night and we were very happy that we got to do something that had to do with the native culture of the country.

Day 11 – Time to say goodbahhh

We checked out of the motel at 10am and headed back to Auckland. We stopped in a township along the way that had a giant sheep and sheppard dog made out of tin in the middle of town…weird/funny and a definite photo stop. We stopped at a mall in the south of Auckland and walked around a little and then Natalie dropped us off at the airport. We did some duty free shopping and just hung out. Our plane was delayed over 2 hours which was annoying but there were mechanical problems that they had to fix (definitely better safe than sorry). Bryn had a vegetarian meal and I had another vegan meal and they brought us extra wine (free on international flights) and cheese and crackers. We entertained ourselves on the 3 hour flight. After going through customs we were welcomed back to Aussie Land. It was a wonderful trip and we definitely made unforgettable memories and saw amazing things. Hopefully one day I’ll be able to go back but until then, Aussie it is (but that’s fine with me :)).

Sorry this was so long but I wanted to get everything in. So what’s up next? I’ll be in Sydney for the next 8 days then I’m heading to Melbourne for 5 days the weekend of April 26. I’ll be catching up with a lot of camp friends and exploring the city. The next weekend we’re going to Byron Bay and Surfer’s Paradise and hopefully I’ll be hitting up the Great Barrier Reef and Adelaide in May. Fiji (hopefully) will be my final stop before I head back to the states. Stay tuned. Until next time… G’Day, Kia Ora, and Cheers :)

Nothing Like a Visit From Your Camp Friends

Sorry I haven't written in a while. I've actually been focusing more on writing two papers this week than a blog entry. Yes, contrary to popular belief I do go to school here -- it's not called STUDY Abroad for nothing. I have an assignment due for my Cities class and another due for my History of Australia class. Both are reflection style papers, not too long, but it's been a while since I've actually typed a paper. Good news is after these are done I will be on my way to the cold, but beautiful, country of New Zealand. Easter Holiday (when we call it Spring Break the Aussies look at us funny because it's Fall here) begins on Friday. Me and my friend Bryn are doing 6 days in the South Island then going up to Auckland for 4 days. It's going to be a very fun trip. I won't talk about it too much cause I'm sure I'll have a lot to write when I return.

This past weekend was one of the best I've had here yet. All of my roommates, but Lindsay, went to Melbourne on the Study Australia trip, and my camp friends from Melbourne came here (I actually just booked a trip there at the end of April yayyy). It was my friend Lucas' 23rd birthday so what better than to spend it in Sydney. He, Bella, and Mel came up along with our friends from CPW summer '04 Rob and Bulley. Friday night we all went out to dinner for Lucas' birthday, including some other camp friends that live in Sydney. It was one big CPW reunion! It was so nice to have everyone together again. There's just something about camp friends...you can be apart for years and then when put back together feel like you haven't gone a day without seeing them...it's a very cool thing. So we went to Chinta Ria, and Asian Fusion restaurant in Darling Harbour, and then out to Bungalow 8 and Empire. Sooo much fun. On Saturday we went to the beach. It was sooo windy so we were freezing but we still had a nice day. We ate lunch at Lush (our favorite beach side wrap place) and then had afternoon drinks at a bar called Ravesi's. Then we just came back to my apartment and all hung out for a relaxed night in. Sunday we were all worn out so we had breakfast at the bagel place in Bondi Junction and rented a movie and hung out at the apartment. Our other friend Luke came over Sunday night and we had another chill night in. Monday Bella, Mel, and Lucas went down to the harbour and went on a day cruise and took touristy pictures while I was at class. They left Monday night (so sad) but I can't wait for my trip up to them later in the month.

Last night we had a Seder at our apartment (Happy Passover everyone!). It was SO cute. Lindsay, my roommate was really excited to do it. She printed out a haggadah from the Internet and we all contributed to dinner. We had everything from the Seder plate to a hidden Afikomen. We made charoset, roasted potatoes, chicken, salad, chocolate dipped fruits, and more. It was such a fun night with the roomies.

Today was my day off of school. I'm working out again which is great so I went to the gym this morning and then to physical therapy this afternoon. Now I'm just getting organized and finishing up my papers so I can turn them in on Thursday. I probably won't write again until I get back from New Zealand (we're gone April 6th to the 16th) so I hope everyone has a great Holiday. Unitl next time...cheers :)

So Spontaneous

Finally...something good to write about! Well, it's been a GREAT weekend. It started out with the idea that we needed to start traveling. Although Sydney has been amazing, we wanted to get out and see more of what Australia has to offer. A few weekends ago I contacted a realtor in the Jervis Bay area because we were going to go down but it never worked out. I sent him an e-mail Thursday afternoon asking him if he had any properties available (people rent bungalows and cottages instead of staying in hotels down there) and he had one left on a lake in Sanctuary Point. We said we'd take it, went to the travel agent, booked bus tickets, and were on our way! But first, I had a great night out Thursday with my friend Kara from IU and our friend Sam (she knows Julie and Elysa) from GW. We went to this place downtown called Captain Torres. It was a Spanish Restaurant/Tapas Bar and we had a great meal: chicken chorizo, a huge plate of fresh seafood, garlic prawns, arroz con leche, and of course Sangria. After dinner we took the train into North Sydney to an area called Greenwood. We went to the Greenwood Hotel which was so much fun. The bar was in the shape of a "U". The "U" was made up of a bunch of different rooms that all had bars in them and each room played different music. Outside was a huge dance floor...it still gets us every time to watch the Aussies dance...very different than Americans.

We woke up at about 7am Friday morning and took the train from Bondi Junction to Central Station. We took a bus from there to a town called Nowra which took about 3 hrs. Then we caught another bus to our cottage in the Jervis Bay Area (our town was Sanctuary Point). It was so picturesque. Our cottage was on a gorgeous lake - so peaceful and serene.

We called a cab and took it to the Hyams Beach area, about 10 min from our cottage. We were all famished so we stopped at the one cafe in the area and got roasted veggie frittatas, Greek Salad, and antipasto...soo good. From there, we walked down the road to Hyams Beach which has the whitest sand in the world! It was gorgeous, but very windy, and when the wind blew the fine sand felt like needles on our skin...ouch. We moved down to where the sand was more compact and stayed for a while. We went back to the house and ordered in dinner and just hung out. My friend Rob from camp lives in Ulladullah which is 20 min south of where we were staying and he came over to chill with us. It was great seeing him after 2 years.

So have you ever heard the old Aussie song "Kookaburra Sits in the Old Gum Tree" let alone experienced their vocal chords? Well, the Kookaburra, also known as the Laughing Jackass, has, according to dictionary.com, a loud, harsh cry that resembles laughter. Lets just say, at 6am when you hear this noise, it sounds like you are being attacked by wild monkeys. Bryn and I were in a dead sleep when these obnoxious birds started LAUGHING...seriously. It was unlike anything we'd ever heard. We honestly thought they were crazy monkeys that were going to jump in our room through the open windows and attack us...we were terrified but it was hilarious. Ok, maybe it will be funnier if your do this: click on this link Kookaburra, play the sound link on the page, and imagine you are in a dead sleep in the middle of nowhere...let me know what you think.

Anyways, the next morning, after recovering from our living nightmare, we made eggs and pancakes and took off for the beach. We attempted to go to Caves Beach, but after a 40 minute drive through the National Park, only to arrive at a private beach we couldn't stay at, we decided just to go to Huskisson Beach which was closer to where we were staying (Huskisson is the main town in Jervis Bay). It was a little overcast but still a nice day. We walked into town from the beach and it started to rain so we went back to the cottage for dinner. Rob came over again and we had our first Aussie Barbie. We grilled Chicken, Corn, and had an assortment of Tooheys, Carlton, and Boxed Wine...classy. It was a lot of fun but too gross outside to go out so we took it easy again and just hung out at the cottage...it was a nice break from dressing up and going out in the city.

We took a bus back to Sydney this morning. It was a long travel day but after a great weekend it's nice to be back. Australia had daylight savings time last night so now we're 14 hrs ahead of Miami. After checking our e-mail and Facebook we decided to go to the grocery store and I made dinner for everyone. The Australians are known for their Sweet Chili Sauce. They put it on almost everything...it's like their Ketchup. Rob gave us the idea of making a Sweet Chili Chicken Pizza so I took wholemeal flat bread, put a on a Sweet Chili Sauce Base, and topped it with spinach, roasted red peppers, caramelized onions, cheese, mushrooms, and grilled chicken. Definitely a recipe I'll be bringing back to the states. We had a big salad and I also grilled eggplant and rolled it up with rolled sun-dried tomatoes, basil, and bocconcini. Everything was soooooo good! Now we're just hanging out. I'm going to read a little for school and go to bed early. My knee is healing really nicely but sadly, it looks like I'll be coming home early to have surgery this summer. So upset the fam will not be able to visit me in Australia, but one day we'll all come back together. Hope everything is good at home. Congrats on initiation Phisters! Keep in touch! Until next time...Cheers :)


An old pic from Leslie's 21st (Bryn, Les, and Me)

Our Lakeside Cottage in Jervis Bay!

The Whitest Sand in the World

Attempting to Be Artistic

Waste of Space

Well, I haven't written because I haven't really done anything exciting. My past week has consisted of going back and forth to school, the doctor, and physical therapy...fun right? My knee is healing slowly but surely. The swelling has gone down a lot, good thing it doesn't look like a bowling ball anymore, and it's starting to bruise. The doctor said I chipped the bone when I fell...awesome. Hopefully that won't make the healing process much longer. I had an MRI today to check for further damage and I'm going back to the doctor on Tuesday to get the results. My physio (physical therapist) is great. He's doing acupuncture which is really cool/weird. One day at a time. I'll be sure to keep everyone posted.

Last Friday we went to see a 'Moonlight Movie' in Centennial Park which was a lot of fun. We brought food and picnicked on the lawn. They showed The Holiday which I still hadn't seen. I loved it and would recommend it to everyone! It was such a nice night and there were so many stars in the sky...absolutely gorgeous. We went to the beach on Saturday and Sunday, knee brace and all. There's a grassy patch behind the sand and my friends were nice enough to lay out on that with me so I wouldn't have to attempt walking on the sand. We went back to Bondi Market on Sunday, didn't buy anything but always a good time.

School's going well. I'm starting my first research assignment this week. We have to go out to a place we haven't been yet in Sydney and basically journal it major detail. We'll see how it goes. My lectures have been interesting and the tutorials are very interactive. It's not the norm for everyone to go to Uni (university) after high school here, so the kids that are at Uni are very eager to learn. Not saying it's not like that in the states, but it's almost assumed that after high school we go to college. Here, the students make a true effort to be involved in the classroom because they are choosing to be there and really want to make a name for themselves. I met one girl in my gender studies class who commutes 2 and a half hours each way to school 4 days a week...crazyyy. No one is afraid to start a discussion whether it pertains to the topic or not, and the teachers don't expect you to raise your hand. I actually had one teacher say to an American kid in one of my classes "I already told you twice, you don't need to raise your hand." Poor kid. He was just trying to be polite :)

I booked Spring Break which is exciting. Me and my friend Bryn are going to go to New Zealand for 10 days (Thailand was sadly voted out but I'm definitely excited about this trip). We're flying from Sydney to Christchurch (in the South Island of NZ), and doing a 6 day organized trip of the South Island. I hope I'll be able to hike Fox Glacier! When I told my physio that I needed to be well enough to do that in 3 weeks he almost had a heart attack, but told me he'd try his best to make it happen. After the tour is over, we're going to fly from Christchurch (the tour ends there) to Auckland (in the North Island) and spend 4 days there. I have a few camp friends up there so right now we're planning on staying with them for a couple of days and maybe getting a hotel for a couple of nights. We're gonna play it by ear. Should be a lot of fun!

Well, I'm gonna go to bed. All of the roomies are out on the town, sad, but hopefully I'll be getting back into it soon. Hope everyone is doing well and all my friends in the states had a great and safe Spring Break! Can't wait to hear stories :) Keep in touch! Until next time...Cheers :)

A Dislocated Knee and a Fabulous Dinner...Thank You Leslie's Parents

Yes, I managed to dislocate my knee in Aussie Land. The night started off great. We found Jack Bauer on Channel 5 at 10:30pm (up to date) but before he came on there was an amazing fireworks show over the harbour. They're celebrating the bridge's 75th anniversary and there are all of these events going on. The fireworks lasted about 10 minutes. They were hugeee and very colorful. Leslie said they were in honor of her 21st which began at midnight.

So we got ready, we all looked so cute in our dresses, and walked over to The Eastern, a very trendy bar in Bondi Junction. The music was great, the people were beautiful, and the floor was very slippery. While walking from one side of the bar to the other, I didn't see a large puddle of some sort of liquid because it was so dark and next thing I knew I was laying on the floor with my knee cap on the side of my leg (sorry for being graphic) screaming Leslie's name over the blaring music. Without any hesitation I decided to pop it in myself cause I was in so much pain and then a few guys tried to help me up. As I attempted to stand, my knee decided to pop out again. The bouncers (who were very helpful) called an ambulance and carried me over to a bench by the elevators (we were on the 2nd floor). 5 minutes with your knee cap on the side of your leg seems like an eternity. Finally the paramedics arrived and told me they were going to take me to the hospital so I can be seen by and doctor and he would pop it back into place. I replied with "WHAT?!? You're not going to do it here??? Do you KNOW how BADLY this hurts???" Blake, my new paramedic friend, said that they weren't authorized to do it and it had to be done by the doctor. I said, "NO WAY I'm not waiting any longer", took a deep breath, squeezed the life out of Blake's hand, and popped it back in. After a few loud screams and a few deep breaths, they lifted me up onto a stretcher and wheeled me out of the club...humiliating and amusing at the same time.

After a 5 minute drive in the ambulance to the hospital, 4 hours in the emergency room, 3 painkillers, 2 x-rays, a pair of crutches, a knee brace, and a cute young Irish doctor named Tim, I was in a cab on my way back home. I had sent my roommates home from the hospital at around 2:30 cause there was nothing else they could do but they were absolutely great. Just showed me, even more, how amazing my friends are here. Happy Birthday Les...

I decided going to school probably wasn't the best idea, so I spent the day in bed, taking Advil, and icing my knee. There was no way in the world I was missing Leslie's birthday dinner, so I took a shower (that was an experience given the size of our shower here) and got ready. I wore a long cotton dress to disguise the knee brace, and we were off to Circular Quay to one of the most amazing restaurants in Sydney called Wildfire. The restaurant was GORGEOUS and the food was amazing. Heidi and I split lobster (thank you Leslie's parents) and we got an amazing Snickers Souffle with embarrassing sparklers in it and sang Happy Birthday to the birthday girl. I decided not to go out and took a cab home with my roommate Lindsay. Her best friend from home Jamie came in from Brisbane late last night. After a disc of Sex and the City I went to bed.

Today hasn't been very exciting, but I was able to catch up on the Lost episodes I've missed on iTunes. Tonight we're going to go to a movie in the park downtown which should be fun and relaxing...they're showing The Holiday which I still haven't seen...yay! I'm going to a doctor on Tuesday and hopefully I'll get everything sorted out. Life could be worse right? Hey, I am in Australia. Until next time...cheers :)