Thursday, June 23, 2011
P. Sherman, 42 Wallaby Way, Sydney
We made it to Sydney!!! We got in early evening last night and the first stop was the Opera House! We ate dinner and sipped on wine at the Opera Bar right outside of the Opera House and across from the Darling Harour Bridge! The view was breath taking!! It's even better then what I expected, especially going at night to see everything lit up! Today we are going to go to Bondi Beach a famous beach known really well for it's surfing (we were going to do surfing lessons but with the flight delay there is just no time) At Bondi we are going to walk to Bronte Beach which is suppossed to be a goregous walk, so I'll take many pictures! (I won't be able to post anymore pics though until I get home because I can only use the hotels computers :( ) But then after our walk we are heading back over to the Opera House to see it during the day and then it's off to our bridge climb! We are going to do it at Twilight so we can see it in the day and night so it's going to be amazing!! I don't kow if I will be able to post again because we have to pay for internet but know that I'm in Sydney and having a blast and I will be home on Sunday!!
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
We will make it to Sydney!
So we got to spend one more day in Adeladie, so now instead of 3 1/2 days in Sydney we just have 2 but are flight has been rescheduled so no worries! We got really lucky though because if any flight was going to be cancelled this was the best one, because it's the only one without a connecting flight and since we were staying with Kristin's cousins, we didn't have to try to find a place to stay for another night! We're just figuring out what we want to do the most in Sydney and making sure we fit it in. But 4 more days until I'm home and 2 more full days of adventure, including the bridge walk :)
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Curse the Ash Cloud!
So we just found out that are flight to Sydney tomorrow has been cancelled because of the ash cloud from the volcano in Chili!! Aw Bugga! But at least we are staying with Kristin's cousins so we don't have to worry about paying for another night in a hotel. And I e-mailed the people with our bridge climb and they are going to let us reschedule it since we probably won't make it in on time on thursday. So keep your fingers crossed that we make it to Sydney soon so we can do everything we planned! Kristin's cousin gave us a list of a bunch of things to do and I don't want to have to cut a lot off the list!
But so far our time in Adelaide has been great! It has been very relaxing! Yesterday we stayed in our PJs until about 4pm watching movies and we got to sleep until we woke up! That's the first time that has happened this whole trip. But aside from resting, we have got to see a lot of Adelaide and it's beautiful. We went to Victor harbor on Sunday for lunch along the coast where we had delicious fish and chips! The wineries were probably my favorite part though with the wine tasting because it's something I can't do at home and the scenery was amazing! It was hill after hill of large trees, green grass and wine grapes! Plus I didn't realize how different wines could taste and how to pick the kind of wine you like best.
Like I said keep your fingers crossed and pray that we get to Sydney soon!
But so far our time in Adelaide has been great! It has been very relaxing! Yesterday we stayed in our PJs until about 4pm watching movies and we got to sleep until we woke up! That's the first time that has happened this whole trip. But aside from resting, we have got to see a lot of Adelaide and it's beautiful. We went to Victor harbor on Sunday for lunch along the coast where we had delicious fish and chips! The wineries were probably my favorite part though with the wine tasting because it's something I can't do at home and the scenery was amazing! It was hill after hill of large trees, green grass and wine grapes! Plus I didn't realize how different wines could taste and how to pick the kind of wine you like best.
Like I said keep your fingers crossed and pray that we get to Sydney soon!
Monday, June 20, 2011
Pics Pics and More Pics
Sunday, June 19, 2011
I live on the edge in Australia...literally
Here is the bungy jumping website so you can see what it was like
http://cairns.ajhackett.com/products/index.html
Then for Sydney, Kristin and I just booked a bridge walk....what did I get myself into?!
http://www.bridgeclimb.com/The-Climbs/The-Bridge-Climb/
http://cairns.ajhackett.com/products/index.html
Then for Sydney, Kristin and I just booked a bridge walk....what did I get myself into?!
http://www.bridgeclimb.com/The-Climbs/The-Bridge-Climb/
Quick Recap
So.... I haven't blogged for a really log time and a lot has happened of course so as quick and short as I can and without leaving out many details I'll give a quick run down!
-After leaving Orpheus island we headed to Cairns. The boat ride to the main land was terrifying because it was rainy and windy so the boat felt like it was going to tip several times. But we made it safe and once we got to our hostel we all showered and went out! The guys went to a bar because they had to get up early while a group of us girls went to the club Gilligans! it was a blast and we danced all night!!
-1st day in Cairns I went bungy jumping in the rainforest!! absolutely terrifying at first especially cause im terrified of heights (but now since i have had to do a lot of stuff with heights on this trip im doing sooo much better) but it was amazing! words can't even describe it! i thought i was going to do it attached to my friend but once we got to the top they told us we couldn't and i had to go alone! i thought they would have to push me but i just walked out to the edge, they counted down from 5 and i dove!! i didn't think about it and i knew if i would i wouldn't have gone. but no worries i have lots of pics and a video!
-that night we went shopping and then out again but it wasn't as exciting, i didn't stay out too long cause i was sooo exhausted!
-the 2nd day in Cairns we went to Rainforestation!!! it was a blast! I got to take a photo with a Koala and feed kangaroos and hold a baby wallaby!! it was absolutely amazing! Later that night we went to the night markets. it was really cool, they also had 15 dollar 40min full body massages by some dodgy asians and since i was sore from bungy jumping me and 2 other girls decided to do it and they were actually very nice!
-The 3rd day was the Passions of Paradise catamaran ride and i got to scuba and snorkel in 2 different locations on the Great Barrier Reef! it was breath taking! they fish and coral was so spectacular just like u would imagine! That night we went back to the night markets to buy a few more things then we went out to party again!
-the 4th day in Cairns we went on a canopy walk and to the boulders which is a large fresh water creek. Both were absolutely beautiful but kind of a let down for our last day since everything else we had done had been way exciting! but since everyone who was on the group flight home had to leave the hostel at 3 30am we just decided that we would go out and not go to bed. So that night everyone went out together and it was a blast! We went to woolshed which is a bar where everyone gets up on the tables and dances and then back to gilligans for more dancing! We ended up going to bed for an hour but then i got up with the others to say good by and of course i cried like a baby!
-The next morning me and Kristin went to breakfast with the people that were left then we said good by where i cried again and then headed to the air port with a few others. Since we were flying domestic the luggage requirements were dif and i had to pay $180 for my luggage being over weight :( then we said good by to the rest of the group where i cried again then we were off to Adelaide!
-Gabbi and James (kristin's cousin) picked us up at the air port and we went to dinner! They are both so much fun and a blast to be around. So far we have been shopping, to the zoo and wine tasting! it is kind of cold here, about in the 50s which we were in the 80s so it seems even more cold but its absolutely beautiful! It's extremely different then Queensland. They say south austraila is a lot more conservative and that queensland is like the deep south in the states and from what i have seen that is so true! but were having a great time other then the fact that Kristin's cousin James is now hospitalized for the rest of our stay here because of a tumor they found in his stomach the day we got here. They don't know a whole lot about it but they are running lots of test so let him be in your prayers!
I will once again try to be better about posting on my blog! love u all and miss u and i will be home in 1 week!!
-After leaving Orpheus island we headed to Cairns. The boat ride to the main land was terrifying because it was rainy and windy so the boat felt like it was going to tip several times. But we made it safe and once we got to our hostel we all showered and went out! The guys went to a bar because they had to get up early while a group of us girls went to the club Gilligans! it was a blast and we danced all night!!
-1st day in Cairns I went bungy jumping in the rainforest!! absolutely terrifying at first especially cause im terrified of heights (but now since i have had to do a lot of stuff with heights on this trip im doing sooo much better) but it was amazing! words can't even describe it! i thought i was going to do it attached to my friend but once we got to the top they told us we couldn't and i had to go alone! i thought they would have to push me but i just walked out to the edge, they counted down from 5 and i dove!! i didn't think about it and i knew if i would i wouldn't have gone. but no worries i have lots of pics and a video!
-that night we went shopping and then out again but it wasn't as exciting, i didn't stay out too long cause i was sooo exhausted!
-the 2nd day in Cairns we went to Rainforestation!!! it was a blast! I got to take a photo with a Koala and feed kangaroos and hold a baby wallaby!! it was absolutely amazing! Later that night we went to the night markets. it was really cool, they also had 15 dollar 40min full body massages by some dodgy asians and since i was sore from bungy jumping me and 2 other girls decided to do it and they were actually very nice!
-The 3rd day was the Passions of Paradise catamaran ride and i got to scuba and snorkel in 2 different locations on the Great Barrier Reef! it was breath taking! they fish and coral was so spectacular just like u would imagine! That night we went back to the night markets to buy a few more things then we went out to party again!
-the 4th day in Cairns we went on a canopy walk and to the boulders which is a large fresh water creek. Both were absolutely beautiful but kind of a let down for our last day since everything else we had done had been way exciting! but since everyone who was on the group flight home had to leave the hostel at 3 30am we just decided that we would go out and not go to bed. So that night everyone went out together and it was a blast! We went to woolshed which is a bar where everyone gets up on the tables and dances and then back to gilligans for more dancing! We ended up going to bed for an hour but then i got up with the others to say good by and of course i cried like a baby!
-The next morning me and Kristin went to breakfast with the people that were left then we said good by where i cried again and then headed to the air port with a few others. Since we were flying domestic the luggage requirements were dif and i had to pay $180 for my luggage being over weight :( then we said good by to the rest of the group where i cried again then we were off to Adelaide!
-Gabbi and James (kristin's cousin) picked us up at the air port and we went to dinner! They are both so much fun and a blast to be around. So far we have been shopping, to the zoo and wine tasting! it is kind of cold here, about in the 50s which we were in the 80s so it seems even more cold but its absolutely beautiful! It's extremely different then Queensland. They say south austraila is a lot more conservative and that queensland is like the deep south in the states and from what i have seen that is so true! but were having a great time other then the fact that Kristin's cousin James is now hospitalized for the rest of our stay here because of a tumor they found in his stomach the day we got here. They don't know a whole lot about it but they are running lots of test so let him be in your prayers!
I will once again try to be better about posting on my blog! love u all and miss u and i will be home in 1 week!!
Thursday, June 9, 2011
The Death March!
We presented our last research presentations last night and turned in our essays so now all school work is done and it's play time!!! Not that the school work was even bad but now we don't have to think about anything and we can completely relax! This afternoon we are headed to Cairns for 5 nights! We have all been looking so forward to Cairns since the very beginning but now that it's here were all starting to get sad because after this everyone leaves! The thought that I'll never see some of these people again is so sad and I don't want the next 5 days to end!!
This morning, being our last day on Orpheus, a group of us did the death march. It's called the death march because you are walking through a very dense forest on a tiny little path that the guys remarked the day before up a huge "hill" (to me it's more like a mountain). We went up over the hill and down the other side to the coast then we had to walk back up and over. The total trip was about 2 hours and it really was hard because it's so steep. I'm really gad I did it though because they view was great and it's cool to see the forest on the island. I'm very sad to be leaving this island because were not going to another one but I'm ready to go because my legs are covered in over 20 bug bites (from midges, they are like mosquitos but their bites swell up and itch even more) and since their only fresh water comes from rain, you are supposed to only take a 3 min shower (I did try to meet that but if you know me it wasn't very close to 3 min) so I'm dying for a long hot shower!! We should be getting into Cairns tonight at about 9:30 so before we go out I plan on doing just that! I should have internet in Cairns so I'll try to keep posting!
But I almost forgot to mention our snorkeling trip yesterday! Even though the water was pretty murky I have to say Yanks Jetty was my favorite place to snorkel! We went by boat over to a floating jetty and there were tons of fish! We brought some bread so while people were feeding the fish I was in the middle snorkeling. It was a huge frenzy and it was pretty cool. One of the little ones even came at my camera trying to bite it! After snorkeling we took off our wetsuits and jumped off the jetty bridge which was pretty fun! We then walked along the beach and found some cocoanuts. People worked really hard and cracked them open so I got to drink cocoanut milk and eat fresh cocoanut right there on the beach! It was pretty exciting!
That's about all for now! :)
This morning, being our last day on Orpheus, a group of us did the death march. It's called the death march because you are walking through a very dense forest on a tiny little path that the guys remarked the day before up a huge "hill" (to me it's more like a mountain). We went up over the hill and down the other side to the coast then we had to walk back up and over. The total trip was about 2 hours and it really was hard because it's so steep. I'm really gad I did it though because they view was great and it's cool to see the forest on the island. I'm very sad to be leaving this island because were not going to another one but I'm ready to go because my legs are covered in over 20 bug bites (from midges, they are like mosquitos but their bites swell up and itch even more) and since their only fresh water comes from rain, you are supposed to only take a 3 min shower (I did try to meet that but if you know me it wasn't very close to 3 min) so I'm dying for a long hot shower!! We should be getting into Cairns tonight at about 9:30 so before we go out I plan on doing just that! I should have internet in Cairns so I'll try to keep posting!
But I almost forgot to mention our snorkeling trip yesterday! Even though the water was pretty murky I have to say Yanks Jetty was my favorite place to snorkel! We went by boat over to a floating jetty and there were tons of fish! We brought some bread so while people were feeding the fish I was in the middle snorkeling. It was a huge frenzy and it was pretty cool. One of the little ones even came at my camera trying to bite it! After snorkeling we took off our wetsuits and jumped off the jetty bridge which was pretty fun! We then walked along the beach and found some cocoanuts. People worked really hard and cracked them open so I got to drink cocoanut milk and eat fresh cocoanut right there on the beach! It was pretty exciting!
That's about all for now! :)
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Aussie Fun Facts
Aussies live by the motto: Have a go and No worries! Your supposed to try everything and not stress. It's really a great way to live and being here is really refreshing because you can see that everyone really does live that way and it's relaxing!
Instead of saying thanks and in normal conversation they always say "no worries" and its definitely worn off on all of us!
You don't say trash, its rubbish! When you say trash, someone may over here you and get upset because it's a word you don't want to be called!
Birds squawk here!! They don't do a pretty tweet like our birds, they more sound like dying children! but they are really pretty
A jetty is like a pier where boats dock
They do say g-day mate and good on ya which is used when you say a joke to someone and they take it well or when someone does something you can say that. (it's hard to explain but once you hear it a couple times you get it and start saying it too)
They call us yanks!
They say bugga or bloody a lot. Like... "Aw bugga I got bit by another bloody mosquito!"
People from New Zealand are called Kiwi's
They eat the same food we do but cook it different. Like the bacon is never crispy it looks like uncooked ham!
Everything is much more expensive especially with the currency change, BUT they include taxes into the prices so when you see that a shirt is $20 you actually pay only $20.
Alcohol is really expensive especially vodka!
Instead of a $5 footlong at subway its $7 AUD so like close to $10 US
They don't have fountain sodas anywhere! It's all can or bottle and at home I can get a can of coke for 75cents but here I paid $3.50 AUD!!
I have only seen frogs on Orpheus island so I'm very lucky....knock on wood!
Sea gulls eat baby sea turtles if they hatch during the day...didn't know that till I saw it happen. Very depressing!
Dugongs are manatees with a dolphin shaped tail and much more afraid of people and also endangered
Instead of saying thanks and in normal conversation they always say "no worries" and its definitely worn off on all of us!
You don't say trash, its rubbish! When you say trash, someone may over here you and get upset because it's a word you don't want to be called!
Birds squawk here!! They don't do a pretty tweet like our birds, they more sound like dying children! but they are really pretty
A jetty is like a pier where boats dock
They do say g-day mate and good on ya which is used when you say a joke to someone and they take it well or when someone does something you can say that. (it's hard to explain but once you hear it a couple times you get it and start saying it too)
They call us yanks!
They say bugga or bloody a lot. Like... "Aw bugga I got bit by another bloody mosquito!"
People from New Zealand are called Kiwi's
They eat the same food we do but cook it different. Like the bacon is never crispy it looks like uncooked ham!
Everything is much more expensive especially with the currency change, BUT they include taxes into the prices so when you see that a shirt is $20 you actually pay only $20.
Alcohol is really expensive especially vodka!
Instead of a $5 footlong at subway its $7 AUD so like close to $10 US
They don't have fountain sodas anywhere! It's all can or bottle and at home I can get a can of coke for 75cents but here I paid $3.50 AUD!!
I have only seen frogs on Orpheus island so I'm very lucky....knock on wood!
Sea gulls eat baby sea turtles if they hatch during the day...didn't know that till I saw it happen. Very depressing!
Dugongs are manatees with a dolphin shaped tail and much more afraid of people and also endangered
Pictures!!
Finally have internet!!
After over a week I finally have internet and its free!!!!! Soooo much has happened again since I was last able to blog that I don't even know where to start! Right now I'm on Orpheus Island at their research center and it's our last island so after this we go to Cairns where we have no school work! (not like the stuff we do on the island is even really school work) But since the last time I was able to get on I've also been to Heron Island which I have to say is my favorite island!! It was the most gorgeous place I have ever seen! I can't even begin to give enough detail but the beaches were white and the water was so clear and blue! We did lots of snorkeling and I saw sooo many different things such as: manta rays, sand sharks, reef sharks, jelly fish, tons of tropical fish and different coral, sting rays, barracuda and sea turtles! We actually got to see some sea turtles hatch and I held one (which your not supposed to do but I just couldn't help it) but it was really sad because they are supposed to hatch at night and these did during the day so pretty much all of them got picked up by sea gulls. We went on a night snorkel one night and that's when we saw the barracuda and sting rays which was pretty scary, but then I also got to dive down and pet a large sea turtles shell while he was sleeping so that was pretty excited! While on Heron my group decided to do our research on the amount of sand to coral coverage in the different reef zones. Conclusion: pretty obvious, sand decreases as coral increases the further you get off shore. It was pretty hard to collect our data because we had to take a tape measure of 20m out to the reef crest and swim along and measure the coral and with the tide it kept pushing us away. But once we got that done we didn't have a whole lot to do so everyday I got to spend a couple hours laying out on the beach!! The last night after presentations we went out and celebrated on the Jetty which was a ton of fun and a few of us even ended up jumping in :)
After we left Heron we had a 2 day trip to Orpheus. We stopped in Rockhampton which is the beef capital of Queensland so yes I had a steak for dinner, it was good but not as good as Jerry's steaks on the smoker :) The hotel-motel we stayed at there was a really hold historical one that was really spooky and had no elevator so I had to carry my luggage up 2 flights of stairs so it definitely was an adventure! The next night we were in Townsville which is a pretty big city so all of us girls got dressed up to go out while on the guys went to a movie. What we thought was going to be a great night out on the town turned to be horrible. It was a monday so no one was out and this drunk guy at a bar with 5 other people wouldn't leave us alone so when the manager asked him to leave they got in bar brawl! It was interesting for sure!
The next day we finally made it to Orpheus and it's gorgeous here! It has a lot more jungle and the bathrooms aren't quite as nice because the toilets don't flush but it's really not too bad. EXCEPT, they have frogs!!! I saw my first frog yesterday and it was ok but I was ready to leave right away. But I'm toughing it out and its not too bad!
I have sooo many more stories but I don't even know how to tell everything so if you have questions please let me know because sometimes that's easier!!
O I almost forgot! On are way to Heron we stopped at 2 more beaches and got to hike and then lay out at these beautiful remote beaches. It was heaven!! Then at one of our stop overs we went to this place at Tin Can bay where every morning they have 1 or 2 hump back dolphins swim in to get a fishy snack! I got less then a foot away and it was really cool!
But thats all for now I guess, and like I said ask questions!! Love you all!!
After we left Heron we had a 2 day trip to Orpheus. We stopped in Rockhampton which is the beef capital of Queensland so yes I had a steak for dinner, it was good but not as good as Jerry's steaks on the smoker :) The hotel-motel we stayed at there was a really hold historical one that was really spooky and had no elevator so I had to carry my luggage up 2 flights of stairs so it definitely was an adventure! The next night we were in Townsville which is a pretty big city so all of us girls got dressed up to go out while on the guys went to a movie. What we thought was going to be a great night out on the town turned to be horrible. It was a monday so no one was out and this drunk guy at a bar with 5 other people wouldn't leave us alone so when the manager asked him to leave they got in bar brawl! It was interesting for sure!
The next day we finally made it to Orpheus and it's gorgeous here! It has a lot more jungle and the bathrooms aren't quite as nice because the toilets don't flush but it's really not too bad. EXCEPT, they have frogs!!! I saw my first frog yesterday and it was ok but I was ready to leave right away. But I'm toughing it out and its not too bad!
I have sooo many more stories but I don't even know how to tell everything so if you have questions please let me know because sometimes that's easier!!
O I almost forgot! On are way to Heron we stopped at 2 more beaches and got to hike and then lay out at these beautiful remote beaches. It was heaven!! Then at one of our stop overs we went to this place at Tin Can bay where every morning they have 1 or 2 hump back dolphins swim in to get a fishy snack! I got less then a foot away and it was really cool!
But thats all for now I guess, and like I said ask questions!! Love you all!!
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Finally some pics!
Living in a Zoo!!
Wow so my blog hasn't let me log on since I got to this island and for some reason it decided to corporate today so yay I'll try to fill everyone in as much as possible and as short as possible!
Last I blogged I was in Brisbane and had just done my shark dive! The next day we went kayaking on the Brisbane river and it was a blast! It was my first time and I loved it. We played games and had lunch next to the river, it was really cool.
Then we headed over to Stradbroke Island or Straddie as the locals call it. We have been here for 5 nights and tonight is our last night. We have been staying at the research center here which is actually pretty nice. We go to 3 different islands and this is where we do our school "work." It's not really work at all it's actually a lot of fun! The first day we were here we went out during low tide on the rocky headland then over to the mud flats. Our instructors, Doug and Glen who is from Australia (both are sooo awesome I must say) would just pick up creatures in the ocean and tell us what they were and give us facts then later in the lab we had to draw pics of them and right down a few facts from the wild guide. It was really interesting especially since marine biology is what I want to do. Then the last couple of days has been our time to do our own research projects. I was in a group with 5 girls and we decided to do our project on sea cucumber sediment processing rates. So we went out into the ocean and collect several cucumbers from 2 different species. We then put them in tanks and for 24 hrs every 2 hrs we had to collect and weigh their poo!! It's not a gross as it sounds, its just a worm looking line of sand. What they do is they feed on sand removing the organic material for food and then break the organic matter down into more simpler compounds. Then new cucumbers eat that and it keeps continuing until the sand is so fine that it degrades in the water and plankton and other organisms can eat it. So what they do is actually really important! So the whole time we just keept making jokes about sea cucumber poo! Everyone else just did projects on fish and crabs so ours was pretty unique :)
After everyone presented we all went down to the local ships club which is pretty much a bar. It was such a blast! We were playing drinking games with out instructors and it was hilarious! Doug is pretty quite and the only time he really talks is when it's something genius or absolutely hilarious and i'm guessing he is in his 70s so to play games with him was quite funny! Then Glen is very outgoing and he is probably in his late 30s or 40s and since he's an Aussie he likes to drink! It was a really great experience to just kick back with everyone and drink and play games! Then we also had this local old creeper join in and play games with us and he loved us! He said he likes our ways haha!
Another thing I got to do was take my first ocean boat ride and go searching for dugongs! Dugongs are just like manatees but with a dolphin shaped tail and they are much more shy. When we went out he told us we may see them or we may not and we ended up getting close to quite a few which is pretty rare! It was so great to get a chance to see them especially because they are endangered and only live around this area. While on this boat ride we also saw lots of sea turtles and a few of us got to jump on them from the boat and try and catch them! I was one and I didn't get close enough because he dove deep and they are pretty fast! But still it was awesome!
It's really like were living at a zoo though because in the last couple of days I have seen so much wild life! At tea time the other day (which is my favorite part of the day and were all bringing this back to the states) we were sitting on the patio eating our cookies and drinking our tea when in the bay right in front of us were dolphins! It was amazing! You couldn't see much other then their fin but then today when we went to point look out and we saw more and they were jumping out of the water. I have also seen koalas sitting in a tree in someone's back yard, flying foxes which are fruit bats that sit in several trees in this one area and there is soooo many of them, then there are beautiful parakeets but all the birds here squawk, they don't do a pretty chirp like our birds, then today I saw kangaroos!!!
Today we went to point look out where I saw the dolphins and it's this huge bluff that looks out over the ocean and it's absolutely breath taking! It started pooring down rain while we were there so we took cover at a cafe and had lunch until it quit. After a while the sun finally came out and we walked along the shore and took tons of pictures as we made our way to a swimming beach and tanned and played in the waves! (my first time swimming in the ocean since 7th grade, it's been way too long!!)
I think this is pretty much all the big stuff I've done but there is just so much more I can say!! Hopefully I'll be able to post more stuff now to keep updated so I don't have to do one long blog at a time! If you have any questions or want to know more just ask, I can talk about this place forever! I'm having the time of life and I never would have expected it would be this great and that I would get along as well with everyone as I do!! I may never want to come home! I'm thinking of researching grad schools here instead of in Florida if I can stand to be away from home for 2 years :( But tata for now and miss you all!!
Last I blogged I was in Brisbane and had just done my shark dive! The next day we went kayaking on the Brisbane river and it was a blast! It was my first time and I loved it. We played games and had lunch next to the river, it was really cool.
Then we headed over to Stradbroke Island or Straddie as the locals call it. We have been here for 5 nights and tonight is our last night. We have been staying at the research center here which is actually pretty nice. We go to 3 different islands and this is where we do our school "work." It's not really work at all it's actually a lot of fun! The first day we were here we went out during low tide on the rocky headland then over to the mud flats. Our instructors, Doug and Glen who is from Australia (both are sooo awesome I must say) would just pick up creatures in the ocean and tell us what they were and give us facts then later in the lab we had to draw pics of them and right down a few facts from the wild guide. It was really interesting especially since marine biology is what I want to do. Then the last couple of days has been our time to do our own research projects. I was in a group with 5 girls and we decided to do our project on sea cucumber sediment processing rates. So we went out into the ocean and collect several cucumbers from 2 different species. We then put them in tanks and for 24 hrs every 2 hrs we had to collect and weigh their poo!! It's not a gross as it sounds, its just a worm looking line of sand. What they do is they feed on sand removing the organic material for food and then break the organic matter down into more simpler compounds. Then new cucumbers eat that and it keeps continuing until the sand is so fine that it degrades in the water and plankton and other organisms can eat it. So what they do is actually really important! So the whole time we just keept making jokes about sea cucumber poo! Everyone else just did projects on fish and crabs so ours was pretty unique :)
After everyone presented we all went down to the local ships club which is pretty much a bar. It was such a blast! We were playing drinking games with out instructors and it was hilarious! Doug is pretty quite and the only time he really talks is when it's something genius or absolutely hilarious and i'm guessing he is in his 70s so to play games with him was quite funny! Then Glen is very outgoing and he is probably in his late 30s or 40s and since he's an Aussie he likes to drink! It was a really great experience to just kick back with everyone and drink and play games! Then we also had this local old creeper join in and play games with us and he loved us! He said he likes our ways haha!
Another thing I got to do was take my first ocean boat ride and go searching for dugongs! Dugongs are just like manatees but with a dolphin shaped tail and they are much more shy. When we went out he told us we may see them or we may not and we ended up getting close to quite a few which is pretty rare! It was so great to get a chance to see them especially because they are endangered and only live around this area. While on this boat ride we also saw lots of sea turtles and a few of us got to jump on them from the boat and try and catch them! I was one and I didn't get close enough because he dove deep and they are pretty fast! But still it was awesome!
It's really like were living at a zoo though because in the last couple of days I have seen so much wild life! At tea time the other day (which is my favorite part of the day and were all bringing this back to the states) we were sitting on the patio eating our cookies and drinking our tea when in the bay right in front of us were dolphins! It was amazing! You couldn't see much other then their fin but then today when we went to point look out and we saw more and they were jumping out of the water. I have also seen koalas sitting in a tree in someone's back yard, flying foxes which are fruit bats that sit in several trees in this one area and there is soooo many of them, then there are beautiful parakeets but all the birds here squawk, they don't do a pretty chirp like our birds, then today I saw kangaroos!!!
Today we went to point look out where I saw the dolphins and it's this huge bluff that looks out over the ocean and it's absolutely breath taking! It started pooring down rain while we were there so we took cover at a cafe and had lunch until it quit. After a while the sun finally came out and we walked along the shore and took tons of pictures as we made our way to a swimming beach and tanned and played in the waves! (my first time swimming in the ocean since 7th grade, it's been way too long!!)
I think this is pretty much all the big stuff I've done but there is just so much more I can say!! Hopefully I'll be able to post more stuff now to keep updated so I don't have to do one long blog at a time! If you have any questions or want to know more just ask, I can talk about this place forever! I'm having the time of life and I never would have expected it would be this great and that I would get along as well with everyone as I do!! I may never want to come home! I'm thinking of researching grad schools here instead of in Florida if I can stand to be away from home for 2 years :( But tata for now and miss you all!!
Monday, May 23, 2011
Sharkbait whohaha!
So much has happend in the last 3 days since I was last on here! And I don't have a whole lot of time now so I'm going to try to make this as short as possible!
Let me start by saying I love everyone in my group! It's really cool because we all have become instant best friends! As goofy as that sounds it's true because since most people didn't know anyone in the group and if they did they only knew one or two people out of 20 no one could really be shy. We all just started talking and after that it was like we have known each other for years! The second night everyone was here (so last night) all but 3 of us went to dinner for one of the girls 19th birthday. After the majority of us went to a local night club and went dancing and we all had a blast! The high light of the night was when one girl met a cute foreign guy and danced with him then later as she was playing with her hair found a huge wad of gum stuck in her hair!! I was dying! So we walked through downtown back to our hostel with her holding a plate of mayonaise and butter so that she could get it out! No worries she still has all of her hair and it's gone :)
So as lots of people know I got to go on a shark dive! We had a little scare at first that with my asthma history that I wouldn't be able to but I got approved and did it yesterday! We went to Under Water World in Mooloulaba (my new favorite town name) and got a whole tour of the aquarium which was really cool then we went scuba diving without cages in the shark tank! And believe me when I say they are much bigger when your not looking at them through a glass! It honestly was the best experience of my life! We weren't swimming around we just walked along the bottom and stood there as these giant sharks, including a bull shark which are known to be agressive, and giant rays swam past us! Not 1 min after being in the tank I had to duck my head because one of the sharks with hugh scary teeth was swimming right at my head! Not to attack me but they won't move out of the way for anything, they were just swimming us and didn't care if they hit us. We took lots and lots of pics which some are on facebook if you have an account otherwise tomorrow when we go to a new place and I hopefully have internet, I will be on my own computer to post pics on here! But I'm getting ready to go to dinner and out with everyone for our last night in Brisbane so take care and if you want more details e-mail me, call my mom haha or facebook me! Love you all and miss you but not ready to come back yet ;)
Let me start by saying I love everyone in my group! It's really cool because we all have become instant best friends! As goofy as that sounds it's true because since most people didn't know anyone in the group and if they did they only knew one or two people out of 20 no one could really be shy. We all just started talking and after that it was like we have known each other for years! The second night everyone was here (so last night) all but 3 of us went to dinner for one of the girls 19th birthday. After the majority of us went to a local night club and went dancing and we all had a blast! The high light of the night was when one girl met a cute foreign guy and danced with him then later as she was playing with her hair found a huge wad of gum stuck in her hair!! I was dying! So we walked through downtown back to our hostel with her holding a plate of mayonaise and butter so that she could get it out! No worries she still has all of her hair and it's gone :)
So as lots of people know I got to go on a shark dive! We had a little scare at first that with my asthma history that I wouldn't be able to but I got approved and did it yesterday! We went to Under Water World in Mooloulaba (my new favorite town name) and got a whole tour of the aquarium which was really cool then we went scuba diving without cages in the shark tank! And believe me when I say they are much bigger when your not looking at them through a glass! It honestly was the best experience of my life! We weren't swimming around we just walked along the bottom and stood there as these giant sharks, including a bull shark which are known to be agressive, and giant rays swam past us! Not 1 min after being in the tank I had to duck my head because one of the sharks with hugh scary teeth was swimming right at my head! Not to attack me but they won't move out of the way for anything, they were just swimming us and didn't care if they hit us. We took lots and lots of pics which some are on facebook if you have an account otherwise tomorrow when we go to a new place and I hopefully have internet, I will be on my own computer to post pics on here! But I'm getting ready to go to dinner and out with everyone for our last night in Brisbane so take care and if you want more details e-mail me, call my mom haha or facebook me! Love you all and miss you but not ready to come back yet ;)
Friday, May 20, 2011
4 flights and 1 glass of wine later
I MADE IT TO AUSTRALIA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I made it with no major problems and all of my luggage so I consider that success!! We flew out of Kansas City around 3pm on the 18th then flew to Minneapolis then to L.A. then to Sydney. Well it was supposed to go to Sydney but due to the fog, about 1 hour from Sydney they switched us to Brisbane. Which we were flying to Sydney to get on another flight to get to Brisbane so we thought that this would save us a flight but no, we flew to Brisbane and weren't aloud off the plane!! So we flew to Sydney just to switch flights and fly back to Brisbane. This caused what should have been a 14 hour flight form L.A. to Sydney to be 16 hours. It was horrible!! But there were plenty of movies and we made it to Brisbane only and hour later then we were supposed to, and with switching planes 4 times and the delay there were so many times for them to loose our luggage but we made it with everything! Now were checked into our Hostel where we will be for the next 4 nights.
I almost forgot to mention the adventure getting to the hostel from the hotel! This really nice guy who sat next to me on the plane to Brisbane told us how to find the shuttle from the air port to the hostel. So we followed his instructions and took what we thought was going to be a quick ride. But no! It took over an hour and the driver was a crazy driver along with everyone else here not to mention the fact that they drive on the wrong side of the road so it really throws you off! But we ended up getting to see all of downtown Brisbane before making it to our hostel which was kind of cool!
Once we got checked in we were starving so we decided to walk around and try to find some place to eat. We walked and walked and walked until we found a place were we could sit down and order. It was 4 o'clock in the afternoon so a lot of places weren't open but we were beginning to wonder if Australian's ate! We ended up at a place where we paid $16 dollars for a burger that wasn't very good but it was worth it because we also got to order our first glass of wine legally! It was the highlight of my day so far!
But I can barely hold my eyes open now because I've only got about 4 hours of sleep in the last 40 hrs so I'm going to head off to bed at 7 pm! Everyone else is getting here tomorrow at 8 am so we have to get up to meet them and I'm really excited! I bought a phone in Sydney so I will be able to make a few phone calls so I'm sure my mom will keep everyone in touch, right mom?! :) But for the next 4 nights I'll be in this same hostel and they charge you $10 a day for internet!!! It's so ridiculous and kills me to do it so I bought it for today but then as of tomorrow at 7 pm (and I'm 15 hours ahead of you) I won't have it again for a while. Tomorrow is nothing exciting though other then introductions but then the next day is when we go to Under Water World and I do my shark dive (if they approve of my doctors signature signing me off to do so, keep your fingers crossed) Which I'm sure I will have a lot to say after that so I'll probably suck it up and pay another $10 to use the internet but if not I'll hopefully be back on in a few days!
Take care everyone back in the states and I'll try to keep you posted as much a possible!
P.S. the fun fact of the day is that Australians call trash Rubbish! So on the trash cans it says rubbish and please through rubbish away here and we were told that if someone over hears you calling it trash you have to be careful because they may take it the wrong way and that's one of the worst things you could call someone here!
I almost forgot to mention the adventure getting to the hostel from the hotel! This really nice guy who sat next to me on the plane to Brisbane told us how to find the shuttle from the air port to the hostel. So we followed his instructions and took what we thought was going to be a quick ride. But no! It took over an hour and the driver was a crazy driver along with everyone else here not to mention the fact that they drive on the wrong side of the road so it really throws you off! But we ended up getting to see all of downtown Brisbane before making it to our hostel which was kind of cool!
Once we got checked in we were starving so we decided to walk around and try to find some place to eat. We walked and walked and walked until we found a place were we could sit down and order. It was 4 o'clock in the afternoon so a lot of places weren't open but we were beginning to wonder if Australian's ate! We ended up at a place where we paid $16 dollars for a burger that wasn't very good but it was worth it because we also got to order our first glass of wine legally! It was the highlight of my day so far!
But I can barely hold my eyes open now because I've only got about 4 hours of sleep in the last 40 hrs so I'm going to head off to bed at 7 pm! Everyone else is getting here tomorrow at 8 am so we have to get up to meet them and I'm really excited! I bought a phone in Sydney so I will be able to make a few phone calls so I'm sure my mom will keep everyone in touch, right mom?! :) But for the next 4 nights I'll be in this same hostel and they charge you $10 a day for internet!!! It's so ridiculous and kills me to do it so I bought it for today but then as of tomorrow at 7 pm (and I'm 15 hours ahead of you) I won't have it again for a while. Tomorrow is nothing exciting though other then introductions but then the next day is when we go to Under Water World and I do my shark dive (if they approve of my doctors signature signing me off to do so, keep your fingers crossed) Which I'm sure I will have a lot to say after that so I'll probably suck it up and pay another $10 to use the internet but if not I'll hopefully be back on in a few days!
Take care everyone back in the states and I'll try to keep you posted as much a possible!
P.S. the fun fact of the day is that Australians call trash Rubbish! So on the trash cans it says rubbish and please through rubbish away here and we were told that if someone over hears you calling it trash you have to be careful because they may take it the wrong way and that's one of the worst things you could call someone here!
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Monday, May 16, 2011
46 Hours To Go
Hey Everybody,
As you probably know I will be spending 5 1/2 weeks in Australia this summer!! I leave in exactly 46 hours, it's so close! For 4 weeks I will be traveling along the Queensland coast (the eastern coast) studying tropical marine ecology on the GREAT BARRIER REEF! After the program I will be spending a week in Adelaide with my friend Kristin at her cousins house then her and I will go to Sydney for 5 days before returning home. So...instead of e-mailing everyone personally and filling up peoples news feeds on facebook I will be posting all of my pictures and experiences on here so check in every once in a while and see what I'm doing! :)
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