Wonderfully steamy Cairns

Cairns was a hot steamy place. The kind of place with warning signs at the beach that say Beware Crocodiles and Snakes... or was it sharks. A place where you walk out of your air-conditioned room and immediately start profusely sweating. It was the wet season afterall and it is in the rainforest, so what else would you expect other than heaps of wet rainy weather. There was a plus side to the overcast skies and that was that the heat was a little more bearable. I can only imagine the humidity if it was sunny!

The first day we were in Cairns we went scuba diving again, this time on the outer part of the Great Barrier Reef. The conditions unfortunately were not the best for diving so we were sorely disappointed in the diving experience. The water was so choppy going out to the reef that the boat/ dive crew were encouraging people to either re-book the tour for a later day or take motion sickness pills. I was lucky enough not to be affected by the crashing motion of the boat and did not have to take motion sickness pills either. However, while we were diving the water was fairly murky and the coral not as grand as at the inner reef where we dove near Hamilton Island. We also didn't see quite the amount of sea life/ cool fish as at Hamilton Island.

The second day we went on a white-water rafting voyage down the Tully River. That's me in the middle on the left. Since it had been raining for days the river was up which meant better rapids! I had been white-water rafting before in Colorado, but it was nothing like this. There is a rapids scale of 1 - 6, 6 being the most dangerous rapids and we were rafting a level 4. It made for an intense ride and you felt a great deal of triumph when you made it through the rapids unscathed and still in your boat. Still we weren't able to make it the whole way down the river without getting dumped. We had nearly made it through the last turn in a set of rapids paddling our hearts out as the guide yelled, "GO, GO, GO!" with such urgency in his voice you just knew it was all over, we were done for. Before I knew what was happening, over we went into the cold rushing waters of the Tully River. As I was flying backwards into the water, something hard hit the bridge of my nose, a paddle or someone's head, I wasn't sure, but it left my nose bruised and swollen for days afterwards. Tipping the raft was a huge adrenaline rush though and it wouldn't have been as exciting a trip if we hadn't experienced it.

The next day I left Cairns to head back to Perth as my friends headed on a tour of the rainforest. I was so sad to be ending my travels and had a great time over those two weeks. Last weekend we celebrated Australia Day at my friends flat overlooking the Swan River where the Skyworks (fireworks) were held. It was pretty much the same as our Independence Day, full of family events, fireworks, and parties.

Blogged Down

Aussie word of the day: bathers = bathing suit.

Hi again friends and family.. I was hoping to blog more often, but have been "blogged down" - thanks for the term Dad! Since I've been back in Perth I have been pretty busy getting a place, a car and a new job. I have scored 2 out of 3 so far and am still looking for a job. Things fell through with the old job when I got back so.. here I go again.

So anyway, back to the sunny beaches of gorgeous Hamilton Island. It was a picture perfect paradise. I've never been to the Bahamas, but Hamilton Island was how I imagine the Bahamas or Virgin Islands to be - pristine aqua blue water, lush green hilly islands, beautiful white sand beaches. Hamilton Island is a resort so there are no cars, just golf carts and resort buses to get around the island. It's also quite expensive, so not really for the budget traveller. Above is a view from our hotel room looking over Catseye bay. There were tons of tropical parakeets and cockatoos and at night, gigantic bats the size of crows, would fill the air. The bats, my friends and I thought, must be the reason there were no mosquitoes or black flies on the island.

The first day, we went diving on the inner reef of the Great Barrier Reef. The day was gorgeous, the water clear. We saw towers of coral and reef sharks and other fun marine life. Sadly though, I was more fascinated by the view of the GBR from the airplane. There's nothing like looking down on the GBR from above... it's really awe-inspiring and you can't help but stare at it. The rest of the time in Hamilton Island we relaxed by the pool sipping cocktails from the swim-up bar or cruising out to Whitehaven Beach, which is reported as one of the world's most beautiful beaches. Whitehaven Beach is made of pure white silica sand that squeaks when you walk on it. The only disappointing thing about visiting Whitehaven Beach (which you could only get to by boat) was that you couldn't really swim in the ocean without wearing a protective lycra suit because of the Irukandji jellyfish and you couldn't go into the bush near the beach because of the snakes. Your only real option was either bake for two hours in the sunshine or take a walk down the beach.

Overall, Hamilton Island was one of the most beautiful places we went on our trip - but also the most expensive. I hope to go back someday to visit the northern end of the Whitsunday's Islands, Hamilton Island is in the southern part of the group of islands. After Hamilton Island, we headed over to Cairns, the last leg of our two week adventure.

Stunning Sydney

Aussie word of the day: torch = flashlight.

Sydney was stunning. Of course there were throngs of people visiting for the New Year's Eve holiday, but despite the abundance of people the lines to get into places were still reasonably short and the streets were uncrowded. After the big New Year's Eve night - did I mention it was surreal being in Sydney on New Year's? - we began our site seeing at the Opera House. This was an interesting tour, mostly historically based on the design and development of the building and the amount of time and money it took to build. The Opera House is comprised of two main stages; the Opera House or theatre, which is housed in the smaller of the two buildings that make up the Opera House and the larger of the two buildings which hosts music concerts, generally of the classical genre. Of course, there are more theatres/ stages housed within the Opera House than just the two main stages, one of which is used as the site for which the whole fireworks display on New Year's Eve is controlled via computers.

Our next tour was on a harbour cruise around Sydney Harbour which provided much relaxation, morning tea, and a glance at some of the wealthiest real estate in Sydney including Nicole Kidman's and Russell Crowe's harbourside digs. Then it was on to the great Bridge Climb! A nerve wracking experience when looking up at the groups of people climbing up the Sydney Harbour Bridge, but after much preparation that included full body windsuits, climbing gear, and a climb simulator, we were on our way to the top! It turned out not to be as scary as it looked from below. At the top, we stood 440 feet above the water and had amazing views of the city and harbour, which made it well worth the climb.

At night we dined in The Rocks, one of the oldest areas in Sydney that runs adjacent to the wharf. Quaint eateries and boutiques are nestled among the souvenir shops in The Rocks where you can choose from a variety of dining options. We had German schnitzel and spatzel and beer and ate gourmet wood-fired pizza.

Unfortunately, we were unable to visit the world famous Bondi Beach or local favorite, Manly Beach, as they were closed due to rough tides from the weather. I can easily say that the few short days we were in Sydney were not enough, but an amazing time it was nonetheless. Finally, my luggage arrived the day before we left Sydney... just in time for the Whitsunday Islands.

Move over 2007, here comes 2008!

To think I was having nightmares 8 years ago about the beginning of the new century. Back in '99, as a college freshmen, I was terrified that Armageddon was just around the corner. Thankfully, none of my nightmares came true and we are still alive and two weeks into 2008! Looking back, not a lot has changed for me from the beginning of the century to now. I am still single and back at uni. I really hope that eight years from now I am looking back at '07 from a different place in my life - not single and not in uni. To those of you who have been part of the last eight years of my life, thank you for a being a part of it and I hope the next 8 years prove even better!



The beginning of my new year almost didnt happen at all - literally! I nearly lost the 31st of December to the great abyss of the international dateline, where a day is lost every time you travel from the U.S. to Australia, but is gained back when you travel from Australia to the U.S. Due to the hectic holiday travel season and bad weather in certain parts of the U.S., I almost didn't see the New Year come in. Luckily, after much frustration and suspense and a re-routed flight itnerary, I finally arrived in Sydney a day later than originally scheduled, but just in time for New Year's Eve. Unfortunately, when I got to Sydney my travel woes did not end. I did not have any luggage other than my carry-on bags which meant no New Year's Eve party duds. Qantas did pay me $100 for my temporarily lost luggage which I used to buy something semi-suitable for the New Year's Eve festivities.

With a new dress from Target that somewhat resembled a black trash bag, but was really comfortable and my two friends by my side, we rang in the New Year in Sydney in style . It was a truly amazing New Year's Eve and I can say with great confidence that it was the best one I've had so far. We ate a delicious 5 course meal in a restaurant that had a spectacular view overlooking the harbour and a yacht parked next to it that Sting was staying in. At the stroke of midnight with the fireworks exploding in the sky above the Syndey Harbour Bridge, my friends got engaged. It was very momentous and I got to take all the pictures of the event, my friend's face captured forever in a look of shock and awe, then crying on her new fiance's shoulder.

Now I have arrived back in Perth with blistered feet, a bruised body and a slightly swollen face (from a white-water rafting incident that I will write more about later). As I am using the limited and costly internet at my hostel at the moment I will keep this post short and sweet. I'm going to be posting more blogs each day about the rest of my first two weeks back in Australia and hopefully some pix as well, so stay tuned.