Thursday, October 23, 2008
Weekend Trip to Poland
So last weekend I went to Poland. It was a fun trip (my first international travel by myself). I left on Friday morning as soon as chapel was out. So from the flat, I went to Stansted Airport. That took about an hour or so. I got to the airport and did all the typical checkin and whatnot that you do at an airport. I got to my gate. And guess what....My flight was delayed. So I chilled in the airport for like 2ish hours and then we left. I flew from London Stansted to Katowice, Poland on WizzAir. This was an accident on my part. You see, Katowice was like an hour and half away from Krakow (my final destination). So I improvised when I got there and found a shuttle to Krakow. Well, you see it was a WizzAir shuttle and I didn't have a reservation. So they let me on but I had to wait in the shuttle for like 2 hours before we ever left the parking lot. You see, WizzAir's flights were all late and people that had reservations were coming in. So we waited .... forever! Finally, we left Katowice airport and headed for Krakow. You see the driver didn't speak English but luckily one of the people on my bus spoke both Polish/English. She translated for me. When I got to Krakow, I didn't have a clue where I was. So she got me a taxi. I took the taxi to my hostel and it was all good. I checked in and relaxed for like 5 min. After dropping off my stuff, the girl at the desk gave me direction to Hard Rock Krakow and I was off. You see I love my Hard Rock Shirts. So I got one from Krakow. They don't even have a restaurant yet...but its coming soon. So I was one of the first to get a shirt from there. Afterwards, I walked around taking photos of Krakow at night. It is a very pretty town. It's super easy to get around in. The Castle was one of my favorites in the town, the market was cool, and all the little shops were neat to look at. I had ice cream that night before I went back to the hostel. When I got to the hostel, I pretty much crashed to prep for the following day. I was going to Auschwitz Concentration Camps One and Two for the day. That was so powerful. It's like you can still feel all the pain the prisoners went through when they tell you what happened in each of the buildings. I saw the death block (block 11), the death wall, the torture and experiment areas, the housing conditions, the gas chambers and furnaces, the toilets, the hair (all 180,000pounds of it), ... I saw alot that day. It was very overwhelming. I am glad I went to the camps. It is an experience I will never forget. I was pretty much exhausted after the 6 hour trip at Auschwitz. But I kept chugging along....I wasn't gonna waste time sleeping. So I went to the Gallery (the mall), heard a pop-group thing outside,walked around even more, went back to the Castle and saw it during daylight hours,and just mingled my way through the town enjoying the architecture of the buildings and the overall atmosphere of Krakow. Later on that night I went back to the hostel and took about an hour long rest. After that, I went to a Chopin-Mozart Classical Concert at Saint Giles Cathedral. That was awesome. The sound inside the domed rooms of the church was incredible. Very vibrant and rich sounds echoed through the building as the concert took place. It was very relaxing and peaceful. Following the concert, I went back to the hostel and chilled a bit more. That night a played cards with the other people staying in the hostel. They were cool. I now have 3 more Australian friends and 2 new Polish friends. It's all official because it is on facebook (lol). We were up to 1:30 that night playing games. I attempted to go to bed but people checked into the room at like 3:30 that morning. Naturally, they were not respectful of the ones trying to sleep. Somewhere around then, there was a Drunk Naked Irish man running around the place. I was in bed--but I heard all the commotion. It was funny. Finally---I was able to get some sleep. 2hrs later I got up. yeah, 5:30 in the morning. We got up. (Lizz-the australian and I). We got ready and the girl at the reception made us coffee and little sandwiches to go. She was very nice. I ran to the tram stop and, go figure, it didnt come. So I was late to the bus station and I missed my shuttle back to Katowice Airport (remember it was about an hour and half away). So I improvised. I ran around the buds terminal unitl I found someone who spoke English. She helped me. I ended taking a bus to Katowice the town. We arrived at the Katowice station and she helped me get a taxi to the airport from there. It cost me 120 zlottys (Polish Money/Currency). I only had 80 zlottys. So the cab driver and I made a deal through the girl that was helping me. You see the cab driver didn't speak Enlgish. I obviously don't speak Polish. So she did the conversing for us. I ended up paying him 80 zlottys and then topping off his gas tank at a gas station with my credit card. It was fair I thought. He drove SO, SO fast. Wow, wasn't use to that. The only thing we had in common to talk about was Michael Jackson. You see, one of Jackson's songs came on the radio there. I said Michael Jackson..."yeah". The cab driver gave a thumbs up. Then he starting jabbering in Polish again. So its all good. I got to my flight. Got back to London. Trained back to my flat. And I rested. That was the ending to my Poland Weekend Get-Away.
Saturday, October 11, 2008
November 14th, 2007: Milford Sound Cruise
We got up bright and early that morning to get to Milford Sounds in time for the cruise. While driving there we saw the Southern Alps. They were gorgeous and covered in snow.If you want to know a funny story, just ask me or Jeniffer Mills or Brenda Breezeel about Jacob and the Swiss Alps-Southern Alps story--The cruise was only like a little over 2 hours long...but it was so worth it.
There are few words to describe the beauty that we saw on this cruise. I will allow pictures to do the talking. The bay opened up to the Tasmanian Sea. We saw two waterfalls, wild seals, and many beautiful mountains and valleys.
After the cruise, we drove back to Queenstown for night and prepared for trip back to Christchurch the following morning.
There are few words to describe the beauty that we saw on this cruise. I will allow pictures to do the talking. The bay opened up to the Tasmanian Sea. We saw two waterfalls, wild seals, and many beautiful mountains and valleys.
After the cruise, we drove back to Queenstown for night and prepared for trip back to Christchurch the following morning.
November 13th, 2007: White Water Rafting and Bungy Jumping
So that morning, a few from the HUA group decided to go white water rafting in the river nearest to Queenstown. That was so much fun. On our boat, it was full of people from HUA, our guide, and two physicists from either Scotland or Ireland. The two odd balls were very stubborn and continually failed to listen to our guide. On one of the turns, they placed us sideways in a Class 3 rapid. Not cool,we nearly flipped. That was the second white water rafting trip I've don't with Harding. The first time was in Colorado on the Arkansas River that flows through the Royal Gorge.
After that, Scott and I has a sudden impulse to go Bungy Jumping. So we did. We jumped off of the Kawara(sp) Bridge. It is the first location in the world where someone bungy jumped. That was by far the scariest thing I've ever done. I do not know if I'll ever do that again. It was a thrill-thats for sure. Its not your everyday thing to jump off a bridge. I had issues. It took me like ten minutes to jump off. It wasn't the actually fall that scared me. It was the initial move and thought of letting going of the bridge when the water was screaming death to my face. But oh well...that was an inexperience in and of itself.
My Queenstown, NZ experiences were quite extensive. After bungy jumping, Scott and I went back to the hostel and grabbed our things. We then left with the rest of the group for Milford Sound. We went about half-way that night. We stayed in a little cabin near a lake for the night. There was a little town just down the road where we got hot chocolate and what not before settling in. It was a little chilly then and we were all exhausted. We did not venture too much in that town. We went to bed and got up early the next morning to go Milford Sound.
After that, Scott and I has a sudden impulse to go Bungy Jumping. So we did. We jumped off of the Kawara(sp) Bridge. It is the first location in the world where someone bungy jumped. That was by far the scariest thing I've ever done. I do not know if I'll ever do that again. It was a thrill-thats for sure. Its not your everyday thing to jump off a bridge. I had issues. It took me like ten minutes to jump off. It wasn't the actually fall that scared me. It was the initial move and thought of letting going of the bridge when the water was screaming death to my face. But oh well...that was an inexperience in and of itself.
My Queenstown, NZ experiences were quite extensive. After bungy jumping, Scott and I went back to the hostel and grabbed our things. We then left with the rest of the group for Milford Sound. We went about half-way that night. We stayed in a little cabin near a lake for the night. There was a little town just down the road where we got hot chocolate and what not before settling in. It was a little chilly then and we were all exhausted. We did not venture too much in that town. We went to bed and got up early the next morning to go Milford Sound.
November 12th, 2007: Lord of the Rings Jeep Tour
After the thrill of skydiving, I took part in a less energy draining activity. I took a Jeep Tour of a few of Lord of the Ring Locations. On my tour was my guide, a South African married couple, and myself. I enjoyed the tour very much, more so for the scenery. We saw the location where all the black horses, went storming down the river (from the 1st movie), we saw the rock where all the rings of the kingdoms were split up, we saw the Remarkable Mountain location where they filmed the famous scene of Gandolf on his horse. We saw a little old western town. We had afternoon tea. And I simply had a relaxing day. After the tour I retired for the night to just chill and enjoy the peacefulness of Queenstown.
November 12th, 2007: SKY DIVING TIME BABY!!
Alrighty, this is the day I was looking forward to throughout the entire semester. I lost 30lbs that fall just to do it. I went on a strict Atkins diet to do so. That was hard the last leg of the trip. The cruise had all sorts of exquisite food, but I did not have any. I stuck to my diet. I broke it 3 times, each time for a pina coloda from ship. They were so good. My desert, if I chose to have it, was a Diet Coke with Lime. Yum... Anyways, the morning of November the 12th, 2007 I went skydiving. It was amazing. I did the highest dive I possibly could. I dove from 15,000 feet. AWW! That means I free falled for a whole minute. It was worth every penny. The view from up there was spectacular. I went diving with a company called N'Zone. Their jump zone is over the Remarkable Mountain Range. If any of you are Lord of the Rings fans, that location is where Gandolf sits on his white horse with a group a snowy mountains in the background. It is in the beginning of the first movie I believe. Anyway, I would so jump again. I love it. It is so much fun. At one point during my jump I tries opening my mouth and yelling something. Haha, bad idea...my tongues instantly felt like sand paper. It took my a couple seconds to catch my breath again. The fall didn't really seem like a minute long. It went by so fast. I wish it were longer. While falling, I didn't have that feeling of my stomach turning inside out. It felt more as if I was floating. You see the forces behind you pushing you down(gravity) and the wind resistance trying to hold up. They both, slow the free fall feeling and make it feel like your floating. Now then, it felt like floating. But I still definitely felt like I was falling over 90mph toward the ground. Initially, the mountains were small when we jumped out of the plane. But as we fell, the mountains became massively huge. I enjoyed that experience immensely. At the jump site, before they put into the plane, they walk you through an about 5 minute briefing of how to fall correctly out of the plane initially. That was all the prepping we needed. The dude attached to us(me) did all the work. I was quite literally on for the ride. You are suppose to fall out of the plane like a banana. And then when he taps your back...you can start moving around. After the free fall, the parachute is deployed. You are then jolted back up in the air very fast. Then we spiraled down to the ground. I told me jumped I wanted to have fun with it, so we spun down to the ground super fast for like 5 minutes. The whole jump itself took about6 minutes once we left the plain. Probably about 15-20 minutes total from getting on the plain and getting back to the ground. While we were climbing in altitude, I could see the plain's windows lining with ice. I thought that was cool. They gave us oxygen after we passed 10,000 feet. They said by law we had to have oxygen until we jumped. In the plane with me was Inabeth Donaldson, Ashley Buford, and myself. They take jumpers up in teams of three. Each of us had our film man and our guide diver. I was the first one out of the plane. There wasn't really any time to think...It was just like ... 3, 2, ,1...down we go. the initial roll out of the plane is exhilarating. The thought of nothing below you but ground and one wicked view is awesome. I would so go diving again. You should try it sometime. If you ever want more information just let me know. I will be happy to help you or answer any more questions about my diving experience in New Zealand. Hopefully, I will be able to dive somewhere else again sometime. Whooh, Im on like an energy high just thinking about it. Have a good day everyone.
Oh yeah, one last thing. After I went sky diving. I went out to eat. And we had subway. Then a few hours later I had Pizza Hut. It was marvelous.I totally gave up the Atkins diet.
Oh yeah, one last thing. After I went sky diving. I went out to eat. And we had subway. Then a few hours later I had Pizza Hut. It was marvelous.I totally gave up the Atkins diet.
Novemeber 11th, 2007-Drive from Christchurch to Queenstown.
The drive was beautiful. We saw alot of the countryside of NZ. It was beautiful. We saw. Mt.Cook in the background-the largest Mountain in New Zealand. We stopped at a little shop for lunch and whatnot on the way. We also stopped and saw a little chapel on a hill with a lake and mountain range behind it. We got Queenstown later that night. We stayed at the Discovery Lodge in the heart of Queenstown.
November 10th, 2007-Arrived back into Brisbane-Departed for New Zealand
When we woke up that morning we were back in Brisbane. We left the cruise ship and moved onward to the Brizzy Airport. We boarded our plane and left for New Zealand. We flew directly into Christchurch and went to the YMCA for the night. New Zealand has some super strict rules with immigrations. Like, if you have mud on your shoes when entering the country they can possibly make you throw them away. Yeah, weird. New Zealand is supposedly the youngest country in the world. They are known for their beauty and splendor--I will most definitely agree that NZ is incredibly beautiful. This is the cause for the strict rules upon entering the country. They are striving to protect the beauty of the country.
November 7th, -Cruise; Port Villa, Vanuatu
In this little town we had to take a taxi to get to town. It was about a 10 minutes drive or like a 25/30 minute walk. One thing that impressed me here were their capital buildings. They had scriptures on them from the bible. I thought it was cool that, on their official buildings, they incorporated the teachings of the Bible. The pics will do the rest of talking for me.
November 6th, 2007-Cruise:Port Day-The Island of Lifou in the Loyalty Islands of New Caledonia
This island was drop dead gorgeous! I wanna go back. The waters are so incredibly crystal clear. This was my favorite stop on the cruise. Once again, I'll let the photos do the taking. While we were here I tried Coconut milk. That was good. It is a very remote little island that is only accessible by boat. We went swimming here in the little lagoon area and had a very pleasant afternoon.
November 5th, 2007-Cruise: Port Day-Noumea, New Caledonia
This was a pretty little city. I enjoyed it. We got out for a few hours here. I took some photos, went shopping, and got my passport stamped. I will allow the pictures to do the talking for me. I enjoyed the port days alot during our trip.
November 4th, 2007-Cruise: At Sea
This day was a laid back kind of day. I realized I do not like 'At Sea' Days very much. I got a little bored. The never-ending abyss of blue water. We played cards and had a very chilled day. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the cruise very much. But during the 'at sea' days it is very easy to become restless.
At night they had little shows going on. They were actually quite ridiculous. But its the fact that they were so ridiculous that made them funny. One of my favorite songs had lyrics to like this "good'ay good'ay and how ya goin". I cant remember the rest of the words now. All I know is that I got a good laugh.
There were many little events at nighttime on the top deck where prizes could be won. Our became well known to be the water group-lol. Naturally, the prizes from a cruise ship were alcoholic drinks and we technically weren't suppose to have them. Many people from out group won prizes like that, particularly Michael Brooker. haha, He won I think a couple of bottles of Champagne or something like that.. He kept them and later after the party started to die down he went to the Activities director and requested an exchange. They said that was the first time someone had ever asked to trade in an alcoholic drink for like water or something like that. So needless to say, it was that request that morphed our group from HUA into the water group. haha
Sometime during this cruise, the had a "South Pacific Idol contest". It was a mock off of American Idol and Australian Idol naturally. Anyways, we participated. I sang Circle of Life by Elton John from Disney's Lion King. Other various people from our group participated and we all had a jolly good time.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ok, I have to be honest. I stopped recording information in my journal after finals week. So from here on, I am going by memory. I do regret do not recording things in the journal. So I am doing it now, here online in this blog. It has been almost a year now since my HUA trip but I can still recall most of the events that happend those last two weeks of the Australia semester. Alrighty, thanks guys and I hope whoever is reading my blog is enjoying it.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
At night they had little shows going on. They were actually quite ridiculous. But its the fact that they were so ridiculous that made them funny. One of my favorite songs had lyrics to like this "good'ay good'ay and how ya goin". I cant remember the rest of the words now. All I know is that I got a good laugh.
There were many little events at nighttime on the top deck where prizes could be won. Our became well known to be the water group-lol. Naturally, the prizes from a cruise ship were alcoholic drinks and we technically weren't suppose to have them. Many people from out group won prizes like that, particularly Michael Brooker. haha, He won I think a couple of bottles of Champagne or something like that.. He kept them and later after the party started to die down he went to the Activities director and requested an exchange. They said that was the first time someone had ever asked to trade in an alcoholic drink for like water or something like that. So needless to say, it was that request that morphed our group from HUA into the water group. haha
Sometime during this cruise, the had a "South Pacific Idol contest". It was a mock off of American Idol and Australian Idol naturally. Anyways, we participated. I sang Circle of Life by Elton John from Disney's Lion King. Other various people from our group participated and we all had a jolly good time.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ok, I have to be honest. I stopped recording information in my journal after finals week. So from here on, I am going by memory. I do regret do not recording things in the journal. So I am doing it now, here online in this blog. It has been almost a year now since my HUA trip but I can still recall most of the events that happend those last two weeks of the Australia semester. Alrighty, thanks guys and I hope whoever is reading my blog is enjoying it.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
November 3rd, 2007- Boarded for our Week long South Pacific Star Cruise
This was the first major cruise that I had ever been on. I was looking forward to it very much. Before boarding that morning we waited at the Brisbane port for a long time before boarding. The Cruise line looked at our passports, we boarded, and we were off. During the departure, the cruise ship became one big party. It was so much fun. They blew the whistle thing and turned up the music. Party, lol. It was fun. Most of us from the group went to the very top deck to watch Brisbane become a minimal little speck. We settled into our cabins and we were set. In my cabin there was Jordan, Michael A, Myself, and Scott. We then ventured around the ship to make ourselves familiar with our surroundings and where everything was located. Later that evening we had a mandatory meeting going through all of the "what if" situations and what we were suppose to do if any of those potential things were to happen. Throughout the initial part of the cruise I felt like a I had rubber legs. haha, I soon got over that. And the first day of the cruise was over.
October 20, 2007-Moutn Tambourine Morning Tea; Q1 Observation Tower
That morning we boarded the bus and headed for Tambourine National Park-Mt. Tambourine. The bus ride took about an hour. We got out at a Polish restaurant to have morning tea. I had actually had SOHO (sorta the equivalent of lemonade) and some type of cake. Here we sat down and enjoyed the view—we were right on the edge of a mountain. After I finished my tea, I began to pay with the Lorikeets. They are little colorful birds who love to play and eat your sugar. Everyone was playing with them. I personally had a little tug-a-war with one of them. My sugar packet was basically destroyed but its all good. It was here that all the Lorikeets landed on my shoulders and I had my photo taken that’s in the Harding Pettit Jean 2007-2008 annual. We then left and went hiking for about an hour. After the hike, we went to the Q1 tower back in Surfers Paradise. The Q1 tower is the largest residential tower in the world. We went up to the observation deck on the 77th floor. It was a cool view; for it was right on the beach and you could see for miles and miles. It was so pretty. Here we could see the whole layout of the BroadBeach & Surfers Paradise area.
October 17th, 2007-Australian Outback Spectacular
This was a show designed to reflect Australia’s true outback culture, history, and environment. This musical drama had many horses, sheep, and other kinds of animals. It was indoors and very enjoyable. We were served a salad, a main entrée: steak, mashed potatoes, green beans, and 2 other things, and lastly desert. Overall the show was Spectacular.
A) The historical significance was probably a little shaky as most shows are---but it did give me a glimpse of what it was like to live in and work in the bush.
B) It showed me that Australian Farmers are true examples of hard workers who like to have fun.
C) This reminded me of two shows at home.
1) T-E-X-A-S outdoor musical drama at Palo Duro Canyon &
2) The Dixie Stampede in Branson, MO & Pigeon Forge, TN.
D) It was fun, entertaining, and educational
A) The historical significance was probably a little shaky as most shows are---but it did give me a glimpse of what it was like to live in and work in the bush.
B) It showed me that Australian Farmers are true examples of hard workers who like to have fun.
C) This reminded me of two shows at home.
1) T-E-X-A-S outdoor musical drama at Palo Duro Canyon &
2) The Dixie Stampede in Branson, MO & Pigeon Forge, TN.
D) It was fun, entertaining, and educational
October 13th, 2007-“Free day”-Jungle Rainforest Tour
This was my equivalent to free travel. I traveled with Collin S, Ashley B, Ashley T, Ashley O, Kelsey K, Scott W, Inabeth D, Lindsey M, Katie S, and Jennifer M.
So we all decided to do this tour. It was SO much fun. The tour consisted of the following:
1) A stop at a Scenic Overlook
2) A Stop in Port Douglas at a Zoo.
3) A Daintree Rainforest Walk at Mossman’s Gorge.
4) Lunch at a small welcoming café
5) River Cruise through a crocodile sanctuary
6) A trip to Cape Tribulation
The tour was far. We took many short stops at overlooks and whatnot. This tour was done by a mini-bus. Most everyone in the van was from the HUA group. We drove first-off to Port Douglas. There we went to a zoo and had a short tour of the city. We saw Kangaroos, Emus, and a Cassowary (an endangered bird). After the zoo, we went straight to the Rainforest. It was so beautiful there-Australia continually kept shocking me that day. We hiked a little ways and then we all went swimming in the gorge. It was HOT that day and we all were excited to jump in the water. That was my favorite part of the day. It was cool and the rapids were fun to swim in. Lunch was pleasant. The River cruise was interesting. While we were waiting for the cruise, we all played with these little rocks called ‘Burning beans’. These little rocks left like a bruise/burn mark on your skin. I let Katie Smith touch the Burning Bean to my skin…OUCH, it’s like she wanted to Brand me or something. She held it there for a very long time. On the cruise we saw a brief glimpse of a 4 year old crocodile. We saw a 2 year old crocodile and got many pictures of it. After the sighting were over our boat driver got showed us two green tree frogs. It was funny, they were called Green Tree frogs but one of them was brown. After the cruise we went to Cape Tribulation. This was a beautiful remote beach that we had fun in for about an hour. Afterwards, went back to the mini-bus and headed back towards Cairns. The trip back was like 3hours long. We went a ways off that day.
A) Helped me understand the beauty of the rainforest. I did not recall any historical importance on this free day of travel.
B) Made me respect my surroundings
C)Almost like visiting Yellowstone National Park back in the States—It was a unique trip.
D)Fun!
So we all decided to do this tour. It was SO much fun. The tour consisted of the following:
1) A stop at a Scenic Overlook
2) A Stop in Port Douglas at a Zoo.
3) A Daintree Rainforest Walk at Mossman’s Gorge.
4) Lunch at a small welcoming café
5) River Cruise through a crocodile sanctuary
6) A trip to Cape Tribulation
The tour was far. We took many short stops at overlooks and whatnot. This tour was done by a mini-bus. Most everyone in the van was from the HUA group. We drove first-off to Port Douglas. There we went to a zoo and had a short tour of the city. We saw Kangaroos, Emus, and a Cassowary (an endangered bird). After the zoo, we went straight to the Rainforest. It was so beautiful there-Australia continually kept shocking me that day. We hiked a little ways and then we all went swimming in the gorge. It was HOT that day and we all were excited to jump in the water. That was my favorite part of the day. It was cool and the rapids were fun to swim in. Lunch was pleasant. The River cruise was interesting. While we were waiting for the cruise, we all played with these little rocks called ‘Burning beans’. These little rocks left like a bruise/burn mark on your skin. I let Katie Smith touch the Burning Bean to my skin…OUCH, it’s like she wanted to Brand me or something. She held it there for a very long time. On the cruise we saw a brief glimpse of a 4 year old crocodile. We saw a 2 year old crocodile and got many pictures of it. After the sighting were over our boat driver got showed us two green tree frogs. It was funny, they were called Green Tree frogs but one of them was brown. After the cruise we went to Cape Tribulation. This was a beautiful remote beach that we had fun in for about an hour. Afterwards, went back to the mini-bus and headed back towards Cairns. The trip back was like 3hours long. We went a ways off that day.
A) Helped me understand the beauty of the rainforest. I did not recall any historical importance on this free day of travel.
B) Made me respect my surroundings
C)Almost like visiting Yellowstone National Park back in the States—It was a unique trip.
D)Fun!
October 13th, 2007-“Free day”-Jungle Rainforest Tour
This was my equivalent to free travel. I traveled with Collin S, Ashley B, Ashley T, Ashley O, Kelsey K, Scott W, Inabeth D, Lindsey M, Katie S, and Jennifer M.
So we all decided to do this tour. It was SO much fun. The tour consisted of the following:
1) A stop at a Scenic Overlook
2) A Stop in Port Douglas at a Zoo.
3) A Daintree Rainforest Walk at Mossman’s Gorge.
4) Lunch at a small welcoming café
5) River Cruise through a crocodile sanctuary
6) A trip to Cape Tribulation
The tour was far. We took many short stops at overlooks and whatnot. This tour was done by a mini-bus. Most everyone in the van was from the HUA group. We drove first-off to Port Douglas. There we went to a zoo and had a short tour of the city. We saw Kangaroos, Emus, and a Cassowary (an endangered bird). After the zoo, we went straight to the Rainforest. It was so beautiful there-Australia continually kept shocking me that day. We hiked a little ways and then we all went swimming in the gorge. It was HOT that day and we all were excited to jump in the water. That was my favorite part of the day. It was cool and the rapids were fun to swim in. Lunch was pleasant. The River cruise was interesting. While we were waiting for the cruise, we all played with these little rocks called ‘Burning beans’. These little rocks left like a bruise/burn mark on your skin. I let Katie Smith touch the Burning Bean to my skin…OUCH, it’s like she wanted to Brand me or something. She held it there for a very long time. On the cruise we saw a brief glimpse of a 4 year old crocodile. We saw a 2 year old crocodile and got many pictures of it. After the sighting were over our boat driver got showed us two green tree frogs. It was funny, they were called Green Tree frogs but one of them was brown. After the cruise we went to Cape Tribulation. This was a beautiful remote beach that we had fun in for about an hour. Afterwards, went back to the mini-bus and headed back towards Cairns. The trip back was like 3hours long. We went a ways off that day.
A) Helped me understand the beauty of the rainforest. I did not recall any historical importance on this free day of travel.
B) Made me respect my surroundings
C)Almost like visiting Yellowstone National Park back in the States—It was a unique trip.
D)Fun!
So we all decided to do this tour. It was SO much fun. The tour consisted of the following:
1) A stop at a Scenic Overlook
2) A Stop in Port Douglas at a Zoo.
3) A Daintree Rainforest Walk at Mossman’s Gorge.
4) Lunch at a small welcoming café
5) River Cruise through a crocodile sanctuary
6) A trip to Cape Tribulation
The tour was far. We took many short stops at overlooks and whatnot. This tour was done by a mini-bus. Most everyone in the van was from the HUA group. We drove first-off to Port Douglas. There we went to a zoo and had a short tour of the city. We saw Kangaroos, Emus, and a Cassowary (an endangered bird). After the zoo, we went straight to the Rainforest. It was so beautiful there-Australia continually kept shocking me that day. We hiked a little ways and then we all went swimming in the gorge. It was HOT that day and we all were excited to jump in the water. That was my favorite part of the day. It was cool and the rapids were fun to swim in. Lunch was pleasant. The River cruise was interesting. While we were waiting for the cruise, we all played with these little rocks called ‘Burning beans’. These little rocks left like a bruise/burn mark on your skin. I let Katie Smith touch the Burning Bean to my skin…OUCH, it’s like she wanted to Brand me or something. She held it there for a very long time. On the cruise we saw a brief glimpse of a 4 year old crocodile. We saw a 2 year old crocodile and got many pictures of it. After the sighting were over our boat driver got showed us two green tree frogs. It was funny, they were called Green Tree frogs but one of them was brown. After the cruise we went to Cape Tribulation. This was a beautiful remote beach that we had fun in for about an hour. Afterwards, went back to the mini-bus and headed back towards Cairns. The trip back was like 3hours long. We went a ways off that day.
A) Helped me understand the beauty of the rainforest. I did not recall any historical importance on this free day of travel.
B) Made me respect my surroundings
C)Almost like visiting Yellowstone National Park back in the States—It was a unique trip.
D)Fun!
October 11th and 12th, 2007- Great Barrier Reef on the Sea & Ocean Quest
We left that morning for our two day trip on the reef. We boarded the Sea Quest and we were on our way. (Thankfully no one this time got sick). It was a 90 minute boat ride out to the reef. They we were able to scuba dive and snorkel. I snorkeled for about 20 minutes and then went back. I then went scuba diving. I’ve been scuba diving before in Cozumel, but the reef was completely different. It was crystal clear and fun. The first dive was with Jordan and Jennifer, our instructor was from Cuba. I dove again after lunch, except this time with Meagan and Jason. That was fun to. Here the photographer for Sea Quest found me and she took a photo of me with NEMO and Marlin! That was so cool, I totally bought that photo later. We then went back up and prepared to transfer to the Ocean Quest. That was larger boat that about 48 people for an overnight stay. There were 2 people per cabin, there was a tv, and there was a bathroom. Upstairs had a big screen T.V. and it was great. When we first boarded the Ocean Quest, we were given a briefing of all the activities on board the boat. They released us and soon thereafter we went diving again. This time the water was murky and once again different. But it was still cool to think “I’m breathing under water”. We came up and that was it for me diving that day. I rested a little and just relaxed. … watching the reef. I was still absorbing the fact that I was on the famous Great Barrier Reef. We had dinner later that night and watched a few movies up on the big screen upstairs. We watched My Big Fat Greek Wedding & Last Holiday. Afterwards, I retired for the night. The next morning we were called bright and early to go diving. I believe it was six in the morning. The water was SO cold. I was definitely 100% awake after jumping in the water. This dive was in the same murky place BUT super special. I saw and swam with a real sea turtle, they same kind that were in the Finding Nemo movie. That was one of the coolest things ever. After that dive, dive number four, we went and had breakfast. I ate breakfast and about 30 minutes later they called all introductory divers for their final fifth dive. This dive was in the same location as our first dive the day before. We saw a wallaby and many other other species. We came up…had a rest and then went snorkeling. The last few dives were with Keith and Rebecca. We had lunch and then they asked us to prepare ourselves for transfer again, meaning to just pick up everything and clear out the room. We then watched Ice Age2 upstairs, transferred back to the Sea Quest, and left for/headed back to Cairns.
A) This trip allowed me to see what Australia is trying so hard to protect.
B) It helped me understand that there needs to be a happy medium/balance to the way we live our lives, especially when compared to the effect we can have on the creatures living in the reef. The reef is slowing dying and its all our fault. There are tons of projects to save the reef…but we all must & need to help.
C) We have nothing that compares to the Great Barrier Reef in the States
D) AWESOME! AMAZING! BREATHTAKING! SUPERCOOL!
A) This trip allowed me to see what Australia is trying so hard to protect.
B) It helped me understand that there needs to be a happy medium/balance to the way we live our lives, especially when compared to the effect we can have on the creatures living in the reef. The reef is slowing dying and its all our fault. There are tons of projects to save the reef…but we all must & need to help.
C) We have nothing that compares to the Great Barrier Reef in the States
D) AWESOME! AMAZING! BREATHTAKING! SUPERCOOL!
Friday, October 3, 2008
October 10, 2007- Breakfast-HELICOPTER RIDE-Flight to Cairns.
That morning I woke up bright and early full of excitement. I really wanted to climb Uluru but was not allowed…so this is the fall back plan. I decided to do the next to best thing. I really wanted to see the view that everyone else saw from atop the giant monolith….so I did and then some more. The view was spectacular. I took a 35-40minute Helicopter Ride around Yulara, Uluru, and the Olgas. I was picked up from the hotel at nine and we left shortly after. The Flight…Awww, I saw SO much and SO far. It’s like the never ending abyss of red with a huge stone in the middle, Uluru; some mountains in the far off distance, and between the rocks/mountains were the Olgas that were, that’s right, red. I took plenty of pictures. It was a yellow helicopter and I was able to fly up front in the co-pilot seat. There were four others in the back. This was my first helicopter ride and it was a thrill. It was a great investment. No one saw the splendor of Uluru as I did. After the flight I was left at the airport to wait for the group to meet up with me (Like an hour later). We soon boarded our plane. We were rushed and pushed and told to hurry up and board the plane so we could take off. You see, the plane was running late. The flight had a very rough take-off. 3hrs later, we were in Cairns. We signed up for our first free-travel event. We went to dinner at a casino. We retired for the night.
October 9, 2007- Relaxing Morning, Tour of the Olgas Mountains, Desert Animal Presentation
Most everyone went climbing Uluru this morning, I did not. I chilled at the hotel and went swimming and simply relaxed. Later that afternoon I went to the plaza and booked my activities for the next morning. Then I came back, ate lunch, and the group left for the Olgas which is short for” many heads”. We hiked a beautiful path between two of mountains. It was about ½ mile each way. I enjoyed it very much. Then we returned and ate dinner at the hotel. After dinner we went to the Desert Animals Show Presentation. That was kinda creepy. I hate snakes. Yikes, no thanks. Snakes, lizards, dingos, etc…
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
