After getting back from Cairns, I was lucky enough to get 1 full day between trips to laze around. Ry and I decided to share a bag, so I had to fit roughly 10 days of clothing into half a bag! It was a feat, but I managed! On April 8th, we were headed for Darwin in the Northern Territory.
The flight to Darwin was about 4 hours. Ryan and I were the only 2 in our row, so we spread out and found some interesting positions to sleep in. It’s all good, though. We’re professionals at snoozing on eachother after CAP. Anyhow, after we landed, we exited the plane through the rear door and had to actually walk outside around the plane to get to the baggage claim. T’was kind of bizarre. It was VERY humid and I was wearing long sleeves and pants because winter was falling upon Sydney, so it was a bit chilly. Luckily, the weathermen here fail at predicting the forecast, so what was supposed to be a rain filled trip had perhaps 2-3 hours of rainfall the whole time.
The hostile I stayed at was NOMADS - The Cavanagh. I was concerned about how much the room was going to hate me, as it was approaching 2am. Luckily, they didn't mind much. The hostile was not the greatest nor the worst, but it certainly didn't fit the image of a hostile that I had in my head. Not a bad thing, though. There was air conditioning! I don’t even have air conditioning in my flat! The bathroom had a few ants, but they were only in that room. The beds were decent and very clean, and we had a TV (with more than 5 channels!) and a fridge. I slept good.
The next morning I explored Darwin. It is a quite small city, actually. There were 4 main streets, I believe. Our hostile was not too far from the main strip. We discovered a beach front harbour area. There was a little beach, a small wave pool, and a developing waterfront. The whole area seemed quite new, so there was not too much there, but it was still nice. Unfortunately, things close quite early also, so the little museums we stumbled across shut the doors by 5pm at the latest. The pathways around Darwin were rich with history from WWII when the Japanese bombed the city. Think of the movie Australia and you're right on! That night, I went to a bar called The Tap and got a couple of fishbowls. Yes, it is exactly what it sounds like--a fishbowl filled with liquor. Quite a nifty drink indeed, though Ry and I learned the hard way that finishing 2 is a challenge.
The next day I got up early and did a self guided tour of one of the oil storage facilities. It was basically a giant, rusty tunnel. Some interesting facts on the walls, though. The sense of humour Australian's possess is a riot. Then it was off to Crocosaurus Cove, a reptile and crocodile house in Darwin. I walked about and checked out all of the critters and viewed the croc feeding, which was pretty awesome, then it was off to the Cage of Death to get a closer look at the crocs! The cage was a glass container which was lowered into 3 different crocodile pens. Two of the crocs just sat there, but it was still amazing to see them so close. I got to look straight into the mouth of the 3rd largest crocodile in captivity! One of the three crocodiles, Houdini, actually moved about the tank. It was pretty intense.
That night I got "Darwin's best pizza" with the hostile mates, Lawa (who ended up going on the same tour!) and Roseanne. I must say, the pizza was pretty good! Then Ry and I met up with Lauren, a friend from the parklands, and got yet another fishbowl. We called it an early night, as we had to get up before sunrise for our tour.
Oh, and for the record, I did see a Cane Toad. In fact, it was hopping across the road one evening as Ryan and I were walking somewhere (probably for food). We were cheering for it to make it across the road because it ALMOST got hit. We watched and Ry took a picture. It made it across!!! Then, a couple of hours later, as we were walking back…Ryan took another picture of Mr. Cane Toad plastered to the cement. What a world.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Cairns
The first part of my mid-semester break (April 3-18th) consisted of a trip to paradise aka Cairns (pronounced Cahns...get the H sound in there, like when Stewie says whip!)
We left bright and early April 3rd. The morning was off to a rough start when the power in our flat was not working. I figured out how to fix it, but the dryer couldn't be turned on our the whole flat went dark. After a stressful 45 minutes, we were finally in the cab to the airport. We arrived in Cairns and it was pissing down the rain. What a bugger. At least it was quiet warm, so being wet didn't make you cold!
We stayed at the Mantra Esplanade. It was a LOVELY hotel. It was set up a bit different, though. After getting your key card, you found your room number and swiped a card to get into a mini lobby for 2 rooms. On one side was a fabulous suite: kitchen with full fridge, stove, etc as well as a bathroom with washer and dryer, a bedroom, and a living room/dining area and deck! The other room was simply 2 beds next to each other, a bathroom, a deck, and a tv with a couple chairs and a table. Since we were all friends, we shared awesome rooms, though.
The day was spent exploring. The GSE group went and ate together, then Ryan and myself walked around Cairns. The city is very touristy, but I quite liked it. There was a lot to do and the night life was booming. Funny enough, Ryan and I ran into my flatmate, Vegard. He ended up joining us for a "few" beers in Jon's hotel room. We played some pretty fun games and just enjoyed one another's company.
Come morning, it was off to the Great Barrier Reef! But first, Jon organised a chocolate Easter egg hunt for all of us in his room! It was quite fun, considering we're all in uni. The weather was still on and off rain, but I suppose it doesn't matter when you're underwater! We grabbed a quick breakfast then headed to the wharf. It was a 90 minute boat ride to the platform on the reef. The waves were massive, so my tummy did get a little wobbly, though nothing major. I was very excited to do an introductory dive and to my surprise, it was only $169 for 2 dives (30 mins each approximately?) I had saved a bit each time my parents sent me money so that I could be sure to do so, but unfortunately, if you are asthmatic and have used an inhaler within 5 years, a doctor must grant you permission to dive. I was heartbroken, but I still had I still snorkeled and had an awesome time at the reef.
The coral and fish were beautiful. Sometimes the coral was literally arms length away from me on the surface. The fish were so colorful. There was one HUGE fish named Wally. He was a blue groper and reminded me of a dog...only he's a fish. He didn't mind if you swam next to him or pet him, and let me tell you, he was quite soft to the touch! Since I could not dive, myself and Jen did a snorkel excursion outside of the fenced in portion of the reef. We snorkeled along the wall and I got to experience some completely different coral formations compared to that around the platform. We were out there for about 30 minutes. It was amazing.
After a full day at the reef, we headed back to the shore. I took a dip in the Lagoon, which is a giant swimming pool next to the swamp, since you obviously can't swim in the swamp. Afterwards Ryan, Jon, and myself hit up a nice Italian place followed by the casino. It was kind of crazy being inside a casino. I showed my ID and everything. I only lost $10. I won it back and put it right back in. Oops. It is really easy to spend a lot. You lose your money quick! It was a neat experience, though. I would have liked to play 21, but I was on a budget!
We were supposed to go white water rafting the next afternoon, but the massive amounts of rain caused dangerous conditions on the Tully River. Our rafting was cancelled so Jon rented a van and we went on a cable car ride up one of the mountains and saw the river we were supposed to raft on, as well as some awesome waterfalls, trees, spiders, etc. It was very relaxing. Then we continued to the Daintree Rainforest. There were a ton of natural waterfalls due to the excess rain, but at least they were pretty. I saw an emu crossing sign and a BEWARE crocodile sign. Unfortunately, we could not make it to Cape Tribulation, as yet again, the stupid rain ruined it for us. Cooper Creek was flooded so we could not drive across the road. We all decided to try to walk, but the currents were very strong so the van wasn't going to make it.
All and all, I had a great time. I wish the weather would have been nice, but we can't win them all!
Oh, and wetsuits are NOT sexy.
We left bright and early April 3rd. The morning was off to a rough start when the power in our flat was not working. I figured out how to fix it, but the dryer couldn't be turned on our the whole flat went dark. After a stressful 45 minutes, we were finally in the cab to the airport. We arrived in Cairns and it was pissing down the rain. What a bugger. At least it was quiet warm, so being wet didn't make you cold!
We stayed at the Mantra Esplanade. It was a LOVELY hotel. It was set up a bit different, though. After getting your key card, you found your room number and swiped a card to get into a mini lobby for 2 rooms. On one side was a fabulous suite: kitchen with full fridge, stove, etc as well as a bathroom with washer and dryer, a bedroom, and a living room/dining area and deck! The other room was simply 2 beds next to each other, a bathroom, a deck, and a tv with a couple chairs and a table. Since we were all friends, we shared awesome rooms, though.
The day was spent exploring. The GSE group went and ate together, then Ryan and myself walked around Cairns. The city is very touristy, but I quite liked it. There was a lot to do and the night life was booming. Funny enough, Ryan and I ran into my flatmate, Vegard. He ended up joining us for a "few" beers in Jon's hotel room. We played some pretty fun games and just enjoyed one another's company.
Come morning, it was off to the Great Barrier Reef! But first, Jon organised a chocolate Easter egg hunt for all of us in his room! It was quite fun, considering we're all in uni. The weather was still on and off rain, but I suppose it doesn't matter when you're underwater! We grabbed a quick breakfast then headed to the wharf. It was a 90 minute boat ride to the platform on the reef. The waves were massive, so my tummy did get a little wobbly, though nothing major. I was very excited to do an introductory dive and to my surprise, it was only $169 for 2 dives (30 mins each approximately?) I had saved a bit each time my parents sent me money so that I could be sure to do so, but unfortunately, if you are asthmatic and have used an inhaler within 5 years, a doctor must grant you permission to dive. I was heartbroken, but I still had I still snorkeled and had an awesome time at the reef.
The coral and fish were beautiful. Sometimes the coral was literally arms length away from me on the surface. The fish were so colorful. There was one HUGE fish named Wally. He was a blue groper and reminded me of a dog...only he's a fish. He didn't mind if you swam next to him or pet him, and let me tell you, he was quite soft to the touch! Since I could not dive, myself and Jen did a snorkel excursion outside of the fenced in portion of the reef. We snorkeled along the wall and I got to experience some completely different coral formations compared to that around the platform. We were out there for about 30 minutes. It was amazing.
After a full day at the reef, we headed back to the shore. I took a dip in the Lagoon, which is a giant swimming pool next to the swamp, since you obviously can't swim in the swamp. Afterwards Ryan, Jon, and myself hit up a nice Italian place followed by the casino. It was kind of crazy being inside a casino. I showed my ID and everything. I only lost $10. I won it back and put it right back in. Oops. It is really easy to spend a lot. You lose your money quick! It was a neat experience, though. I would have liked to play 21, but I was on a budget!
We were supposed to go white water rafting the next afternoon, but the massive amounts of rain caused dangerous conditions on the Tully River. Our rafting was cancelled so Jon rented a van and we went on a cable car ride up one of the mountains and saw the river we were supposed to raft on, as well as some awesome waterfalls, trees, spiders, etc. It was very relaxing. Then we continued to the Daintree Rainforest. There were a ton of natural waterfalls due to the excess rain, but at least they were pretty. I saw an emu crossing sign and a BEWARE crocodile sign. Unfortunately, we could not make it to Cape Tribulation, as yet again, the stupid rain ruined it for us. Cooper Creek was flooded so we could not drive across the road. We all decided to try to walk, but the currents were very strong so the van wasn't going to make it.
All and all, I had a great time. I wish the weather would have been nice, but we can't win them all!
Oh, and wetsuits are NOT sexy.
Friday, April 2, 2010
Mid-Semester Travels
Mid-Semester break is HERE!
So what am I doing?
Well let me inform you!
Tomorrow at 6:45am, I'll be in a cab on my way to the airport to go to Cairns!
I don't know if the weather will be nice, but I don't want to look and a) get my hopes up, b) be disappointed. Regardless, the weather here is so unpredictable that it wouldn't even matter!
Anyhow, I'll be in Cairns from noon-ish April 3rd through early evening April 6th. We're staying at Mantra Esplanade. It is 4/5 stars and looks pretty nice, so that's good! Our day of arrival is open for us to do whatever we'd like. Sunday we get an early start and head off the the Great Barrier Reef! Apparently you can scuba dive oppose to just snorkel, so if I can afford it and the time frame is workable, I will for sure scuba! However, I was just recently informed that you cannot scuba dive and fly within a certain timeframe, so I'll have to check that out. That evening is free yet again, though Jon mentioned an Easter egg hunt in his hotel room! Then on the 5th, the morning is ours, but the afternoon will be spent White Water Rafting on the Tully River! I've never been, but it looks like heaps of fun! Yet again, the evening is ours. The following day, we can do whatever we wish as long as we catch our flight out, which departs around 5pm. This trip was one of the top things I wanted to do while in Australia, so I'm pretty frick'n stoked. All I need is an underwater camera so that I can get some awesome pictures of the reef.
The Cairns excursion is something I paid for in my program fees to GSE, so everything is proved with the exception of a few meals and anything additional, such as scuba diving or sky diving or any additional tours.
Then I get to enjoy the 7th to relax and pack for my trip to the Northern Territory with Ryan! We are going to be in a tour group of up to 22 other individuals. I look forward to meeting new people. I hope they're as awesome as my Eurotrip buddies!
I depart the evening of the 8th and arrive in Darwin around 1:30am the 9th. Our hostile is right in the city, so it'll be easy to get to and from. We're spending 2 free days in Darwin. We'll probably sleep in the next day, then we'll explore the city. I was told there is some awesome fish feeding thing we can do. The following day, we're going to Crocosaurus Cove where we'll get to see a ton of reptiles and submerse in the "Cage of Death." It's a glass container that submerges in a huuuuuuge saltwater crocodile's waterhole. Craaaaazy. Then our tour starts the following day.
Our tour is 7 days. We start in Darwin and work our way down to Alice Springs. We get to do several little hikes in Darwin. Unfortunately, we do not get to see Kakadu, but we get to go to several smaller sites. I'm sure they're going to be equally as awesome. Oh, and did I mention that we get to camp also?
From Darwin, we'll work our way down to Alice Springs, where we'll see The Olgas, Uluru, Kings Canyon, and more. We get to watch the sun rise and set over Ayers Rock and sleep in Aussie swag under the stars. The outback is one of the best places for astronomers, so I know I'll love it.
Then we have one extra day on our own in Alice Springs and it's back to Sydney.
We return on the Friday before classes commence, so we'll have Saturday and Sunday to sleep and do homework.
And don't worry, I'm going to take a LOT of pictures!
So what am I doing?
Well let me inform you!
Tomorrow at 6:45am, I'll be in a cab on my way to the airport to go to Cairns!
I don't know if the weather will be nice, but I don't want to look and a) get my hopes up, b) be disappointed. Regardless, the weather here is so unpredictable that it wouldn't even matter!
Anyhow, I'll be in Cairns from noon-ish April 3rd through early evening April 6th. We're staying at Mantra Esplanade. It is 4/5 stars and looks pretty nice, so that's good! Our day of arrival is open for us to do whatever we'd like. Sunday we get an early start and head off the the Great Barrier Reef! Apparently you can scuba dive oppose to just snorkel, so if I can afford it and the time frame is workable, I will for sure scuba! However, I was just recently informed that you cannot scuba dive and fly within a certain timeframe, so I'll have to check that out. That evening is free yet again, though Jon mentioned an Easter egg hunt in his hotel room! Then on the 5th, the morning is ours, but the afternoon will be spent White Water Rafting on the Tully River! I've never been, but it looks like heaps of fun! Yet again, the evening is ours. The following day, we can do whatever we wish as long as we catch our flight out, which departs around 5pm. This trip was one of the top things I wanted to do while in Australia, so I'm pretty frick'n stoked. All I need is an underwater camera so that I can get some awesome pictures of the reef.
The Cairns excursion is something I paid for in my program fees to GSE, so everything is proved with the exception of a few meals and anything additional, such as scuba diving or sky diving or any additional tours.
Then I get to enjoy the 7th to relax and pack for my trip to the Northern Territory with Ryan! We are going to be in a tour group of up to 22 other individuals. I look forward to meeting new people. I hope they're as awesome as my Eurotrip buddies!
I depart the evening of the 8th and arrive in Darwin around 1:30am the 9th. Our hostile is right in the city, so it'll be easy to get to and from. We're spending 2 free days in Darwin. We'll probably sleep in the next day, then we'll explore the city. I was told there is some awesome fish feeding thing we can do. The following day, we're going to Crocosaurus Cove where we'll get to see a ton of reptiles and submerse in the "Cage of Death." It's a glass container that submerges in a huuuuuuge saltwater crocodile's waterhole. Craaaaazy. Then our tour starts the following day.
Our tour is 7 days. We start in Darwin and work our way down to Alice Springs. We get to do several little hikes in Darwin. Unfortunately, we do not get to see Kakadu, but we get to go to several smaller sites. I'm sure they're going to be equally as awesome. Oh, and did I mention that we get to camp also?
From Darwin, we'll work our way down to Alice Springs, where we'll see The Olgas, Uluru, Kings Canyon, and more. We get to watch the sun rise and set over Ayers Rock and sleep in Aussie swag under the stars. The outback is one of the best places for astronomers, so I know I'll love it.
Then we have one extra day on our own in Alice Springs and it's back to Sydney.
We return on the Friday before classes commence, so we'll have Saturday and Sunday to sleep and do homework.
And don't worry, I'm going to take a LOT of pictures!
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