Every time I go on a trip I get so excited to tell everybody back home about all of my adventures, and when it comes time to write in my blog I always end up finding different things to do. I love informing everyone about my trip, but for some reason having to write in a blog never seems to entertain me. However, after I write my blog I feel very happy and am glad that I did write in my blog. I think once I get home it will be very interesting to go back and read my old entries to remind me of how fortunate I have been to visit all the places I have been to, and do all the crazy things I have done this past semester. So now onto another post about one of my favorite trips...of course I say that about basically every trip I go on don't I?
From Saturday (June 6th) until Wednesday (June 10th) I went on a trip to the Whitsundays with people that live around me in my apartment complex. In total there were eight people' Karlie, Emily, Kate, Jordan, Guy, Austin, Beth and me. Even though it was a pretty big size group to go with it worked out really well for us in the end.
When we arrived on Saturday we had to take a forty minute bus ride to get t Airlie Beach where we were staying for the night. Airlie Beach is a really small town where most people go just as a gateway to go to the Whitsundays. However, I absolutely loved the town of Airlie beach. It of course was centered around the tourism but the town was absolutely gorgeous and when you did pass houses they were million dollars houses like you would see in California.
After our bus ride we went to check into our hostel for the night. Since it is the end of the semester we are all in saving money mode and since there was a even amount of people we decided to only book half the amount of beds as there were people. We booked four beds, for eight people and decided we would share beds in order to save money. This hostel had you pay to rent a pillow and comforter and so to continue on with our "saving money" theme we just went without either one for the night.
After check in we all got ready and we went out to beaches and mama africas for a night on the town. I had an absolute blast and my friend Karlie participated in a dance off at beaches that night. She laughs about the situation but I thought she did amazing...I could have never participated in a dance off with everyone watching haha.
We stayed out until about two that morning and then headed back to our hostel to attempt to get a good nights rest for the night. I am not thinking any of us had a good nights rest that night but it was all worth it nonetheless.
The next morning our group split into half. Karlie, Jordan, Emily, and Kate we all staying in Airlie Beach and Austin, Guy, Beth and I were all headed out to go on a two day, two night sailing trip. Our first stop before getting on the boat was the liquor store. We decided since we would be sailing for two days we would get rum. Funny enough later on in our trip we were all saying "Where has all the rum gone?" and felt like Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean.
After buying our rum we went to check in and get on the boat. We had a decent walk to where the boat was but the town is so gorgeous every step of the way you had a gorgeous view to look at. After everyone getting the stinger suites and checking in we all hopped onto Matador (which was our boats name).
The captain went over standard rules and then we were off on our sailing trip. For the first day we didn't really do much except for sail around the islands. (By the way the Whitsundays are just a chain of 74 Islands and is a popular tourist destination in case you were wondering). We got to watch the boys put up the sail which took like six guys to do because it was so heavy and then got a good laugh at watching the girls attempt to do the same thing. Dad I did ask the details on the size of the boat but I don't really remember what they said. I THINK he said the thing that sticks out of the boat was either 115 or 150 feet tall, and the boat was 80 feet long? I'm not sure if that is exactly correct but that is what I am thinking.
After sailing for a few hours we stopped for where we would be staying for the night. Our boat had a diving board and so everyone took turns doing jumps and flips off of the side of the boat into the water. We were then able to see some giant fish come up to the boat when we threw bread into the water. I attempted to take pictures of these fish but they didn't come out all that great.
That night we just took the smaller boat to the island we were anchored next to and went to the resort bar. I had a berry martini and then called it a night. When we took the boat back to our boat there were some people who had had a few to many drinks and were getting sick on the boat. There was one guy getting sick over the side of the boat and another one getting sick in the bathroom. Sadly enough my bed was right next to the bathroom and so when I went into my room all I could hear/smell was that someone was getting sick. I waited up a few more hours hoping he would get better and go to bed and ended up having to go to bed with my room still smelling like that (and the guy completely passed out on the toilet lol).
The next morning we woke up bright and early to go to Whitehaven beach. Whitehaven beach is part of the Whitsunday Islands and is also the most photographed beach in the world. Once again we had to take our little motor boat which fit like 8 people at a time over to the island. We had 24 people on our trip in total and so the poor crew had to take the trip to the island four times to get everyone over. We took about a twenty minute walk to get over to Betty's Beach which is the part of Whitehaven that we visited.
Needless to say it was absolutely GORGEOUS! The sand is so small that you can literally clean your jewelery with it and it would come out looking brand new. The sand was also so soft that it felt like you were walking on flour. The sand was also probably the whitest sand I have seen since being in Australia.While we were there we also saw three stingrays swimming around in the water! We hung out there for about an hour and a half before we headed back onto the boat.
After getting back to our boat we went sailing for a bit and got the an outer part of the great barrier reef. You had the option to go snorkeling (which was included in the package) or go diving for an extra cost. Since we had already went diving three weeks before Beth and I opted for the snorkeling. Guy joined us and then Austin went diving for his first time ever.
I was happy I got to snorkel the reef one more time before I headed home and saw a lot of really cool colored fish, and once again I saw Nemo! There were also other cool fish like the Parrot Fish and Beth saw a completely black fish that had red lips! It is intimidating swimming over the reef with your large snorkeling gear (basically talking about the foot wear here). I did not want to hit the reef and damage it, but sadly I did end up kicking it a few times. I tried to be as cautious as possible though. I took my underwater disposable camera to try and get rid of the pictures I had left on it, however I am not going to develop these until I get home.
After snorkeling we went sailing for a few hours and the anchored for the night. After eating dinner we once again headed beck to the island to go to the resort bar once again. This time around I had a "Golden Sun" which was Bicardi, Pineapple, Banana and Orange juice. Very tasty. I have learned I like the girly fruity drinks and do not prefer beer (yuuucckkkk!!). Sad thing is beer is always the cheaper way to go and sometimes sacrifices have to be made.
We had an awesome time at the bar this time and have many inside jokes that have been formed from that night. Austin and Guy ended up pushing Bethany into the ocean in a wheelbarrow and getting her completely soaked from head to toe. After they broke their pinky promise to her that they weren't going to put her into the water Beth got her payback and pushed Guy into the water using the wheelbarrow as well.
After having our fun with the wheelbarrow we then went hunting for coconuts. (Actually on second thought I think this happened before the wheelbarrow but all well...I am telling it now!). After finding a good coconut we had Guy crack it open and we each tried the coconut milk! It honestly just tasted like normal milk to me. Then after we drank all of the milk we cracked the coconut completely open and ate the coconut. It was really dry and made you thirsty but it was cool to say I have tried a coconut from a tree while in Aussie. :)
After all of our adventures we headed back to the boat and called it a night. The next morning we had to pack all of our stuff up and get off of the boat. We arrived back to Airlie Beach around 11:00 AM and walked back to the lagoon to hang out for a while. After a while Beth and I decided we wanted to go check into the hostel and take a nice long shower. The downside to our sailing was that there was not a shower and so our daily "shower' was just us swimming in the ocean. We went back in and were only going to rent two beds for the four of us so that we could share beds and save money once again.
Literally two minutes after I paid for a bed in a room Guy comes over and tells us that Karlie, Emily, Jordan, and Kate had four empty beds in their room. They were told by someone checking out that they had already paid for the beds but were staying in a hotel instead so that we could stay in there instead. This worked out nicely so that we could all get our own bed for the night instead of sharing a bed. I tried to get a refund for my other room but it was nonrefundable and so the four of us shared the cost.
After checking in and taking a nice long warm shower we all just hung out in the room for a bit. Later on Karlie, Beth and I decided to go play some pool. Let me just say I am NOT good at this game. It took the three of us about an hour to finish one game overall. haha. Pathetic, I know, but it was still fun!
After playing pool and grabbing some dinner we went out to Beaches and Mama Africa's for one more night in Airlie Beach. After our night out we all went back to our rooms around 2:00 AM and headed to bed. Since we had not paid for a comforter I ended up sleeping under my towel to try and keep warm. It didn't really work though, I continued to freeze my butt off throughout the night.
In the morning I woke up to someone saying "who has a key? Excuse me, who should be here and who shouldn't?" Turns out someone rated us out and we got caught. The person who was waking us up was a worker from the hostel. Having only had a few hours none of us were ready for this ambush and weren't really sure what to do. Guy, Beth, and Austin were able to sneak out without having to pay and we made a plan to meet at the lagoon.
After attempting to say I didn't know any of the people who had left I ended up having to pay for a bed for the previous night (to be split between us on later on). My attempt to say that I did not know any of the other people in the room was pretty pathetic and when I look back at it I get a good laugh at it.
By 7:30 AM we were all out of the hostel with all of our bags and had basically set up camp on the lagoon. We went to the grocery store and bought breakfast and just ate at the lagoon. We ended up spending from 7:30 - 4:00 PM literally just laying out by the lagoon. I put more SPF on this day then I had for the entire trip. You would think that time would have gone by so slow but somehow we all made it pass by and it was a fun day nonetheless.
After catching a bus to the airport at 4:00 we had a flight to catch! We ended up catching our flight, catching a train for an hour and a half, another bus and then walking for twenty before we got home at 10:15 PM on Wednesday.
I had an absolute blast and was a good last trip to have. I still cannot believe my traveling in Australia is over! The last two weeks are going to be spent here in the Gold Coast getting things done such as school. :)
Alright well I hope you all enjoyed my story of how I went from being a pirate to homeless but for now I am headed to bed. It is 1:45 AM here and I am sure you are all amazed at how long this post already is. What can I say, I talk a lot!
I love you all!
xoxo
Chels
P.S. Pictures just finished uploading to Picasa so go take a look at them! :)
Friday, June 12, 2009
Friday, June 5, 2009
I'll be home soon! :)
So I have my official flight home and it is soon, very soon! In fact I will be back home by the end of THIS month! It is so crazy how fast time flies. Here is what my flight info looks like:
Leave Brisbane at 11:30 AM on June 25th
Arrive at Nadi (Fiji) 5 PM on June 25th.
Leave Fiji 10 PM June 29th
Arrive in LA at 1:20 PM June 29th
Three hour layover
Leave LA 4:20 PM June 29th
Arrive in Phx 5:43 PM June 29th!!!!
So even though I will fly for eleven hours from Fiji, have a three hour layover, and another two hours flight I will still be getting back on June 29th (even earlier then the time I left Fiji!).
The time difference is crazy but I am very excited to finally have all of this figured out. I am going to meet Sam (I Traveled with her to Byron Bay & Melbourne) in Fiji and we also have the same flight to LA.
I am leaving for the Whitsundays tomorrow and will be back on Wednesday (June 6th- June 10th). This is my last big trip I am taking while I am in Australia! Then once I get back next week it will be time to write my two final papers and study for the two exams I am. Then next thing you know it I will be packing to go to Fiji and leave Australia!
I will update you all on my trip when I get home & I am sure I will have loads of pictures for you to all enjoy.
Talk to you all soon! Actually lets change that to SEE you all soon. :)
Love,
Chels
Leave Brisbane at 11:30 AM on June 25th
Arrive at Nadi (Fiji) 5 PM on June 25th.
Leave Fiji 10 PM June 29th
Arrive in LA at 1:20 PM June 29th
Three hour layover
Leave LA 4:20 PM June 29th
Arrive in Phx 5:43 PM June 29th!!!!
So even though I will fly for eleven hours from Fiji, have a three hour layover, and another two hours flight I will still be getting back on June 29th (even earlier then the time I left Fiji!).
The time difference is crazy but I am very excited to finally have all of this figured out. I am going to meet Sam (I Traveled with her to Byron Bay & Melbourne) in Fiji and we also have the same flight to LA.
I am leaving for the Whitsundays tomorrow and will be back on Wednesday (June 6th- June 10th). This is my last big trip I am taking while I am in Australia! Then once I get back next week it will be time to write my two final papers and study for the two exams I am. Then next thing you know it I will be packing to go to Fiji and leave Australia!
I will update you all on my trip when I get home & I am sure I will have loads of pictures for you to all enjoy.
Talk to you all soon! Actually lets change that to SEE you all soon. :)
Love,
Chels
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Melbourne
Now on to my second post of the day! :)
This past weekend Sam, Beth and I all went to Melbourne in Southern Australia. It was only a weekend trip however we did manage to get a lot into the few days we were there.
Our flight from the Gold Coast left at 10:35 AM on Thursday and so we woke up bright and early to catch the city bus to the airport. We were out the door by 7:30 and then had to catch three busses to the airport (1 to Uni to meet with Sam and then 2 after to get to Cooli Airport). We arrived at around 9:45 and waited in line to check in.
We got to the counter with 43 minutes left until our flight left and the lady continued on to tell us that check in for our flight closed at 45 minutes prior to take off and she then shoved us off to the side to wait for someone to come out and help us. We expected someone to come out and rush us to our flight so we could get on, but that was NOT the case. The workers just continued to ignore us and after our flight had left then someone came out to help us.
This guy then continued to tell us we would have to pay $170 each in order to catch the next flight to Melbourne (which btw is pronounced as Mel-Bun no Mel-Born). We went to every other airline possible to try and take a different company but the $170 was the cheapest we could get. So even though we did not want to travel with them we ended up paying the $170 to get on the next flight. Our original ROUND TRIP tickets cost $150 and for just one way we had to pay the $170 it was so ridiculous.
Ok but enough ranting and raving about that, now onto my weekend! That night when we got into Melbourne we went to little Italy and we worked our magic with the owner of a restaurant and had some amazing food, and got free champagne, wine and garlic bread out of it haha. The girl at the front desk of our hostel told us how to get the free food and so we listened to her advice and it worked perfectly.
When we found a place we thought we wanted to go to the owner was like "ladies sit down we will give you the best seat in the house" and we stood looking at the menu taking our time acting like we weren't interesting and then he offered free wine or free champagne, we then continued to look uninteresting and he offered us free garlic bread and so we sat down. :)
Then after dinner we went searching for desserts because we have been told Melbourne has really good desserts and so we went on a hunt. On our walk we found a really small casino and went in and played for a little while. Beth was playing on a machine and got bored of it and so then moved over and played it and my first dollar I played I won $12 haha made me happy. First time I was in a casino last year I won $7, this weekend I won $12 so maybe when I am actually legal to be in a casino I will won a lot more!!! :D
After leaving the Casino we continued our hunt for a good dessert place and we found one! By far the best I have had since being in Australia! What made it even better was that I was able to pay for it with my winnings from the casino. :)
The next morning we went on a tour of the great ocean road and 12 apostles. There is not much I can tell you about it as it was all about the scenery but it was really gorgeous! I decided to take a helicopter over the 12 apostles and am happy I did because it was gorgeous!! The pictures will be posted soon I promise! Until Picassa finishes uploading here are a few for you to look at!
Wild Koalas!
Sunday we went on another tour saw some more scenery and then went to watch the penguin parade which is where you just watch a bunch of wild penguins come home for the night. They leave the ocean in groups and walk up the beach walk through the forest right next to you. It sounds boring but it was really cool and they are the smallest penguins in the world; standing only about a foot tall. The sad thing about this was we were not able to take pictures so I don't have anything to show you. If you are interested search "faerie Penguins" in Google and I am sure you will be able to find something about them. They were super cute and I loved how they would walk. They do not have knees and so they would wabble and it was the cutest thing I have seen!!!
The next morning was our last day in Melbourne. We woke up early and walked around the town and just wasted a few hours doing that. Since it is their fall time it was cold enough that we could see our breathe our during the day. We could also see a ton of fog above buildings, it was a nice change in weather!!
I really loved Melbourne's architecture it had a lot of old fashioned churches, mixed with modern skyscrapers, Art Nouveau houses and even more Victorian style buildings. It was a huge mixture of different design styles but I enjoyed it and wish I could have gotten more pictures of the buildings.
We then left for the airport at 11, even though our flight was not until 2 PM to make sure they could not rip us off again. However we got there and for FORTY minutes
not a single worker was at the counter and so we stood there waiting. Then when we checked in we were told our flight was delayed another hour. It was ridiculous and anyone planning to visit Melbourne I advice you to NOT take Tiger Airways.
Alright well that is all I have to tell you about my trip to Melbourne!!!
More posts to come soon, and I will be home sooner then you know it!
Love,
Chels
This past weekend Sam, Beth and I all went to Melbourne in Southern Australia. It was only a weekend trip however we did manage to get a lot into the few days we were there.
Our flight from the Gold Coast left at 10:35 AM on Thursday and so we woke up bright and early to catch the city bus to the airport. We were out the door by 7:30 and then had to catch three busses to the airport (1 to Uni to meet with Sam and then 2 after to get to Cooli Airport). We arrived at around 9:45 and waited in line to check in.
We got to the counter with 43 minutes left until our flight left and the lady continued on to tell us that check in for our flight closed at 45 minutes prior to take off and she then shoved us off to the side to wait for someone to come out and help us. We expected someone to come out and rush us to our flight so we could get on, but that was NOT the case. The workers just continued to ignore us and after our flight had left then someone came out to help us.
This guy then continued to tell us we would have to pay $170 each in order to catch the next flight to Melbourne (which btw is pronounced as Mel-Bun no Mel-Born). We went to every other airline possible to try and take a different company but the $170 was the cheapest we could get. So even though we did not want to travel with them we ended up paying the $170 to get on the next flight. Our original ROUND TRIP tickets cost $150 and for just one way we had to pay the $170 it was so ridiculous.
Ok but enough ranting and raving about that, now onto my weekend! That night when we got into Melbourne we went to little Italy and we worked our magic with the owner of a restaurant and had some amazing food, and got free champagne, wine and garlic bread out of it haha. The girl at the front desk of our hostel told us how to get the free food and so we listened to her advice and it worked perfectly.
When we found a place we thought we wanted to go to the owner was like "ladies sit down we will give you the best seat in the house" and we stood looking at the menu taking our time acting like we weren't interesting and then he offered free wine or free champagne, we then continued to look uninteresting and he offered us free garlic bread and so we sat down. :)
Then after dinner we went searching for desserts because we have been told Melbourne has really good desserts and so we went on a hunt. On our walk we found a really small casino and went in and played for a little while. Beth was playing on a machine and got bored of it and so then moved over and played it and my first dollar I played I won $12 haha made me happy. First time I was in a casino last year I won $7, this weekend I won $12 so maybe when I am actually legal to be in a casino I will won a lot more!!! :D
After leaving the Casino we continued our hunt for a good dessert place and we found one! By far the best I have had since being in Australia! What made it even better was that I was able to pay for it with my winnings from the casino. :)
The next morning we went on a tour of the great ocean road and 12 apostles. There is not much I can tell you about it as it was all about the scenery but it was really gorgeous! I decided to take a helicopter over the 12 apostles and am happy I did because it was gorgeous!! The pictures will be posted soon I promise! Until Picassa finishes uploading here are a few for you to look at!
Wild Koalas!
Sunday we went on another tour saw some more scenery and then went to watch the penguin parade which is where you just watch a bunch of wild penguins come home for the night. They leave the ocean in groups and walk up the beach walk through the forest right next to you. It sounds boring but it was really cool and they are the smallest penguins in the world; standing only about a foot tall. The sad thing about this was we were not able to take pictures so I don't have anything to show you. If you are interested search "faerie Penguins" in Google and I am sure you will be able to find something about them. They were super cute and I loved how they would walk. They do not have knees and so they would wabble and it was the cutest thing I have seen!!!
The next morning was our last day in Melbourne. We woke up early and walked around the town and just wasted a few hours doing that. Since it is their fall time it was cold enough that we could see our breathe our during the day. We could also see a ton of fog above buildings, it was a nice change in weather!!
I really loved Melbourne's architecture it had a lot of old fashioned churches, mixed with modern skyscrapers, Art Nouveau houses and even more Victorian style buildings. It was a huge mixture of different design styles but I enjoyed it and wish I could have gotten more pictures of the buildings.
We then left for the airport at 11, even though our flight was not until 2 PM to make sure they could not rip us off again. However we got there and for FORTY minutes
not a single worker was at the counter and so we stood there waiting. Then when we checked in we were told our flight was delayed another hour. It was ridiculous and anyone planning to visit Melbourne I advice you to NOT take Tiger Airways.
Alright well that is all I have to tell you about my trip to Melbourne!!!
More posts to come soon, and I will be home sooner then you know it!
Love,
Chels
One month left and I am just figuring this out...
I have been writing in my blog since December and have been told by several people that they cannot leave comments. I always figured this had something to do with them making errors, however I just figured out it was my fault. I had the settings so that only members could write comments, oops! Now it is fixed and you can easily leave a comment after you have read one of my entries! Feel free to write comments as I would love to hear any input you have, and it is always nice to know I have people reading my blog. :)
Anyways I have lots to talk about in this post, so prepare for a lengthy one!
School is going good, and surprisingly I only have two days of classes left. Wednesday (or Tuesday for everyone back home) is the last day I have to go to any of these classes. I have made it my goal to make it to every single class this week and so far I am on the right track. I made it to my Monday class today, which is AMAZING because it has been a while since I made it to that class...on the bright side the class is basically pointless when you go, so I never really miss anything lol.
With classes ending in two days that means I only have two papers left to write and then two final exams as well. I can't believe the end of the semester is already here! My last final is June 24th at 8:30 in the morning, and I will be home shortly after that.
I am trying to figure out my flights currently by as of right now I am going to fly to Fiji either June 25th, or 26th and will stay there for a few day before flying home on either June 30th or July 1st. I will keep you all updated once I officially change my ticket.
I do have a question and am curious what people think. When booking my flight home I of course am hoping for a row all to myself but just in case I can't what seat do you think I should chose? Aisle, or Window? There are pro's and con's to each and am just curious what everyone else would do for a twelve hour flight!
I have been in Australia 105 days, and only have around 30 left. The days are going to tick by!!!
Ok Instead of writing on extremely long blog I am going to write two entries today. This is going to be the end of this blog, and now I am off to go start on my second entry of the day. :)
Friday, May 22, 2009
Bipolar weather!
So right now I am sitting in my room with the fan off, in my warmest pajama bottoms and a zip up hoodie on! It is extremely rainy and my thoughts about Australia's weather being bipolar still stand! Past couple of days we have had so much rainfall that a natural disaster has been declared and there is flooding all over Queensland. Luckily the flooding isn't really to close to me but it is all over the news at night. A few days ago it was just a downpour all day long, today it was blue skies and tonight we ran to the car to get out of the rain. Needless to say I am not use to any sort of weather and so I am not very fond of all of this rain. I much prefer when the weather behaves itself and doesn't close down beaches, and flood places.
Anyhow, it has been a while since I have updated you and there are plenty of things for me to tell you about so prepare yourself for a long post!
This weekend we stayed in Gold Coast and are learning we get a bit bored when we aren't traveling and do not have set places to go. So tonight we decided to go bowling. Man, do I need to practice that! We played two games and I came in second place both times. However, I never even made it past 100. :(
Last weekend Beth and I flew to Cairnes! We met up with Kirstine and Emily who are the two British girls we met when we were traveling in New Zealand last month. I was really excited that we were able to meet up with those girls one more time before they flew home to England.
We left on Thursday out of Brisbane. However to get to that airport we had to first take a train for an hour and half and we arrived in the airport pretty early. We waited around for our flight and were extremely surprised when we got on the flight that not one single time did we have to show proof of who we were. Not one single time did we have to show a photo ID or anything. That would never happen at home with security as tight as ours!
We arrived in Cairnes at around midnight and took a shuttle to our hostel. We stayed at the Cairnes all girls hostel and absolutely loved it. Dawn left our key in a keylock on the gate since we were getting in after the reception had closed. We just paid for our hostel the morning after and it worked out really nicely for us. We ended up getting a room with just Beth and I for only $24 a night which is an AMAZING deal because usually we will pay that much for a dorm style room. It was nice to not have to worry about anyone else being in our room except for the two of us.
The next morning we slept in until 11 because we were just so darn tired (we didn't go to bed until 3 after arriving to our hostel and settling in). We wanted to go to the rain forest that day and so we went up to Dawn and asked her if there were any tours for that day. Turns out there were but they had left at 6:45 AM. Even if we had known about that we probably would not have woken up early enough to make it. So we did not get to see the rain forest after all. :(
Instead we went down to the lagoon and hung out at the park for a couple hours. It was relaxing and it felt great to just have a relaxing day. The night before we left for Cairnes I pulled an all nighter to get two assignments turned in and doing nothing is exactly what I wanted to do then.
Saturday we woke up early and went on our tour to the Great Barrier Reef. We went on a really nice boat and it was an all day event. I thought the boat ride out to the reed was going to be a couple hours but it didn't seem long at all!
Once we got there we got separated into groups to go diving. It was Kirstine, Emily, Beth and I in our own group with a dive instructor. They went over everything with us and I got really excited for going diving. However, when it came time to do it I became a real wuss. They had us doing all of these under water tests where you had to show that you knew how to get water out of your goggles under water, and what to do if you breathing piece came out. Well I kept panicking because it just felt way to unnatural. I kept shooting up to the surface and when you have a negative buoyancy it is really hard to stay on the surface which freaked me out even more.
Beth was freaking out just as much as I was, which I was happy for because I felt like I was being ridiculous. I seriously thought they were not going to let me actually go diving. However after several times of me shooting up to the surface (which I later found out is really really bad for you) they got me to calm down enough to where we could go diving.
I had not mastered how to breathe through just my mouth and so I had to hold my nose the entire time I was swimming. Since I didn't know how to get the water out of my goggle there was water where the nose piece was and every time I would attempt to breathe through my nose I would get water up my nose. I am sure the instructor was laughing at me and I felt really weird holding my breathe underwater knowing I could breathe and also because I never normally hold my nose.
The dive lasted for about twenty minutes and I was more scared during it then I was when I went sky diving.
After we went diving we all went snorkeling. We didn't go snorkeling for to long until we got on the boat for lunch. Once we got on the boat we saw a bunch of dolphins swimming off of the side of our boat. It was really cool to see, and best of all we didn't have to pay for a tour to see it. We were lucky to see that!
After lunch there was a second dive that we decided to go on. This time we did not have to do the testing that they had us do the first time. Not doing this testing made me feel so much better and I was a little more brave this time around. I finally figured out how to get the water out of my goggles (4/7 times I was successful, the other 3 ended up with more water in my mask) and I was also able to swim without having to hold my breathe.
This made the second dive WAY more enjoyable for me! When we were down there we saw a sea turtle, a shark, and a clown fish (AKA Nemo!). Sadly even though we had an underwater camera the girl who had it at the time didn't capture any of these items! :( I really wish I had gotten a picture of it but all well, at least I saw it in real life! The second dive lasted for about 40 minutes and I was extremely happy I decided to do a second dive.
That took up most of our day and after it ended we got back to Cairnes around 4:00 PM. We all decided to go to the grocery store and pick up some biscuits (which are what they call cookies) and some other lollies (which is what they call sweets). We hung out at our hostel eating biscuits and lollies and then went out for dinner and drinks after that.
We had a really fun night and parted ways at the end of the night! I was really sad to say goodbye to Emily and Kirstine but know that if I ever travel to London I have a place to stay with either of them and also my own personal tour guide. :)
The next morning we headed back to Gold Coast! We left our hostel at 7:30 AM and didn't get back to our Apartments until about 3:00 PM. We had to take a Bus, Plane, Train and another Bus in order to get home.
So that was my last weekend! I really enjoyed going to Cairnes and seeing it since that is where I originally had planned to study abroad. In some ways I think I would have really enjoyed if I had studied there, but Cairnes also had its down sides. It was just nice to put that curiosity away.
This week I also booked a flight to the Whitsundays in June which is probably the last flight I have to purchase while I am here! My time is almost up and I can't believe I have already been here several months and only really have ONE month left! My how time flies!
I am flying to Melbourne next week and booked my tours for that yesterday! We are going to Phillips Island and The Great Ocean Road. I am pretty sure that will be the next place I right about in my blog.
For now I am headed to bed, wishing for better weather for tomorrow.
I love you & miss you all! I will see you all very shortly. :)
BTW my picassa has been uploaded with my pictures from Cairnes! Enjoy! http://picasaweb.google.com/ChelseaTaylor77
xoxo
Chels
Anyhow, it has been a while since I have updated you and there are plenty of things for me to tell you about so prepare yourself for a long post!
This weekend we stayed in Gold Coast and are learning we get a bit bored when we aren't traveling and do not have set places to go. So tonight we decided to go bowling. Man, do I need to practice that! We played two games and I came in second place both times. However, I never even made it past 100. :(
Last weekend Beth and I flew to Cairnes! We met up with Kirstine and Emily who are the two British girls we met when we were traveling in New Zealand last month. I was really excited that we were able to meet up with those girls one more time before they flew home to England.
We left on Thursday out of Brisbane. However to get to that airport we had to first take a train for an hour and half and we arrived in the airport pretty early. We waited around for our flight and were extremely surprised when we got on the flight that not one single time did we have to show proof of who we were. Not one single time did we have to show a photo ID or anything. That would never happen at home with security as tight as ours!
We arrived in Cairnes at around midnight and took a shuttle to our hostel. We stayed at the Cairnes all girls hostel and absolutely loved it. Dawn left our key in a keylock on the gate since we were getting in after the reception had closed. We just paid for our hostel the morning after and it worked out really nicely for us. We ended up getting a room with just Beth and I for only $24 a night which is an AMAZING deal because usually we will pay that much for a dorm style room. It was nice to not have to worry about anyone else being in our room except for the two of us.
The next morning we slept in until 11 because we were just so darn tired (we didn't go to bed until 3 after arriving to our hostel and settling in). We wanted to go to the rain forest that day and so we went up to Dawn and asked her if there were any tours for that day. Turns out there were but they had left at 6:45 AM. Even if we had known about that we probably would not have woken up early enough to make it. So we did not get to see the rain forest after all. :(
Instead we went down to the lagoon and hung out at the park for a couple hours. It was relaxing and it felt great to just have a relaxing day. The night before we left for Cairnes I pulled an all nighter to get two assignments turned in and doing nothing is exactly what I wanted to do then.
Saturday we woke up early and went on our tour to the Great Barrier Reef. We went on a really nice boat and it was an all day event. I thought the boat ride out to the reed was going to be a couple hours but it didn't seem long at all!
Once we got there we got separated into groups to go diving. It was Kirstine, Emily, Beth and I in our own group with a dive instructor. They went over everything with us and I got really excited for going diving. However, when it came time to do it I became a real wuss. They had us doing all of these under water tests where you had to show that you knew how to get water out of your goggles under water, and what to do if you breathing piece came out. Well I kept panicking because it just felt way to unnatural. I kept shooting up to the surface and when you have a negative buoyancy it is really hard to stay on the surface which freaked me out even more.
Beth was freaking out just as much as I was, which I was happy for because I felt like I was being ridiculous. I seriously thought they were not going to let me actually go diving. However after several times of me shooting up to the surface (which I later found out is really really bad for you) they got me to calm down enough to where we could go diving.
I had not mastered how to breathe through just my mouth and so I had to hold my nose the entire time I was swimming. Since I didn't know how to get the water out of my goggle there was water where the nose piece was and every time I would attempt to breathe through my nose I would get water up my nose. I am sure the instructor was laughing at me and I felt really weird holding my breathe underwater knowing I could breathe and also because I never normally hold my nose.
The dive lasted for about twenty minutes and I was more scared during it then I was when I went sky diving.
After we went diving we all went snorkeling. We didn't go snorkeling for to long until we got on the boat for lunch. Once we got on the boat we saw a bunch of dolphins swimming off of the side of our boat. It was really cool to see, and best of all we didn't have to pay for a tour to see it. We were lucky to see that!
After lunch there was a second dive that we decided to go on. This time we did not have to do the testing that they had us do the first time. Not doing this testing made me feel so much better and I was a little more brave this time around. I finally figured out how to get the water out of my goggles (4/7 times I was successful, the other 3 ended up with more water in my mask) and I was also able to swim without having to hold my breathe.
This made the second dive WAY more enjoyable for me! When we were down there we saw a sea turtle, a shark, and a clown fish (AKA Nemo!). Sadly even though we had an underwater camera the girl who had it at the time didn't capture any of these items! :( I really wish I had gotten a picture of it but all well, at least I saw it in real life! The second dive lasted for about 40 minutes and I was extremely happy I decided to do a second dive.
That took up most of our day and after it ended we got back to Cairnes around 4:00 PM. We all decided to go to the grocery store and pick up some biscuits (which are what they call cookies) and some other lollies (which is what they call sweets). We hung out at our hostel eating biscuits and lollies and then went out for dinner and drinks after that.
We had a really fun night and parted ways at the end of the night! I was really sad to say goodbye to Emily and Kirstine but know that if I ever travel to London I have a place to stay with either of them and also my own personal tour guide. :)
The next morning we headed back to Gold Coast! We left our hostel at 7:30 AM and didn't get back to our Apartments until about 3:00 PM. We had to take a Bus, Plane, Train and another Bus in order to get home.
So that was my last weekend! I really enjoyed going to Cairnes and seeing it since that is where I originally had planned to study abroad. In some ways I think I would have really enjoyed if I had studied there, but Cairnes also had its down sides. It was just nice to put that curiosity away.
This week I also booked a flight to the Whitsundays in June which is probably the last flight I have to purchase while I am here! My time is almost up and I can't believe I have already been here several months and only really have ONE month left! My how time flies!
I am flying to Melbourne next week and booked my tours for that yesterday! We are going to Phillips Island and The Great Ocean Road. I am pretty sure that will be the next place I right about in my blog.
For now I am headed to bed, wishing for better weather for tomorrow.
I love you & miss you all! I will see you all very shortly. :)
BTW my picassa has been uploaded with my pictures from Cairnes! Enjoy! http://picasaweb.google.com/ChelseaTaylor77
xoxo
Chels
Monday, May 11, 2009
Fraser Island
Before I start typing about my weekend let me just say HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!!!!!! I hope all of the moms I know had a wonderful day with their families! Sorry I couldn't be there to spend today with you mom, I love you and I have an I.O.U. for when I get home!
Now I will continue on to talk about this past weekend. Let me just say Fraser Island was absolutely GORGEOUS and so far has been my favorite place that I have been to in Australia! I will upload pictures to Picasa as soon as I can so that you guys can see just how wonderful this place was! We only made it a weekend trip but we packed a lot into just a few days!
It was Kat, Carolyn, Beth and me going on this weekend trip! We left on Friday night after Kat got after work and got on the road at around 8 P.M. which actually worked out so that we avoided any traffic jams! Originally I thought the drive to Hervey Bay (which is where we would stay that night) was only 3ish hours, but it ended up being about 5 hours which still isn't that far of a drive. We got to our hostel at around 1:00 AM and were all ready to go to bed. We checked into our hostel and it was us four girls and then two guys as well who were from New Zealand and San Diego. The guys were really cool and I was surprised to hear that neither of them had met many Americans while being here. I am slowly learning where I chose to study abroad so did basically every other American lol. I like traveling because I get to meet so many people from around the world and there are usually plenty of interesting conversations to be held.
The next morning we were up at around 7:00 AM and I was exhausted because I didn't fall asleep until sometime after 3:45 (which is the last time I looked at the clock). We got picked up by a shuttle bus and then headed down to hop onto the catamaran to go to Fraser Island. It was only about a forty minute ride until we got to the island and as soon as you stepped onto the dock you realized just how pretty of a place you were going to spend your weekend. I really wish I could get pictures to capture just how pretty all of these places are but I can never get them to capture all of its beauty!
When we got off of the catamaran we dropped off our bags to be taken to the resort and then met our tour guide Peter, who was absolutely hilarious the entire trip! When we got on our big four wheel drive bus we continued on to drive through the forest. Somewhere along the line I found out that Fraser Island is the largest sand island in the world and that is basically just another bragging right it has. :)
We drove for a little and then hiked through the forest for about ten minutes until we got to Basin Lake, which was a really pretty fresh water lake on the Island. There is a story that the entire Island is a god who wanted to be part of the earth, and all of the lakes are here eyes so that she can still see into the clouds where the rest of the gods are.
After Basin Lake we took a thirty minute hike through the forest, where it started to rain! I kept laughing to myself at how I was walking through a rain forest, through the rain! After our little hike we ended up at Central Station and had lunch. Central Station is where the rail road use to be, but no longer is. Lunch consisted of really good ham and pineapple sandwiches along with some pasta salad.
After lunch we went on another small hike through the forest along Wanggoolba Creek where the water was so clear you couldn't even tell the creek had water in it!!! We only hiked for about fifteen minutes to meet Peter at the bus and then drive to Lake McKenzie.
It is really hard to chose my favorite place on Fraser Island but this is definitely towards the top of the list. I have never seen sand so white, and water SO clear. Not to mention that it was surrounded by a rain forest just made the scenery stunning. It started to rain a bit and to add to the beauty a really big rainbow started to show in the sky! Normally I would have asked for blue sky and white clouds but the rainbow stretching across the island seemed to be just as good! The sand at lake McKenzie is so fine that you can clean your jewelry and exfoliate your skin with it. I took a couple pictures with my underwater camera so we will see how they turn out, I still have to take 15 pictures before I can develop it.
After Lake McKenzie we headed back to the resort and checked in. We attempted to go and watch the sunset but instead of going right which was the correct way, we turned left and got onto the wrong track. So after that we took a shuttle back to the dingo bar and had dinner. From dinner we went back to reception and went swimming. The pool was heated so it was a perfect way to end the day. After a bit we all moved into the hot tub and just relaxed, had girl conversations and stared at the stars and full moon! After the hot tub we went back and took showers at our cabins. We then went down to the Dingo Bar and had a drink that was called "Bootylicious" and it basically tasted like cherry 7-up. We were there for a bit but then still made it back and were in bed by midnight.
On Sunday we woke up at around 7:00 AM again and headed down to breakfast. After breakfast we were on the bus for a pretty drive on a 75 mile long beach while we headed towards the Maheno Shipwreck. The ship had been there since 1935 when the Japanese lost it during a storm. They had taken out the propellers to make it easier to transfer but then ship got disconnected from the ship that was towing it and since it didn't have propellers there was no way to keep it on track and it ended up landed on Fraser Island. During the second war Australia had tested a bomb on it, but since it wasn't a direct hit the ship isn't totally ruined. (Although it is very deteriorated).
After the Maheno Shipwreck we stopped and looked at the Colored Sands which honestly there isn't much to say about that. We then continued onto the Sand Dunes which were just really really fun! On the walk towards the sand dunes we passed a really large spider that was just hanging in between two trees but sadly I couldn't capture a good picture of it for everyone to see.
After hiking up one giant sand hill with your feet sinking every step you took we then continued to jump off the sides of the sand dunes! You literally could not see what was below until you went up to the very edge. When you would go to jump you wouldn't be able to see what you were going to land in (but obviously it was going to be sand) and so it just felt like you were jumping off of a cliff!! When you landed you ended up stuck in sand that went all the way up to your knees haha.
We stuck around there jumping around for a bit before we headed over to some really pretty champagne pools. Champagne Pools are where the rocks and sand have gone a little further out into the ocean and make a little pool filled with ocean water. Then when you sit in the pool you get a view of a bunch of waves crashing in front of you and then they would continue to toss you around in the champagne pool. We hung around there for a bit before heading back to the bus.
On our way to Indian Head we saw a wild Dingo! He was just wondering around the beach and we all got off of the bus to take pictures of him while he just sat there looking at us, wondering why we were all taking pictures of him haha.
When we got to Indian Head we had a ten minute hike up to gorgeous lookout spot on the Island! We were basically at the edge of a cliff sitting and standing on rocks looking at our surroundings. In one look you could see the ocean, forest, and sand dunes all at once. Simply Gorgeous.
Since we had missed the sunset the night before Peter drove a little bit faster on the forest roads then normal so we could make it to the beach and watch the sunset over the water. We can't do this where I live because I live on the east coast so the sun only rises over the water. However, since we were staying on the west side of the Island we could watch it here! We made it just in the right amount of time!
After sunset we went and hung out in the pool and hot tub once again. We couldn't pass up the opportunity knowing we had to leave soon! After the hot tub we went and had dinner for about 45 minutes before the bus picked us up to take us to catch the 8:00 PM catamaran. We got back to our car at around 9:00 PM and headed back on the road!
We got back to our apartments at about 2:00 AM and then all headed to bed!
All in All this weekend was an absolute blast and one of my favorites so far! Pictures will be up soon, but it may be a few days as I have a couple homework assignments I need to start working on.
I love and Miss you all!!!
Chels <3
P.s. Sorry it is so long I obviously do not know how to make a short post!
Now I will continue on to talk about this past weekend. Let me just say Fraser Island was absolutely GORGEOUS and so far has been my favorite place that I have been to in Australia! I will upload pictures to Picasa as soon as I can so that you guys can see just how wonderful this place was! We only made it a weekend trip but we packed a lot into just a few days!
It was Kat, Carolyn, Beth and me going on this weekend trip! We left on Friday night after Kat got after work and got on the road at around 8 P.M. which actually worked out so that we avoided any traffic jams! Originally I thought the drive to Hervey Bay (which is where we would stay that night) was only 3ish hours, but it ended up being about 5 hours which still isn't that far of a drive. We got to our hostel at around 1:00 AM and were all ready to go to bed. We checked into our hostel and it was us four girls and then two guys as well who were from New Zealand and San Diego. The guys were really cool and I was surprised to hear that neither of them had met many Americans while being here. I am slowly learning where I chose to study abroad so did basically every other American lol. I like traveling because I get to meet so many people from around the world and there are usually plenty of interesting conversations to be held.
The next morning we were up at around 7:00 AM and I was exhausted because I didn't fall asleep until sometime after 3:45 (which is the last time I looked at the clock). We got picked up by a shuttle bus and then headed down to hop onto the catamaran to go to Fraser Island. It was only about a forty minute ride until we got to the island and as soon as you stepped onto the dock you realized just how pretty of a place you were going to spend your weekend. I really wish I could get pictures to capture just how pretty all of these places are but I can never get them to capture all of its beauty!
When we got off of the catamaran we dropped off our bags to be taken to the resort and then met our tour guide Peter, who was absolutely hilarious the entire trip! When we got on our big four wheel drive bus we continued on to drive through the forest. Somewhere along the line I found out that Fraser Island is the largest sand island in the world and that is basically just another bragging right it has. :)
We drove for a little and then hiked through the forest for about ten minutes until we got to Basin Lake, which was a really pretty fresh water lake on the Island. There is a story that the entire Island is a god who wanted to be part of the earth, and all of the lakes are here eyes so that she can still see into the clouds where the rest of the gods are.
After Basin Lake we took a thirty minute hike through the forest, where it started to rain! I kept laughing to myself at how I was walking through a rain forest, through the rain! After our little hike we ended up at Central Station and had lunch. Central Station is where the rail road use to be, but no longer is. Lunch consisted of really good ham and pineapple sandwiches along with some pasta salad.
After lunch we went on another small hike through the forest along Wanggoolba Creek where the water was so clear you couldn't even tell the creek had water in it!!! We only hiked for about fifteen minutes to meet Peter at the bus and then drive to Lake McKenzie.
It is really hard to chose my favorite place on Fraser Island but this is definitely towards the top of the list. I have never seen sand so white, and water SO clear. Not to mention that it was surrounded by a rain forest just made the scenery stunning. It started to rain a bit and to add to the beauty a really big rainbow started to show in the sky! Normally I would have asked for blue sky and white clouds but the rainbow stretching across the island seemed to be just as good! The sand at lake McKenzie is so fine that you can clean your jewelry and exfoliate your skin with it. I took a couple pictures with my underwater camera so we will see how they turn out, I still have to take 15 pictures before I can develop it.
After Lake McKenzie we headed back to the resort and checked in. We attempted to go and watch the sunset but instead of going right which was the correct way, we turned left and got onto the wrong track. So after that we took a shuttle back to the dingo bar and had dinner. From dinner we went back to reception and went swimming. The pool was heated so it was a perfect way to end the day. After a bit we all moved into the hot tub and just relaxed, had girl conversations and stared at the stars and full moon! After the hot tub we went back and took showers at our cabins. We then went down to the Dingo Bar and had a drink that was called "Bootylicious" and it basically tasted like cherry 7-up. We were there for a bit but then still made it back and were in bed by midnight.
On Sunday we woke up at around 7:00 AM again and headed down to breakfast. After breakfast we were on the bus for a pretty drive on a 75 mile long beach while we headed towards the Maheno Shipwreck. The ship had been there since 1935 when the Japanese lost it during a storm. They had taken out the propellers to make it easier to transfer but then ship got disconnected from the ship that was towing it and since it didn't have propellers there was no way to keep it on track and it ended up landed on Fraser Island. During the second war Australia had tested a bomb on it, but since it wasn't a direct hit the ship isn't totally ruined. (Although it is very deteriorated).
After the Maheno Shipwreck we stopped and looked at the Colored Sands which honestly there isn't much to say about that. We then continued onto the Sand Dunes which were just really really fun! On the walk towards the sand dunes we passed a really large spider that was just hanging in between two trees but sadly I couldn't capture a good picture of it for everyone to see.
After hiking up one giant sand hill with your feet sinking every step you took we then continued to jump off the sides of the sand dunes! You literally could not see what was below until you went up to the very edge. When you would go to jump you wouldn't be able to see what you were going to land in (but obviously it was going to be sand) and so it just felt like you were jumping off of a cliff!! When you landed you ended up stuck in sand that went all the way up to your knees haha.
We stuck around there jumping around for a bit before we headed over to some really pretty champagne pools. Champagne Pools are where the rocks and sand have gone a little further out into the ocean and make a little pool filled with ocean water. Then when you sit in the pool you get a view of a bunch of waves crashing in front of you and then they would continue to toss you around in the champagne pool. We hung around there for a bit before heading back to the bus.
On our way to Indian Head we saw a wild Dingo! He was just wondering around the beach and we all got off of the bus to take pictures of him while he just sat there looking at us, wondering why we were all taking pictures of him haha.
When we got to Indian Head we had a ten minute hike up to gorgeous lookout spot on the Island! We were basically at the edge of a cliff sitting and standing on rocks looking at our surroundings. In one look you could see the ocean, forest, and sand dunes all at once. Simply Gorgeous.
Since we had missed the sunset the night before Peter drove a little bit faster on the forest roads then normal so we could make it to the beach and watch the sunset over the water. We can't do this where I live because I live on the east coast so the sun only rises over the water. However, since we were staying on the west side of the Island we could watch it here! We made it just in the right amount of time!
After sunset we went and hung out in the pool and hot tub once again. We couldn't pass up the opportunity knowing we had to leave soon! After the hot tub we went and had dinner for about 45 minutes before the bus picked us up to take us to catch the 8:00 PM catamaran. We got back to our car at around 9:00 PM and headed back on the road!
We got back to our apartments at about 2:00 AM and then all headed to bed!
All in All this weekend was an absolute blast and one of my favorites so far! Pictures will be up soon, but it may be a few days as I have a couple homework assignments I need to start working on.
I love and Miss you all!!!
Chels <3
P.s. Sorry it is so long I obviously do not know how to make a short post!
Friday, May 1, 2009
Skydiving Video!
Ok!!! So after several failed attempts of uploading my skydiving video I believe I have now found a way for you to see it. The quality isn't the best because I couldn't figure out how to save the original to my computer. So instead I took my digital camera and recorded the video while it played on my laptop. However, it works good enough for you to be able to see it! This is me jumping 15,000 feet in Taupo, New Zealand!!!! :D :D
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