Gold Coast-Day Two

The next morning we woke up early and had a lovely pancake breakfast with fresh lemons and passionfruit from their tree in the backyard. After trying it a few times, I think passionfruit is a bit too sour for my taste and is good only in small doses. We went to the Gold Coast Horse Races (Goldies) at the GF Turf Club. The gates opened at 10:00, and we were the first ones there, so we could get the good seats in the air-conditioned rooms above the stadium seats. Although, I ended up sitting outside for the races because it just isn’t the same peering through a glass window. There were twelve races and were spaced out 40 minutes apart. It was my first time to see an actual race, and I felt a little swept away in all the betting and shouting and cheering. Instead of just observing all day, I decided to invest on one of the horses in Race Four: Cuban. We went to the stalls to observe the horses before each race, and Cuban just looked steady, calm, but fierce inside. He was black and shiny as could be, with muscles just crying out to be used. I walked up to the long counter where a dozen workers were taking the bets, and people lined up in a rush to get their money down before the race began. The amount of risk/value that each horse gained fluctuated every time someone bet on a horse. For instance, if I bet a dollar on a horse that was valued for ‘12’, I would win $12. The higher the number, the less likely people think that horse will win. So if you pick a horse that has a value of 50, people might mock you…that is, until that horse wins, and you placed a $2 bet, so are now $100 richer. As confusing at it may sounds, I caught on after a few rounds. I bet $3 on Cuban, and his value went from 22 when I first placed the bet, to 4, which meant that more people bet on him winning. Race Four began, and we went outside to better see the action. The starting horn went off and off they went! Around the 1800 meter track, you could hear only the cheering crowd and see the dust kicked up by the 8 horses in this race. I spotted the gold and red shirt Cuban’s jockey was wearing, and he started off in front! Then as they circled around the corner, he was going back, back, slower…slower. Fourth Place. I lost my small bet but gained an appreciation for my lack of gambling thirst. People there had just lost hundreds of dollars, and some won thousands. I had no desire to keep throwing money down, and am happy to remain a boring observer. Being at the races felt like going back in history if I was part of an exclusive very elite club, where ladies dressed like ladies and men were dressed like proper gentlemen. We weren’t allowed to wear flip-flops or anything less than formal footwear. Just walking around the grounds it felt like a different era. It was fun for a day, but I’m more than happy with the less structured way of life now. After a full day of races, we walked to Surfer’s Paradise (which is an actual city/town) and spent the evening there. We walked around very interesting shops, crazy people and lots of tourists. It felt a lot like Venice Beach in California. I’m starting to feel like no matter where you go in the world, the coastal towns are pretty much the same. Same shops, people, wild hairstyles, recreation, activities, scenery, weather. Sometimes I have to remind myself I AM in Australia. It seems I only realize that when I hear some thick accents, see a wallaby around campus or visit an icon of Australia like the Opera House. After a fun night of beach walking and people watching (I’ve never seen more people on a beach than on Surfer’s beach), we started walking back towards the bus stop. Tyler told us how the helicopters flying over the water were for shark watch and if some are spotted, they throw rolls of toilet paper down to warn people late night swimming. He’s seen it happen a couple times in Adelaide, and it’s funny at first then people realize it’s serious. We walked past the tallest residential building in the southern hemisphere, where they host schoolies. These are huge parties for everyone in high school after the year is over in November, like our graduation parties, but one giant one. They thought it was silly that we each have individual grad parties for each person because it’s inefficient and way less fun. After finding some dinner for shockingly under $12, we headed to the bus stop and took it back to Justin’s place. 
A good thing we got back on the early side, because the nightlife on the Gold Coast gets a little too wild for our taste. Or the wrong type of wild, I should say. We find plenty of adventure in our own way.

Gold Coast-Day One

Back at the Gold Coast Airport, we walked across the highway to catch a bus back to Justin’s house. Lindsey and Lauren took a bus back to Lismore because they had other obligations to get to, and the other five of us were spending the weekend in the Gold Coast. Justin seemed to know the bus routine like the back of his hand and where each stop is and leads to. I was thinking about them visiting me in Eau Claire and how I wouldn’t have a clue about the bus schedule. When we got on the bus we paid our $3.00 in gold coins and took a sit. Every time the bus stopped I noticed a little kid would get on by his or herself and their skateboard like they were just as adult as anyone else. Most of them looked under ten years old and I asked Justin if that’s normal around here. He said every kid knows the bus system so they can hang out by the beach after school and come home on the bus afterwards. Different lifestyle, for sure.

We got off a few stops early to walk around the neighborhoods, and it felt like I was right back in Long Beach, California. The homes were close together and had the beachy-laid back vibe, with palm trees scattered across the median and perfectly cut grass where people’s yards and the sidewalk met up. We passed by Justin’s old schools and day care center where he seemed to have the same childhood stories as the rest of us. An hour later, we arrived at his house and this time we could actually see it because it was late afternoon. We unpacked and watching footie (rugby league) for the rest of the afternoon. I’m finally getting the rules down and am starting to like watching professional rugby more than NFL. This is because in rugby, the ball is always moving and when they are “tackled” they just pass it to a team mate and keep running. Therefore, most of the game is actually the sport, and not a start, stop, start, stop as in American football. Justin’s dad asked if footie is mental back home with the blokes and I just sat there and stared for a while. His parents are the first Australians I had trouble understanding. Partially because they use lingo that I haven’t heard from people at uni, and partially because they have thick accents. It was Good Friday and his dad made us a delicious fish dinner where we chatted about classes and new friends. It felt like I was in a host family, and it felt good. It was nice to have adults around that care about our studies and safety and adventures. Sometimes at school, I feel like its only us kids and there’s really no parental figures or other adults to talk to. Professors seem more focused on teaching and less on the students extracurricular needs, compared to at Eau Claire. After a while of catching up, we decided to go for a (very cold) night swim in Justin’s pool then headed in for another good night’s sleep. 

Cairns-Day Four

Last Day in Cairns!

Justin and Tyler bungeeing 

After our brekky (toast, again), Heather and Katie went with our crazy Aussies to witness them bungee jump! Tyler and Justin had never gone before and they were playing it cool, but seemed a little nervous. Only two spectators could go, so Lindsey, Lauren and I walked around Cairns for four hours enjoying the hot weather and tons of shops. I noticed that most of the stores on Esplanade Street were American stores-Billabong, Roxy, North Face, etc. We spoke to different locals and they all mentioned how no one really comes from Cairns and there’s nothing to actually do there unless you go on a tour. I didn’t really believe them at first because I can find adventure anywhere. But after talking to people and exploring for a full day, I realized they were right. 

The Lagoon by our hostel!

Most of Cairns is just shops and travel agents to book tours to get out of Cairns. I also noticed that we fit in there, because the majority of people were international tourists like ourselves. We found very few Australians unless they were working at a store or giving a tour.

After lunch we met up with the rest of the crew at the hostel and heard about their jump. Justin ended up going for a second jump! The rest of the day we swam in the lagoon and laid in the perfect sun and breeze. 




We went to the Woolshed for the last time and left just before the live strip that was on for Ladies' Night there! 

Cairns-Day Three

 Aboriginal Cultural Park and Kuranda Village

We had booked a tour for the Pamagirri Aboriginal Cultural Park and Kuranda Village for our third day in Cairns, and called to confirm our booking the day before. Since we were on the Reef all day, we called in the morning and to our surprise, our names weren’t on their booking reference. The first travel agent we used for Cairns was fired for many reasons such as bad hostel bookings, missed bus tickets and more. We found out there was airfare for under $200 round trip and we paid around $300. To put it simply, she didn’t do her job. She was a fired and a new travel agent, Cran, was hired a few weeks ago. He booked the rest of our Cairns trip, or so we thought. Apparently he just ran our credit cards through without actually booking the tour for us so we played phone tag all Tuesday evening between the travel agent and the people from the tour that were supposed to pick us up from our hostel on the next day. It’s strange how easily we become adult-like and fix our own problems when we are faced with them. I just knew to keep the receipt from the booking and firmly suggest they get us on the booking by tomorrow or else there would be more people involved. A few more calls later and we were all set to go.

We woke up at 7:00 am for the hostel breakfast, which was nothing short of amusing. It was in a outside kitchenette type of room, and the food was splayed around the counters covered in spilled juice, crumbs and dirty plates. I reminded myself of the $30/night hostel fee in comparison to a nice hotel and their continental breakfast. We had a choice between cereal bran bars or toast or one piece of fruit. There was no cutlery and the dishes were all different sizes of plates and bowls that looked like a collection from a garage sale. They were in the sink, dirty and we washed them (with just warm water because there was no soap to be found) and used those. I went for the cereal, which was more of an unrecognizable mush that I felt was indigestible. The juice was orange syrup basically, 95% sugary liquid. I just stuck with the milk-who knows how long it had been sitting out though. We sat down with our bread and saw there was a table of spreads, that were all different jars of jam and chocolate spread and butter. They were all opened, bugs crawling around them and had sticky exteriors. I felt strangely picky, as I am probably the least picky eater I know. This was about sanitation though, and whether or not the food would be fit for human consumption. I felt stuck between being a privileged person who expects better and a famished human who just needs food and shouldn’t complain. I leaned towards the non-complainer and just ate the minimalist breakfast.  We washed our dishes and left them for the next round of people.

Today we split the group up, and the girls went on the day tour and the guys went fishing in lagoons. We collected our day bags and quickly walked to the night markets where the bus would pick us up for our day trip. After a few minutes at the stop, we saw the most brightly colored bus with Aboriginal paintings and faces stretched alongside its exterior. The friendliest bus driver I’ve ever met, hopped out and made sure we were on the right bus. An hour later we arrived at our first stop of the day: The Pamagirri Aboriginal Cultural Park. It started with a wildlife tour with around the park with a very informative guide showing all the native Australian animals and their interesting facts.

 It never gets old seeing koalas cuddling in the gum trees and learning about wombats’ habits and feeding kangaroos. After several encounters with the same Aussie animals, I learn something new about them every time. We met Jack the Ripper, a 5-meter (16 foot) saltwater crocodile. The world’s largest croc is 6 meters, so Jack was pretty massive. 

He had a gruesome past as well. They were trying to breed him in the park and he killed all 12 of his potential mates. Some things just want to be left alone I guess! We had the chance to pet the dingoes there, even though they would apparently attack us if we went over the fence with them. 

After our wildlife tour, we met the Aborigines who were going to teach us about their lifestyle. My honest first thought was that my image of an Aboriginal didn’t meet the reality of the people we met. Their skin was much lighter and they didn’t have though distinct features I picture. I later found out from Tyler that they were half-casts, with a white parent. He said that his step-dad is a half-cast and would be offended if people didn’t recognize him as a true Aboriginal. Even the slightest drop of Aboriginal blood makes them feel as pure as any other one in their nation.

First we were taught about the boomerang and how it was used in hunting. The importance isn’t that it returns completely back to your hand, but that you throw it hard enough to kill the animal you are hunting or scare away the animals that want to hunt you. Heather, Katie, Lindsey and Lauren threw theirs too softly for it to return at all, but it looked pretty awesome anyway. I actually threw the boomerang with the same intensity I would throw a football and it went really hard and actually returned within a few meters! The Aboriginal man said it was a great throw and that they aren’t actually meant to return to your hands. They hand carve and paint the boomerangs on that location, and it was refreshing to see authentic work instead of the rows of ‘made in China’ boomerangs in all the tourist shops. Next he taught us spear throwing and the different types they used for different animals and distances. He was extremely accurate with the target about 80 meters away. 

After the lesson he joked that if they can’t catch their meal, there’s always McDonalds! Interesting joke I thought. Next we got to hear him play the didgeridoo, which was absolutely incredible. He mimicked the sound of different animals in the wild, including the jumping of a kangaroo, howling of dingoes, and singing kookaburras. Coolest sound ever!! After that we watched the Pamagirri tribal dances and learned that their name means ‘silent snake.’ The welcome dance was called ‘Biba Myon’ and had the songman playing a didgeridoo summoning everyone to their Corroboree.  After eight songs, my favorite was the ‘Warran-Jarra’ also known as Shake-a-leg…it was my favorite for obvious reasons!!

After the spiritual and entertaining dance, we headed over to the duck tours where we got on an army duck from World War II. They have their own mechanic who refurbishes the parts but they received the army ducks themselves from America.  On the ride through the rainforest, we learned about plants that would help you survive as an Aboriginal and what would kill you. I wonder how people ever figured out all the ways of survival. It’s truly incredible. There were two species of trees that looked identical: one was a vital source of nutrients and the other was highly toxic. The harmless one grew very tall and you couldn’t reach the plant unless you knocked it down, and the one that would kill you was closer to the ground at an easy reach. 

Duck Tour

There was a beautiful pink flowering plant that we saw on a little island in the lagoon, and found out if you touch it, it has glass-like fibers that stay in your skin for over six months and send waves of insane pain through your nervous system. There is no cure for it and no way to get the fibers out-people have tried hot wax, bandages and other adhesives to attach and nothing has been figured out to help the painful condition. We passed by coffee bean plants that have berries that are very bitter but will give you a serious dose of caffeine. The 37 degree (98 F) weather and full sun was getting to me as the tour ended, and starting feeling dizzy. When went on the bus to our next stop, Kuranda Village! That was not a fun ride…it was up a mountain and saying there were windy roads is an understatement. The bus swayed back and forth for twenty minutes at a fast speed and when we finally got off, I could barely stand up. We hadn’t eaten since our lovely piece of toast for brekky, so that probably didn’t help the situation either. We found a pizza place that wasn’t over $25 per plate, and ordered our much-needed food. As soon as I got my change back, I felt a wave of heat come over me and I couldn’t see. I stumbled down the stairs leading outside to the ground terrace and well, passed out for a bit. All I needed was a little five-minute nap apparently, then I got up and walked back upstairs. No one really noticed it because we were all just focused on ordering and finding a place to sit.  After lots of water and some ham and pineapple pizza, we were good to go. 

We had about four hours in the village to look around at the shops and walk around the colorful streets. In a way, Kuranda Village reminded me of Door County in northern Wisconsin, because of its touristy meets authentic vibe. Looking at all of the shops selling Indigenous artifacts, I thought about our Native Americans. Besides a few historical museums, the Native American culture isn’t displayed all over our streets downtown, sold in souvenir shops or used for tourism revenue. I wonder if the Aboriginal people feel their history and culture is being more celebrated or exploited. Especially because all the people observing their lifestyle and buying the souvenirs aren’t usually Australian. It just feels different than watching the Fijian dancers amongst other locals all celebrating their culture together. I get the sense that the Aborigine people are like the circus performers and white Australia is the ringmaster. I could be completely wrong in reality, but it’s the feeling I get after talking to Aussies about how they feel about their indigenous people. It seems that the people appreciating their lifestyle are gawky tourists and it cheapens their culture. 

There were many families and kids at the park getting their faces painted with Aboriginal art and just playing together all day. A reoccurring theme in Australia is that families seem to take time out to just relax. It was the middle of the day on a Wednesday and it just seemed like everyone was enjoying each other’s company. Some of the shops around Kuranda looked straight out of Nimbin-very hippie influenced. My favorite part were the art galleries of huge canvas paintings done by the Aboriginal people in that community. They were images and abstract motions all consisting of tiny colorful dots. Each painting was selling for over $5,000. Fascinating to see how others value art and the artist in different communities. There was a honey-tasting store with local honey infused with different plants such as eucalyptus or the lychee fruit. My favorite was macadamia flavored. After an afternoon filled with walking, observing and tasting, we caught the bus back to our hostel just before it got dark. We met up with the guys and they told us all their fishing stories and how they learned the whole history of Cairns from their tour guide. They were happy with their day as well. We walked to the Woolshed and we all got upgrades for a night. I got fish and chips and noticed how in Australia wherever I’ve gone, they give one long fish piece instead of several smaller ones like in America. The fish tasted incredible and you could tell they used a lot less coating and batter over the fish because you could actually taste it. After dinner we walked to the pier and sat on the edge and dangled our feet over the dark ocean’s surface as we played some music and chatted the evening away.

Cairns-Day Two

Great Barrier Reef Experience!!

We walked to the Marina at 7 am and boarded the Reef Experience boat by 8:00. 

It was an absolutely gorgeous day from early on, around 30 degrees (86 F). After boarding, we walked right up to the sun deck on the upper level and large cushions outlined the perimeter of the deck. As we laid comfortably in the morning sunlight, I had a moment to reflect on how incredible it feels to again, make your dreams come true. It was the Sydney Harbour Bridge feeling when I got to the summit. This time, it was that I could go back and conquer my uncertainties of snorkeling on the Reef. (When I was here the first time, I wasn’t the calmest child, and got easily flustered. My snorkeling mask fell off and I couldn’t swim while putting it back on, which meant I couldn’t see what below me. All I saw was the coral’s shadows and it all looked much taller from above water, because I couldn’t see the correct depth perception. I also wasn’t the best at paying attention to directions and rules, so I couldn’t remember if the coral stung you or killed you or if it was harmless. Frightened, I swam as horizontally as possible back to shore and was pretty anxious about going back in.) I didn’t want that to be my

 impression of one of the natural wonders of the world, so I always wanted to do it over again, the right way. Ten years later, there I was.

One of my favorite parts of the boat was the crew on it! They were so enthusiastic, very friendly and fun. We had a delicious egg and ham roll for breakfast with fresh fruit while we listened to the debriefing of boat safety. They had a ten-minute course in what-if the boat crashes, by an iceberg or Jaws chomping on the side of it. They made it sound actually fun, out on our rescue boats, in the middle of the ocean, taking silly pictures. (As great as that sounds, we all preferred the plan to stay ON board).  It was a two-hour boat ride to the Outer Reef, specifically to Hastings Reef for the first

location. We had a chance to sign up for an introductory scuba dive and my initial reaction was absolutely not. This was because Lindsey is taking the official scuba dive course in Byron Bay and comes back and tells us all the complex things about diving and all the horrid things that can go wrong if you don’t do exactly what you have to.  I’m usually not one to say no to adventure, but I just wasn’t in the mood to ruin my Cairns trip due to a ruptured lung, bends, or decompression sickness where they have to rush you to a hospital to go in a decompression machine. I’m also not usually a worrier, or one who thinks of the negative consequences outweighing the fun, but for some reason the whole diving under water thing freaked me out. I also had no idea how frightened I was of the idea, which took me by surprise. I never thought I’d have the opportunity to face this newfound fear. In fact, I didn’t think I was afraid of anything, except for being in the dark alone. That’s about it.  Anyways, I wasn’t diving so none of my anxiety mattered. After the information session and breakfast we got our wetsuits and snorkeling gear because we were getting close to the sight! It was so beautiful. All you could see was the perfect cerulean and turquoise blue water meet at the horizon and the patches of coral making an exquisite pattern in the water. It wasn’t a windy day, so the water was pretty calm for being in the middle of the ocean. We got our gear on, after a few minutes of struggling with the already soaking wet

 clingy material and a rocking boat. Thank goodness I’m not prone to motion/sea sickness. When the boat stopped, we were all so ready to get in the water and start exploring! First though, we had to go over the final rules about where we could snorkel out to, how far (90 meters out) and within a 45-degree angle of each side of the boat. That way, if some one starts drowning, the people on board can signal for it. All the signals we learned (I’m okay, help, having fun, time to come back, swim closer to the boat, man-eating shark around-just kidding) reminded me of spotting when water-skiing.

 Speaking of sharks, they were son the top of people’s list of fears for the day. Why, I don’t know. Sharks are harmless if you’re smart about them, and I’ve realized how we are so programmed to think of shark equally danger.  It’s because we see TV shows of the world’s scariest creature or most dangerous animals, and sharks always seem to make the cover. What about the tiny teeny box jellyfish? They are the deadliest animal in the ocean and kill more than saltwater crocodiles, snakes and sharks combined. But everyone fears the Great White…who doesn’t actually hunt for humans because of the shark’s slow digestion in comparison to the human’s muscle to fat ratio. They ARE among the most dangerous animals because of their extreme power, but that doesn’t mean they are going to use that power. People get mixed up with most dangerous and most likely to attack and kill you. Very different. Alright, I’m done (for now) advocating for sharks.

Some of the crew members came up to explain how the scuba diving rounds will work, and how four people go at a time. They called off people for groups, and got to group six, when my name was called. Wait, my name? Looks like some of the jokester crew members decided my fate for me. Heather, Justin and Tyler also signed up and were in group seven. I decided to get over my very newly discovered fear of diving, and just do it. They would call for group seven after about an hour of snorkeling. I got my bright green flippers on and put my mask on, then slide off the boat into the warm ocean water. I swam away from the boat and looked down through my mask to see the incredible sight of the Reef. The coral was brightly colored and full of tiny fish swimming back and forth against the current. Only a few meters from the boat, there was a giant drop off (yes, just like in Finding Nemo) and the ocean floor fell down barely out of sight. It was the strangest sight that made you realize you really were in the middle of the ocean. I desperately wanted to see sea life that would linger out in those deep waters, but no such luck. I turned around and swam around mesmerized by the entirely different world under the ocean’s surface.  

After a while, it truly feels like you are a part of the unique ocean world, and forget about the fact that there is 

anything else besides what you’re swimming with. Huge fish, bigger than my torso swam right up to my side and dove down as if they were playing tag. THIS is the real, completely harmless and wonderful experience of snorkeling I was looking for. They mentioned to not touch the coral because some will sting you, but mostly because the animal takes years to grow and we don’t want to destroy it with our touch. Parrot fish were everywhere, and their rainbow colored bodies looked like  beautiful abstract paintings swimming around. The most beautiful fish to me were the small electric blue fish that swam in small schools. They reminded me of my favorite wild flower, forget-me-nots. Simple but stunning. 

Rabbitfish <3 

My favorite fish we learned about from the marine biologist on board were the clown rabbitfish. They are smaller yellow fish with white and black stripes on their faces and they have the most endearing lifestyle. Once they find a mate, they stay with the other for life and are always within a meter distance from the other. They move as if they are one and take care of the laid eggs on shifts. If something happens to one of them and it dies, the other will die within a few days…as the marine biologist said, of a broken heart. 

Sure enough, when I saw one, the other wasn’t more than a fins reach away. 

After about an hour of adventuring around the amazing site, I heard a whistle with a shout for group seven. My group swam back to the boat and went to where our dive guide, Benny, was waiting for us. He gave me a ‘hang lose’ sign with his thumbs and pinky finger, all proud that I decided to come along. (We didn’t use thumbs up because that meant ‘I need to go up to the surface now!’) We had a brief information session on all the gear and what to push and what to definitely NOT press. Of course, there was a big red button on the vest that

 we couldn’t touch. Lindsey was in the group before us and she looked very confused as to how we would move if we didn’t use that button because it was how you positioned your depth in the water. That didn’t make me feel much better because she didn’t know how we would regulate our buoyancy which is the most important part of diving (besides the whole breathing thing). Apparently, that’s the main issue people have…breathing. I thought that’d be the easiest part, aside from being under water for 30 minutes and never going up for air. We were shown how to use the regulator (the mouth piece attached to the oxygen tank) and what to do if water gets in it or if it falls off. You have to blow hard in almost a spitting motion to get the water out under water. That part freaked me out because it was hard to trust that the water would be out before you breathed in again. If you breathe in with water in the regulator, you’ll choke and get water in your lungs and can’t swim to the surface fast to get air because you have to slowly move upwards. My anxiety became more real as I felt the comfort of being on land in the open air dissipating. As we walked to the edge of the 

boat, we were told to sit with our feet dangling off the edge in the water. Benny came down with each of our vests and tanks and placed them around us. It was SO heavy!! I know I’m no weakling, but I sure felt like it at that moment. If it wasn’t heavy enough on my back, he added 12 pounds of weights to the waist belt to help sink when we get in the water. At this point, I’m just praying the funny guy, Benny knows what he’s doing. I felt like we shouldn’t be scuba diving after a 20 minute lesson on what the gear was. Now he’s putting MORE weight on my person and I didn’t understand how I wouldn’t just sink to the bottom of the ocean. Maybe if I had any background knowledge of diving at all, I would’ve felt more confident about it. Vest, tank and weights on, with my breathing regulator in hand, we were told to scoot off the landing into the water. I could barely move with all the added weight but I think my adrenaline helped me out. In the water, the tank felt much lighter and I was able to focus on what Benny was saying-which was essential for surviving. He told us to try breathing under water so we lowered ourselves using the rope under the boat and breathed in for my first time completely under water. It felt bizarre. 

There is Nemo!! He's small but he's there

The air in the oxygen tank is the same as the outside air without humidity, so it is compressed and cold. You could feel the difference and I don’t think my lungs liked it at first. It actually started hurting a lot which made me think I was doing something wrong, but he said that’s normal. Another thing to remember was to breathe normally, as in the same counts in as out, and never hold your breath or your lungs could collapse. Well, I made it that far so I wasn’t about to get scared away by any mention of rupturing or body parts collapsing. Another important component to remember was to make sure to pop your ears as you went down every half meter or so. If you don’t they would be very painful and easily could rupture as well. At this point I’m thinking that ‘rupture diving’ would be a more appropriate name. We also learned how to clear our mask if and when it floods after we smile or move our face at all. Since you can’t just take it off like you can with snorkeling, you have to look up, hold the top of the mask on your forehead, and quickly breathe out through your nose. After practicing all of our what-ifs, and getting a very quick okay sign from Benny, he jumped in and down he went. I guess it was time, ready or not! 

The four of us went under water and through our cleared mask saw Benny below our feet. He was signaling to let go of the rope and come down, while popping our ears. Easy enough right? You’d think so, but for some reason I wouldn’t go down. I just physically wouldn’t move so Benny had to pull my arm and guide me downwards. I didn’t have time to react and I could feel my ears hurting. They wouldn’t pop. Oh great. I remembered what he said, to swim up a bit and let the change of pressure pop them for you, and that worked for one ear. Then I remembered how he said it’s dangerous if one ear is equalized and the other isn’t. He kept signaling to follow him but struggle fest (me) was having a rough time. My lungs hurt more than before and that freaked me out because they’ve never felt like that before, but I had to maintain a steady breath. So far, I didn’t see how scuba diving was peaceful and relaxing. I’ve never felt so panicky and the guide didn’t seem to notice or care. It’s that moment when you realize in order to be okay, you have to just fend for yourself. So I focused on breathing, moved my jaws and head around, and finally got my ears to pop and my lungs to adjust. I decided I had to teach myself to swim downwards and as awkward as it felt, I accomplished that downwards motion. I caught up to the group who were also struggling in their own ways but seemed for the most part okay. We all gave Benny the okay sign and kept swimming. After I collected myself, I was able to realize where I was…diving in the Great Barrier Reef amongst friends. I started enjoying myself as Benny showed us his favorite spots of the Reef and we swam about 9 meters down (30 feet) down to the floor. He reached out for my hand and guided it to a giant clam, about a meter long and wide and I got to touch it. It reacted to my hand and closed which I should’ve expected but it took me by surprise. 

Giant clam!

It was incredible down there. THIS was a whole new world, getting inches away from the coral we were looking down at before, and swimming amongst the colorful fish instead of above them. Schools of fish swished by us and blinded our vision for a few seconds. It was hard to remember any of the diving rules down there, because my mind was taken to a new level of stimulation. Every nerve in my body was thrilled with the sights and feeling of the whirling life before us. Whenever I would swim further down, my oxygen tank hit the back of my head or would fall off to the side of my body. I thought that was normal so I just kept going. Breathing under water for a half hour became more natural, although transforming into Dark Vader was a new experience for me. The sound of the constant in and out breathing was so loud but became less distracting as time passed. For a few moments, I was only focused on what was around me. I got to feel what living in the moment truly feels like. When nothing in your past or future exists and it’s only the heightened sense of the present. It was literally breath taking, as at times I had to force myself to remember to breathe. 

When the time was up, we swam back to the boat and slowly swam upwards while paying attention to our ears and breathing. We did it!!!! I’m so glad I was able to realize I had a handicap and then had the opportunity to rid myself of it. I felt humbled by the vastness and immense power of the ocean. Its good to feel out of your element and have to find your own strength, whether its mental or physical. What a better place to do so then in my favorite place in the world.

Scuba diving= accomplishment

When we got out of the water, the heaviness of the tank became a reality again and Benny looked at me in slight shock. He hadn’t tightened the tank all the way and was in amazement that I was able to swim steady with in flopping around and hitting my head. We just laughed and how I thought that was normal and he apologized for not paying closer attention. We boarded the boat along with everyone in the water snorkeling and went about twenty minutes further our second location, called Breaking Patches. Here, we snorkeled for hours and saw less colorful coral, and a larger variety of sea life. I didn’t think that was possible, but it was! 

We swam for a while and Heather and I came across a large sea turtle that was by itself about to come up for air. It popped its head out of the water and dove back down to the coral. The marine biologist was giving a snorkeling tour and she saw the turtle as well and led us feed it with the plants from the ocean floor. We didn’t touch it because the sunscreen that was on our hands is highly toxic to the turtle’s shell. It swam right over us and it was one of the most magnificent creatures I’ve seen that close. After snorkeling the rest of the time, discovering and recognizing the Reef’s diversity, I felt so complete and satisfied with my experience. The only thing I didn’t see unfortunately was a shark. Just a reef shark or nurse shark would’ve made me happy, but they were out farther and a few people saw them towards the end. Next time, maybe. Next time :)

We had a beautiful, tropical lunch on the way back to the mainland, chatting about our amazing day and sharing stories and photos. It was an absolutely magnificent day.

Cairns-Day One

Arriving in Cairns

We left at 6 am for the airport, and I had the absolute easiest airport experience I’ve ever had. It was tropical and bright and had the lightest security ever-I think I went through it in under 45 seconds. Truly. 

We boarded the plane from outside which is always fun! Right away, we noticed we were the only people who spoke English as their first language (besides the flight attendants). A huge Japanese group filled the plane, as did their quick spoken language. It was a different kind of noise than a baby crying the whole way. I think it was almost worst because at least the baby sounds are familiar to me. The constant shouting across the rows and down the aisles for three hours should have made me feel impatient and annoyed. Instead I just looked at my friends in the next row and we laughed. Sometimes, that’s all you can do. We arrived in the very sunny, 34 degree (93 F) Cairns around noon and hopped on the shuttle that our hostel called for. It’s called Nomads Esplanade, and we arrived only after a five-minute ride from the airport. It looked like it was in the middle of a rainforest, with nothing but trees and back roads around it. The place itself was the most colorful building I’ve seen, with no white whites to be found. 

NOT our Nomads Hostel

After talking to the receptionist, who was the first Australian I TRULY couldn’t understand, we found out our rooms weren’t ready yet so we waited on the lounge chairs outside. After a half hour or so, I went back and asked her if they’d be ready soon or if we can grab lunch somewhere. Then, I realized why I couldn’t understand her accent-it not only an Australian accent, but had a multi-pierced tongue component to it as well. Probably the worse job for her, considering she spends most of her time talking to people on the phone. She kept answering the phones when I was trying to talk to her and didn’t even notice I walked away. Eventually I went back and asked again, and she asked what our names were as if we didn’t have the same conversation when we walked in an hour ago. She looked us up on the system and said “Oh you’re at the wrong Nomads.” Interesting, because they were the ones that brought us here! Their shuttles were all out giving rain forest tours so we waited a while longer until one could take us to the other Nomads. We all packed into the shuttle and were driven much further to Nomads Esplanade, which had an appropriate name considering it was literally a few steps from the beach! 

We found our Nomads!

The receptionist, very easy to understand, let us know that our rooms wouldn’t be ready till the later afternoon, so we dropped our backpacks off and walked around to find lunch. We walked all afternoon, checking out the dozens of souvenir shops, unique didgeridoo places, and other hostel spots. 

Didgeridoo Shop-learning how to play it

 My favorite part of the day was in the didgeridoo shop where the lady let us all play all the different types of didgeridoos. She was absolutely hysterical, an older proper lady at first glance, then rambunctious and wild when explaining how to play it. Quite inappropriate to spell out, but basically she told us to pretend like it was our lover when our lips where against the instrument. I couldn’t stop laughing because she was so serious about her raunchy comments. She told the guys to be gentle because anything is possible that way. If only our music teachers could be like her, I think a LOT more people would be interesting in playing instruments. Still giddy from our interesting encounter, we headed back to our hostel with fingers crossed that the room would be ready…and it was! This was my first hostel experience, and I was expecting both ends of the spectrum (completely unlivable to a nice, clean accommodation.) It fell somewhere in the middle.

The key was an actual key (not a hotel room key), and took about six or seven tries to get the door open, every time we tried opening it. Aside from the spilled instant noodles in the shower, flooded sink from its non-stop stream of water, and many cockroaches and other bugs, it wasn’t too bad! All we needed were beds, and that’s what we got. We stayed in an eight-bed room, so all seven of us were together. After unpacking, we spent the evening swimming in the lagoon, which was a massive pool right next to the ocean. 

The beaches in Cairns are rarely swimming beaches because of all the city pollution as well as the natural coral. We couldn’t even access the ocean except for a small lot of sand that lead to the water by a pier. It was a lovely first night in Cairns, besides Justin losing his brand new camera. We searched for hours in every shop we went in earlier that day, but no luck. He ended up buying a new underwater camera for our Great Barrier Reef trip the next day.  For dinner, our hostel gives dinner vouchers for “free” dinner with a drink purchase at the Woolshed.

 It was a short walk from Nomads and we ended up going there every night. They served pasta in different sauces, or you could upgrade to a steak, fish and chips, ribs, or chicken for $8.00. I asked the bartender for lemonade, and she looked confused, as if no one has ever ordered a virgin drink from that bar. Apparently they don’t have lemonade, or their lemonade is called Sprite, because that’s what I received. Since this was a pub, you had to be 18 or over to get inside, so we had to sneak Justin in every night. It wasn’t too hard though, as they didn’t check our IDs. After our dinner (of all pasta), we walked around downtown, which was right where our hostel was located. Back to our room before 11:00, we went to bed early for the big day ahead of us! 

Start of Our Cairns Trip!

...And our study break begins! 

Waiting for the bus

Sunday, April 1^st Tiana and Tim (yay for Aussies with cars) dropped the six of us (Heather, Katie, Lindsey, Lauren, Justin and myself) off at the Lismore Transit Center for our evening bus to the Gold Coast. It was a two-hour bur ride there, filled with lots of laughs, music and excitement for our trip. We were staying the night at Justin’s house in Burleigh (a suburb of Gold Coast) so that we could get up early for our flight out of the GC airport. Justin’s parents kindly picked us up from the bus stop in his dad’s Ute-the Aussie version of a truck and we threw our luggage in its bed. Although it was dark outside, we knew we were right next to the ocean from its loud roar across the street.

Justin's House

 We arrived at his house-very beach resort-esque with a bright exterior and open, airy interior. After spending an hour chatting, we slept in Justin’s old room which was filled with three air mattresses for us five girls. There was no floor, just air beds-it make for one fun slumber party! Well it would have, but we were all too exhausted for that, so we crashed right away. Wonderful night’s sleep :) 

A bit exhausted...