Sydney, the heart of Australia!

Let me start by saying G'day to you all! I know my blogs are becoming sparse with long periods of waiting between--but really, I figure no one really wants to hear about the mass amounts of homework, 'wonderful' group projects, and all the uneventful happenings of my daily life. So...I am saving this blog for the 'good stuff' only!

Friday of this past week was an Australian holiday called Anzac Day; A day that Australia remembers and honors their Soldiers! It is a HUGE and PROUD holiday for the Aussies, and they celebrate big with lots of food, booze, parades and more booze! In fact our Aussie friend Andy told us it was a crime that we hadn't made it to a bar on Anzac day. This public holiday kept us out of school on Friday so we (Lacey and myself) had booked a trip to Sydney before the semester even started! We left on Thursday and stayed with some boys we had met on our spring break trip...their house was huge, and a little messy. I am starting to come to the conclusion that most boys are just messy! Anyway--it was sweet because they had a room made up for us complete with clean sheets and comforters!

When I landed Thursday night I instantly fell in love with Sydney...the cab ride to the boys' house was about thirty minutes and I was greeted by Lacey(She had left earlier in the day because she didn't have class, I on the other hand had class from 7:30am-3:00pm STRAIGHT!) the boys, and a beverage! We went to a local bar (in Coogee, a suburb on the outskirts of Sydney) and had a few drinks, it was a good night--and we made it home early enough to rest up for the long day ahead, we needed to get some serious 'touristing' goin' on!

Earlier in the month we had booked the infamous "Bridge Climb." I wanted to climb in memory and honor of my Uncle Jim! It was something he had wanted to do when he visited Sydney, but wasn't able to...so before I left the States I knew I had a mission to climb that bridge for him! We were scheduled to climb at 8:15 Friday morning....We woke up early and made our way into the City. The short five minute walk to the bus was amazing in itself--the boys life steps away from an ocean view--breathtaking to say the least! It was such an amazing morning to be in Sydney, it was quiet and although it is a huge city, there is a quaintness about it that is hard to explain! We arrived at our destination and suited up from head to toe in some rather sexy climbing gear aka a full body jump suit! We were in a group of seven people and one tour guide. Each of us wore headsets so that we could hear the tour guide explain the sites and the history of the bridge. We had everything strapped securely to us--from sunglasses, to raincoats...thus preventing any accidents from happening on the motorway! The weather had been rainy for 13 days straight before we had arrived...and although the day we climbed it was a little on the cloudy side...we didn't get rained on until the last two minutes of the two and a half hour climb! I will admit....the walk/climb was a bit scary at times, but the payoff was immaculate! The view, the feeling, and the overall experience was amazing--and I know my Uncle Jim was right there with me to see it all, which made it even better!

After the climb we made our way to a cafe and enjoyed some lunch in the city. We then headed around the harbour to check out the Opera House, Botanical Gardens, and all the excitement of Sydney! It was great to be somewhere I never thought I would ever see in person...I loved it. We did some shopping and wandering around for the rest of the day before making it back to Coogee for some dinner. We were exhausted to say the least....so we planned on staying in for the night...because once again we had big plans for the following day. As part of the Anzac holiday the festivities last the entire weekend...Friday was the Anzac Parade, and Saturday was the Royal Derby. Our friend from Sydney (Andy) had told us all about the Derby and this thing called the "lawn party." So we decided to check it out! The horse races started at 11:30 and the "lawn party" gave us access to all the food, drinks, and front row action we could want. It was so neat to experience---they had stages set up for bands, and a pampering booth for the ladies! In Australia the horse races are a rather formal event, and the major races are even more formal. Lucky for us the weather in Sydney was hot and sunny for race day. So Lacey and I got all dressed up (head feathers included) and made our way to the "lawn party." It was an all day event, and it was a blast! I even made a few bets and came out on top....I guess going with the best name works after all...who needs to know the odds?! Once again we were exhausted after a long day of absorbing the Australian culture and we headed back to the house for a little more rest!Our final day in Sydney came with perfect weather! We headed to China town and some markets for some last minute "touristing." Once again---Sydney blew my mind. I loved it there! It is such an incredible place. We had dinner with the boys before being swept off by a taxi driver airport bound.

I can honestly say I just didn't get enough of Sydney, the heart of Australia--and I plan to go back before I leave this country!

Spring Break of a Lifetime

I am back to my apartment in the Gold Coast after my ten day spectacular journey. I am now thankful for ten million more things! I have done and seen more during my spring break than most people see in an entire lifetime, and I am extremely grateful!!!

I will recap the days for you.

Day one, 22-3:

My roommate Jac drove Lacey (a good friend, also from Idaho) and myself to our tour bus in Brisbane which is about 45 minutes away from Gold Coast. We boarded the bus with two tour guides and 49 other students from all over Australia (mostly Sydney and Melbourne) and headed straight to the Steve Irwin Zoo. We saw some Australian wildlife and watched a Crocodile show in the “Croceseum” which was designed and built by Steve Irwin himself. Terri Irwin hosted the show, it was pretty amazing to watch and learn about Crocodiles. From the Zoo we rode a few hours to a small beach town called Hervey Bay—here we checked into our hostel and went out on a dinner/booze cruise to get to know each other. The night was rather eventful, mainly because the booze on the boat was free and plentiful!

Day two, 23-3:

We headed out early and caught a ferry to Fraser Island. The weather wasn’t the best, but despite that the island is probably one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. It is an all white sand island with over a 100 fresh water lakes, there are no roads and the highway is actually the beach! I hope to go back before I leave Australia! It was such a spectacular place. We went around to different beaches, hiked in the rainforest, and enjoyed the day on the Island. Toward the end of the day we headed back over to the mainland and packed up for a 14 hour bus ride to our next destination.

Day three, 24-3:

We arrived in Airlie beach early in the morning for some breakfast and showers before we headed off to our Island getaway. Our next destination was South Molle Island—one of 74 Islands that make up the infamous Whitsunday Islands. We loaded up on to a few, “Ocean Cruisers,” and jetted around to a few magnificent Island beaches. The weather was amazing and we had a blast swimming, playing beach volleyball, and exploring the Islands. We arrived to South Molle in time for check in and dinner—the Island was equipped with a resort, golf course, a pool area, bars, and some great scenery!

Day four, 25-3:

Time for some relaxation! This was our free day to spend how ever we wanted. Lacey and I decided to treat ourselves to some massages, beverages, and a few good American magazines next to the resort pool.

Day five, 26-3:

We started the day early and boarded a Maxi Yacht—which happened to be a world renowned race sailing yacht. We sailed the Whitsunday Islands and made a few stops for snorkeling and swimming. We ended back in Airlie beach to refresh and take another bus ride to Mission Beach for a good nights rest, the ride was to be about five hours. This is where the real fun came in. We loaded up on a double decker bus, which lacked air conditioning and a running toilet—so the bus drivers informed us we would be stopping every hour for a “comfort stop.” We made our first comfort stop and drove another 40 or so minutes before the bus pulled over on the side of the road in the middle of no where, we were literally in the “bush,” thirty minutes away from the next town. After about an hour and a half we found out that the reason for the dilemma was really quite simple—our genius bus drivers ran out of gas!!! To make things worse after a mechanic came to fill up the tank, they realized they had left the lights on in the bus—therefore leaving the batteries completely dead! So we ended up spending 7+ hours on the side of the road. Instead of staying at our hostel in Mission Beach we drove straight through to our Day 6 activity—white water rafting.

Day six, 27-3:

After little to no sleep we rolled into the white water rafting company and filled out some paperwork, and prepared ourselves for the day long river journey ahead. Despite the lack of sleep—I had the time of my life. With groups of seven and one tour guide we rafted down the Tully River through grade 3-4 rapids. We stopped for a few cliff jumps, and in a few mellow areas we were able to float without the rafts, and enjoy the water. The scenery was unforgettable, every time I thought to myself, “wow, this is the most beautiful place I have ever seen,” something even more magnificent appeared! I guess I realized that beauty lies within every crescent of this world—we just need to appreciate it and be thankful for the opportunity to be a part of it all. As you could imagine we were a pretty tired bunch, and with an hour ride ahead of us we were a pretty quiet group---that was until we arrived to our hostel in Cairns and went out for dinner and a few drinks!

Day seven, 28-3:

My 22^nd birthday had arrived. We stayed out a little past midnight on the 27^th to celebrate, because we didn’t have to be up until about 9:00 for our skydiving experience—to be honest I have no idea how I was still standing, and my bed was a comforting sight. The morning came pretty fast, but I was excited for the day ahead and my tiredness quickly drifted away. I was able to get birthday wishes from some VIP’s, and news of some amazing, unbelievable birthday presents!!! My day could have been complete then, but I still had Skydiving, and bungy jumping on the agenda! Lacey and I made our way to the skydiving company to fill out all the papers and get ourselves ready for a 60 second free fall 14,000 ft up! WOW—I still can not believe I did it! After strapping into our gear and getting a 30 second brief on what our roles would be---we headed out to the airport to catch our plane. We piled 14 people, including the tandem jumpers into the airplane, which truthfully didn’t feel that secure! As soon as I started thinking to myself, “Woah, we are pretty high up,” the man I was strapped to said, “2,000 ft—12,000 more to go!” And at that point I knew the only way out of the plane was to fly! The scenery below was awesome—we had the Great Barrier Reef below!! We were the third to fall from the plane when we reached 14,000. I was instantly at ease when we were out of the plane, the free fall was an indescribable feeling, and in the end I thanked myself for facing the fear—because it was such an awesome experience! And still—there was more to come! We took a party bus to the bungy jumping spot where we were all given the opportunity to take a jump over the lagoon below! Out of 52 people, 50 took the jump, impressive! I had been once before in Canada, but jumping at night was a different experience—and I was just as scared the second time around! We headed back to the hostel around 11 pm and decided to call it a night. What a way to spend a birthday!

Day eight, 29-3

This was the day I had been waiting for—Scuba diving the Great Barrier Reef!!! We headed out on the boat in the morning and were divided into groups; I was in the last group to dive, so we were able to snorkel first. The weather wasn’t sunny, in fact it was raining, but under the water it made no difference! I was in awe at the reef below! It was yet another beautiful sight to see. The introductory dive was so awesome! I wasn’t sure how I would feel about the whole breathing under the water concept, but it was easy and rather comfortable—I hope to do it again sometime! I am proud and extremely lucky to say, “I’ve been to the Great Barrier Reef, one of the 7 natural wonders of the world!” AMAZING!

Day nine, 30-3

Our last day was rather relaxing, we went on a hike through the rain forest to a few waterfalls, it was another day to be thankful for all the beauty in the world! We had a farewell dinner with a few speeches from our tour guides—it was a great night to reflect and have one last party! The whole experience was just so incredible!

Today..6-4

Now, here I sit back in my room, on my computer, and very thankful for all that has happened to me! I met some life long friends on the trip, and made some unforgettable memories, while seeing and doing unbelievable things! I am so appreciative for it all, and I feel so lucky to be fortunate enough to be living a dream! I count my blessings every single day!

I miss you all and hope things are wonderful back home!