Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Apologies in advance
Okay, so I did write up everything from my travels (the last week or so in Australia, and my trip back), but I did them in a Word document. I wasn't able to get on the internet while I was typing them up, so I had to wait to post them. Thus, I am apolgizing in advance for the ten million posts that I have just posted. I decided to brake them up so that they might be slightly more organized. I hope their aren't too many errors. Enjoy!
Twenty-four plus
I’ve decided that when you spend more than twenty-four hours in transit, everything becomes a bit hazy and your memories are nothing but a blur. I have never had so much caffeine in my life to make sure that I stayed awake in an attempt to avoid jetlag. I felt like I was cramming for my abstract algebra exam all over again.
My travels didn’t particularly start off on the right foot. The wait began as soon as I arrived at the airport. Luckily Kamron was able to join me for the first sector of waiting. It began with actually checking in. There was a forever long line, but good news, everyone – both of my bags were UNDER the required wait… awesome! Kamron did run and get cappuccinos for the wait, so it wasn’t a total drag. After making it through check in, Kamron and I hung out for a bit, and I filled out my customs form. It was a good thing I left when I did because customs getting in to Australia were just as bad as leaving. I was almost certain that I was going to miss my flight. No worries though, I didn’t miss it!
I sat in the dead last row of the aircraft, but I had an aisle seat this time. Thank goodness! The people I sat next to were awesome as well. They were both Australian, and they had both just turned twenty-one (they were excited about being of legal age in the US). I spent most of my flight reading, and watching movies – nothing all that exciting. Alas, I do have a funny story to tell y’all. First off, crazy people just seem to be magnetically attracted to me. After we had dinner, we got ice cream (well, it said ice cream on the menu – I was super excited… it was a sorbet bar – not the same). Of course we opened it up as soon as we got it, and I want you to just picture what happened. I will give your imagination a second to conjure up some ideas… You may have guessed it, but the girl who sat next to me got her tongue stuck to the bar!!! HAHA! I tried so hard not to pee my pants. Some of the flight attendants came to the back of the plane to help her. She ended up pouring water on her tongue and the bar to get her tongue detached. I couldn’t help but laugh!!! I think the flight attendant thought I was evil, but the girl was laughing too, so no worries!
Other than that I cannot think of anything too exciting from that long "A" flight! I did almost miss my next flight because customs took two hours. Luckily I wasn’t bringing anything crazy back, or it could have been worse. After I made my way through customs (and being asked to switch lines at least ten times), I had to drop my bags off for my connecting flight. The lady told me that she wasn’t sure that my baggage would make it on the flight, and I was like ohh goodie! Again, no worries. I did make my flight just in time, and I saw my luggage being taken off of the plane while I was waiting to get off myself.
After yet another set back (a delay added on to my three hour layover from Dallas to RDU), I finally made it home! I accomplished a great feat by not sleeping unless it was night time in Raleigh. Of course I was a bit exhausted when I got home, but it was worth it in an attempt to avoid jet lag. I am going to try and continue my blog when I go back to Australia (in less than a week, whew)! I fly out Thursday, so I probably will not post until after then!
Thanks for all of my die hard followers - or even followers who are not die hard. Hehe. I have also updated my shutterfly page with all of the remaining pictures that I have! I am hoping to get some more from Kamron, because sometimes we just used his camera, so we didn't have to worry about lugging around two. I am not sure when I will get those up, probably not until towards the end of the summer.
My travels didn’t particularly start off on the right foot. The wait began as soon as I arrived at the airport. Luckily Kamron was able to join me for the first sector of waiting. It began with actually checking in. There was a forever long line, but good news, everyone – both of my bags were UNDER the required wait… awesome! Kamron did run and get cappuccinos for the wait, so it wasn’t a total drag. After making it through check in, Kamron and I hung out for a bit, and I filled out my customs form. It was a good thing I left when I did because customs getting in to Australia were just as bad as leaving. I was almost certain that I was going to miss my flight. No worries though, I didn’t miss it!
I sat in the dead last row of the aircraft, but I had an aisle seat this time. Thank goodness! The people I sat next to were awesome as well. They were both Australian, and they had both just turned twenty-one (they were excited about being of legal age in the US). I spent most of my flight reading, and watching movies – nothing all that exciting. Alas, I do have a funny story to tell y’all. First off, crazy people just seem to be magnetically attracted to me. After we had dinner, we got ice cream (well, it said ice cream on the menu – I was super excited… it was a sorbet bar – not the same). Of course we opened it up as soon as we got it, and I want you to just picture what happened. I will give your imagination a second to conjure up some ideas… You may have guessed it, but the girl who sat next to me got her tongue stuck to the bar!!! HAHA! I tried so hard not to pee my pants. Some of the flight attendants came to the back of the plane to help her. She ended up pouring water on her tongue and the bar to get her tongue detached. I couldn’t help but laugh!!! I think the flight attendant thought I was evil, but the girl was laughing too, so no worries!
Other than that I cannot think of anything too exciting from that long "A" flight! I did almost miss my next flight because customs took two hours. Luckily I wasn’t bringing anything crazy back, or it could have been worse. After I made my way through customs (and being asked to switch lines at least ten times), I had to drop my bags off for my connecting flight. The lady told me that she wasn’t sure that my baggage would make it on the flight, and I was like ohh goodie! Again, no worries. I did make my flight just in time, and I saw my luggage being taken off of the plane while I was waiting to get off myself.
After yet another set back (a delay added on to my three hour layover from Dallas to RDU), I finally made it home! I accomplished a great feat by not sleeping unless it was night time in Raleigh. Of course I was a bit exhausted when I got home, but it was worth it in an attempt to avoid jet lag. I am going to try and continue my blog when I go back to Australia (in less than a week, whew)! I fly out Thursday, so I probably will not post until after then!
Thanks for all of my die hard followers - or even followers who are not die hard. Hehe. I have also updated my shutterfly page with all of the remaining pictures that I have! I am hoping to get some more from Kamron, because sometimes we just used his camera, so we didn't have to worry about lugging around two. I am not sure when I will get those up, probably not until towards the end of the summer.
Last days in Melbourne
Kamron and I spent Tuesday recuperating from our early flight back from Adelaide. We watched Californication and lounged around all day! It was wonderful. The weather didn’t help matters either. Rain, perfect lazy weather. We did eventually venture out to Highpoint to get a good coffee and some decent food. Australia seems to have chocolate shop everywhere you look. Kamron and I decided to try out the chocolate shop at Highpoint. No words can explain how wonderful the cappuccinos tasted. Coffee and chocolate, how cold you go wrong with two of the most wonderful inventions?!
We then ventured out for dinner, where I had my first lamb burger. Look at me trying all of these new meats! What makes this restaurant awesome was that they gave you a free order of chips (which is what they call fries in Australia, weird, I know), if you could name the Disney character that said “fish are friends not food.” Guess who knew it?! MEEE! I will give you a second to try and figure it out. Pausingg… Bruce from Finding Nemo. Hehe. I’m a cool cat – duh!
We looked around the mall for a bit after dinner, and then we made our way back to the computer lab so that Kamron could study some for his exam. Wednesday, Kamron got up to take his exam, while I slept in! Wohoooo! Sleep! We headed to the city when he got back to hit up an awesome café that we discovered on a trip to the city. The coffee was cheap, but actually the best I had had so far. Awesome find! After heading to the café with Kamron’s friend Penn, we headed to Victoria Market, which was closed unfortunately. In an attempt to not be too disappointed we looked around the city for a bit before me made it to the King Tutankhamun exhibit at the Melbourne Museum. Soooo cool! I even got some pictures, which was not allowed. Hehe. Such a delinquent!
After searching some more, we were able to find another hole in the wall restaurant for dinner. I got a pumpkin risotto. They have so many pumpkin dishes here! Why can we not have this in America? Sheesh! I could eat pumpkins until I turned into one!
Next stop – the casino! My first casino visit! I didn’t win anything, and I got carded almost every time. I cannot escape it, even in a foreign country! We headed back early, because of my flight in the morning. I unfortunately didn’t get to see Harry and Josef before I left, but I plan on visiting them some day in Austria.
We then ventured out for dinner, where I had my first lamb burger. Look at me trying all of these new meats! What makes this restaurant awesome was that they gave you a free order of chips (which is what they call fries in Australia, weird, I know), if you could name the Disney character that said “fish are friends not food.” Guess who knew it?! MEEE! I will give you a second to try and figure it out. Pausingg… Bruce from Finding Nemo. Hehe. I’m a cool cat – duh!
We looked around the mall for a bit after dinner, and then we made our way back to the computer lab so that Kamron could study some for his exam. Wednesday, Kamron got up to take his exam, while I slept in! Wohoooo! Sleep! We headed to the city when he got back to hit up an awesome café that we discovered on a trip to the city. The coffee was cheap, but actually the best I had had so far. Awesome find! After heading to the café with Kamron’s friend Penn, we headed to Victoria Market, which was closed unfortunately. In an attempt to not be too disappointed we looked around the city for a bit before me made it to the King Tutankhamun exhibit at the Melbourne Museum. Soooo cool! I even got some pictures, which was not allowed. Hehe. Such a delinquent!
After searching some more, we were able to find another hole in the wall restaurant for dinner. I got a pumpkin risotto. They have so many pumpkin dishes here! Why can we not have this in America? Sheesh! I could eat pumpkins until I turned into one!
Next stop – the casino! My first casino visit! I didn’t win anything, and I got carded almost every time. I cannot escape it, even in a foreign country! We headed back early, because of my flight in the morning. I unfortunately didn’t get to see Harry and Josef before I left, but I plan on visiting them some day in Austria.
Helloooo Adelaide
We did finally make it to Adelaide, and we did so on time! For those of you who know how Kamron and I function, we are slow and seldom on time, but not today! We were at the car rental place with a full tank of gas ahead of schedule. After we dropped off the car, we made our way to some scrumptious coffees and muffins. Next stop: Samantha Ramsdell!
Also, interestingly enough Kamron and I made it to Sam’s hall without getting lost! Thank you, thank you. We are growing up so fast (mom, what movie? hehe). The campus where Sam is staying makes me think of Meredith. It is beautiful. I could see why Sam would want to go there. We then made our way to the Cleland Wildlife Park, where I got to pet kangaroos! Talk about cool. Some of them were humungoid! One gave me a high five – sounds cool, and don’t get me wrong it was, but it hurt. They’ve got claws! Not only did I get to pet and feed kangaroos, I got to pet a koala too. YAY! I officially got the typical Australian experience. I saw a Tasmanian devil too. Those are not cute creatures, let me tell you.
Next we ventured to a footy game, but with no such luck. We couldn’t find the field. Sam’s university was playing their rivals, so there was going to be a party afterwards. Because Kamron and I had to get up early the next morning, we ended up not going. W did, however, get to see girls run around shirtless from the balcony of Sam’s hall! After this rival footy game each year, it is a tradition for all of the girls to do that and for all of the boys to have their jocks ripped off (I didn’t watch this one haha). It was fantastic getting to stay up and talk to Sam. Kamron and I got to meet some of her friends as well. They are all pretty awesome! Agnus (I hope I spelled this right) even shared how Sam gets when she’s put back a couple. Priceless.
Now we are up to Monday. Kamron and I went on a wine tour through Barossa Valley! All wine lovers, be jealous. Hehe. Sam couldn’t come because she had class. Lame. But thankfully the tour only had a few people on it, so we got to take our time at each of the wineries. I learned a lot about which particular kinds of wines I like. The four wineries we visited were Chateau Dorrien, Grant Burge, Kellermiester, and Chateau Yaldra.
We ended up buying four bottles of wine. Most of them were exquisite cellar door wines that are special to Australia. The first winery is known for its mead, which is kind of like whiskey mixed with wine. It tastes like liqueur in my opinion. I didn’t really like it, but I am glad I had the opportunity to try it, since I cannot try it anywhere else. I also learned about Ports. Like how sparkling wine can only be called champagne if it is from Champagne, port wine can only be called port if it’s from Portugal.
A delectable light lunch was also included in our tour. Some other stops on our way to the wineries were the world’s largest rocking horse where Kamron and I picked up some much needed coffee, the Herbig Tree where a family of eighteen once lived, and the Whispering Wall built at the Barossa Reservoir. It was fun to learn about the history of Australia and its wine while we were on our tour, plus getting to taste all of the wine, of course! Now I can say I’ve had quality wine! I tasted a bottle of wine that cost over a hundred dollars a pop! Woah!
When we made it back to Sam’s hall it was around dinnertime. We hung out for a little bit before we made our way to Mexican restaurant that Sam recommended. She said the margaritas were top notch. I was thinking that it probably wouldn’t be a good idea to have yet another drink after my slight wine buzz, but by the time we made it there I was ready for another. Sam was right the margaritas were excellent and the food was delish! Since I’ve been in Australia, I have learned that I love to eat and drink muchos!
We called it an early night since Kamron and I had to be up by three am to make it to the airport in time for our six o’clock flight! Talk about gross.
Also, interestingly enough Kamron and I made it to Sam’s hall without getting lost! Thank you, thank you. We are growing up so fast (mom, what movie? hehe). The campus where Sam is staying makes me think of Meredith. It is beautiful. I could see why Sam would want to go there. We then made our way to the Cleland Wildlife Park, where I got to pet kangaroos! Talk about cool. Some of them were humungoid! One gave me a high five – sounds cool, and don’t get me wrong it was, but it hurt. They’ve got claws! Not only did I get to pet and feed kangaroos, I got to pet a koala too. YAY! I officially got the typical Australian experience. I saw a Tasmanian devil too. Those are not cute creatures, let me tell you.
Next we ventured to a footy game, but with no such luck. We couldn’t find the field. Sam’s university was playing their rivals, so there was going to be a party afterwards. Because Kamron and I had to get up early the next morning, we ended up not going. W did, however, get to see girls run around shirtless from the balcony of Sam’s hall! After this rival footy game each year, it is a tradition for all of the girls to do that and for all of the boys to have their jocks ripped off (I didn’t watch this one haha). It was fantastic getting to stay up and talk to Sam. Kamron and I got to meet some of her friends as well. They are all pretty awesome! Agnus (I hope I spelled this right) even shared how Sam gets when she’s put back a couple. Priceless.
Now we are up to Monday. Kamron and I went on a wine tour through Barossa Valley! All wine lovers, be jealous. Hehe. Sam couldn’t come because she had class. Lame. But thankfully the tour only had a few people on it, so we got to take our time at each of the wineries. I learned a lot about which particular kinds of wines I like. The four wineries we visited were Chateau Dorrien, Grant Burge, Kellermiester, and Chateau Yaldra.
We ended up buying four bottles of wine. Most of them were exquisite cellar door wines that are special to Australia. The first winery is known for its mead, which is kind of like whiskey mixed with wine. It tastes like liqueur in my opinion. I didn’t really like it, but I am glad I had the opportunity to try it, since I cannot try it anywhere else. I also learned about Ports. Like how sparkling wine can only be called champagne if it is from Champagne, port wine can only be called port if it’s from Portugal.
A delectable light lunch was also included in our tour. Some other stops on our way to the wineries were the world’s largest rocking horse where Kamron and I picked up some much needed coffee, the Herbig Tree where a family of eighteen once lived, and the Whispering Wall built at the Barossa Reservoir. It was fun to learn about the history of Australia and its wine while we were on our tour, plus getting to taste all of the wine, of course! Now I can say I’ve had quality wine! I tasted a bottle of wine that cost over a hundred dollars a pop! Woah!
When we made it back to Sam’s hall it was around dinnertime. We hung out for a little bit before we made our way to Mexican restaurant that Sam recommended. She said the margaritas were top notch. I was thinking that it probably wouldn’t be a good idea to have yet another drink after my slight wine buzz, but by the time we made it there I was ready for another. Sam was right the margaritas were excellent and the food was delish! Since I’ve been in Australia, I have learned that I love to eat and drink muchos!
We called it an early night since Kamron and I had to be up by three am to make it to the airport in time for our six o’clock flight! Talk about gross.
To the Grampians and beyonddd
Kamron and I decided that it would be a better choice to drive to the Grampians for a day, return our rental car the following morning, and then visit Adelaide (SAMMMM). Needless to say we were pushing it for time. Luck was not on our side as we started our public transportation to the rental car place. We ended up barely missing two trams – no fun. We finely made it out around noon. We made the few hour trek to the Grampians information center to find out what the must sees were for the area. Thank goodness we did, because of the severe rain storms that Australia had in January and February some of the road were closed. The roads were covered in dirt from landslides. This meant that we would have to make a couple hour trek to the sites instead of a forty-five minute drive. That’s okay though because I got to see my first untamed kangaroo. As we were driving through the Grampians, we saw a million free-range kangaroos. Thus giving in to the stereotype that there are kangaroos all over the place.
We decided to stop off at the Beehive Falls, where we discovered that we could spend days hiking through the Grampians. Bucket list item, I think yes. There were so many great hiking and camping areas through out the Grampians! We got some wonderful pictures. After Beehive Falls, we traveled to the MacKenzie Falls and the Broken Falls. Unfortunately, because of the bad rainfall, the lower view of MacKenzie Falls was closed. Part of the path (which was a bridge) had fallen to rubbish. Naturally, Kamron felt the need to explore down the path a bit, so we did. We didn’t go to far because eventually we reached the non-existent bridge.
Next we drove to the Boroka Lookout. By this time it was getting rather dark, so we couldn’t see much from the lookout. It overlooked a few cities (Halls Gap I think), and would have been gorgeous during the day. It was neat to see the cities lit up from above though. Now the trek to Adelaide. Whew. We stopped at an Asian restaurant along the way, which was phenomenal! It was a bit on the expensive side, but what isn’t expensive in Australia? I can answer that. Nothing. Kamron and I drove through the night, in order to make it to the car rental place on time. We didn’t want to get charged to an extra day just because we were over by fifteen minutes. Because Australia is awesome, they post signs for taking power naps. Most of them are along the lines of “microsleeps kill.” Talk about giving someone motivation to pull over. Dang. Kamron and I stopped whenever we felt the slightest bit drowsy, since the “only way to cure fatigue is sleep” – also sign worthy in Australia.
We decided to stop off at the Beehive Falls, where we discovered that we could spend days hiking through the Grampians. Bucket list item, I think yes. There were so many great hiking and camping areas through out the Grampians! We got some wonderful pictures. After Beehive Falls, we traveled to the MacKenzie Falls and the Broken Falls. Unfortunately, because of the bad rainfall, the lower view of MacKenzie Falls was closed. Part of the path (which was a bridge) had fallen to rubbish. Naturally, Kamron felt the need to explore down the path a bit, so we did. We didn’t go to far because eventually we reached the non-existent bridge.
Next we drove to the Boroka Lookout. By this time it was getting rather dark, so we couldn’t see much from the lookout. It overlooked a few cities (Halls Gap I think), and would have been gorgeous during the day. It was neat to see the cities lit up from above though. Now the trek to Adelaide. Whew. We stopped at an Asian restaurant along the way, which was phenomenal! It was a bit on the expensive side, but what isn’t expensive in Australia? I can answer that. Nothing. Kamron and I drove through the night, in order to make it to the car rental place on time. We didn’t want to get charged to an extra day just because we were over by fifteen minutes. Because Australia is awesome, they post signs for taking power naps. Most of them are along the lines of “microsleeps kill.” Talk about giving someone motivation to pull over. Dang. Kamron and I stopped whenever we felt the slightest bit drowsy, since the “only way to cure fatigue is sleep” – also sign worthy in Australia.
Outback Tour
Where to begin... I decided to bring a journal with me, so that I would hopefully not forget anything, but I am sure that what I say here won't do this amazing trip any justice.
Kamron and I took a trip to the Outback (which is central Australia - all desert - I didn't know this haha) with two of his friends from Austria, Harry and Josef. We left for our flight to Alice Springs early Monday morning. We took a cab to a pretty cheap hostel, while our cab driver warned us about the natives in central Australia. The aborigines form gangs, and so it is not safe to be out at night unless you are in a large group.
After settling in to our hostel, we arranged for our pick up to begin our tour of the Outback - 6:10am Tuesday morning, off to an early start. We then made our way to the city, composing two streets haha. For lunch I had a kangaroo burger! YUM! It was tasty! It takes just like stake. Then we began our search for a cheap, but decent, pub. We found a western looking pub that was called Bojangles. Funny, huh?! Unfortunately we didn't stay there. It was far to expensive. After finding a decent pub (right next door, we didn't have to travel far), we started our rounds. After about six pitchers, I lost count. I never thought I would be a beer drinker, but it is soooo much cheaper! By the time it was starting to get dark, dinner was among us, so we were starting to get hungry. We ordered chicken schnitzel (which is kind of like fried chicken, but nothing like the south). Of course we had some more rounds with dinner, and I got a chance to play at the slot machines. We didn't win anything, which is a shame. We decided on our way back to the hostel that we should invest in some cases of beer, because it was probably going to be ridiculously expensive on the tour. Against the warnings, we ventured for some cases of beer and wandered back to the hostel had a couple of more beers and headed to bed by 11pm - definitely early for us!
Time to get up came way to early! Luckily we showered before bed, and we didn't have much to get together. The bus was packed and the roads were too rough to sleep. It was about a two and half hour drive to Ayers Rock where we were camping for the night. We made two stops along the way. The first stop was at a camel farm where I got to pet a dingo, and I saw my first kangaroo! Our second stop was at the geographical center of Australia, kind of cool! Then we made a quick stop for firewood. Of course, we had to pull the beers out along the way. Between our first and second stop (8:15ish am), we pulled out our first round at the back of the bus. Vollgas - which translates to "all the way" in German - also known as "go big or go home!" Nothing like being the bad kids, sitting at the back of the bus drinking beer. We arrived at the campsite in time for lunch and then headed to Kata Tjuta for a short hike. Next we went to see the sunset on Uluru (which gave us another excuse for a beer). When you watch the sunset on Uluru, the rocks seem to change color, and the sky changes color beautifully. We got some great pictures of both Kata Tjuta and the sunset at Uluru (and of the rest of the trip), but I probably won't be able to post them on the shutterfly website until I am back state side (which will be a few days from now).
Anyways, after the sunset, we made our way back to camp for dinner. We had kangaroo steaks and camel sausage. The camel sausage was shockingly delicious. They don't taste that much different from pork sausage. After cleaning up we sat around the campfire for awhile, attempting to keep warm. If you are unfamiliar with the weather here in Australia, more particularly central Australia, I will fill you in. The days are wonderful, perfect for hiking. The sun is shinning constantly! Now the evenings are freezing! In central Australia the nights can get below freezing during winter. We were camping outside on our tour with no tents. Just a swag and a sleeping bag. Kamron and I shared a swag, managing to squeeze two sleeping bags inside. The stars were stunning, the weather not so much. Before bed we were also given the chance to play the didgeridoo, which is a long tube looking instrument particular to the aborigines. I wasn't all that successful in playing it (but I made noise haha). Kamron was able to get a few notes out :)
On Wednesday, we woke up before the sun and travelled to see the sunrise against Uluru. Similarly to the sunset, the colors were awesome. In an attempt to keep from getting dehydrated (from drinking beverages other than water...), Kamron and I made sure we had a number of water bottles before we started our hike for the day. We hiked up Uluru after the sunrise. We had the option to do a walk around the base or climb up it. Naturally I was gung-ho, until I learned about the hike. The aborigines ask each tour to ask the tourists not to climb. Thirty-five people have died climbing Uluru, and the aborigines feel like it is their duty to keep people safe on their land. Did I decide to hike up Uluru... well, yeah. Despite all of the warnings, a small group of us from the tour (including but not limited to Kamron, Harry, Josef, an Australian named Michael, and myself). The only thing to get you up the side of this mountain was a chain. There were no steps. Being the goober I am, I didn't pack my hiking boots, so I wore tennis shoes. No worries, I made it alive!! YAY! It was totally worth it! I was a bit worried of how I was going to get down, but it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought, and the view from the top was phenominal. Nothing beats it. When we got to the top of the chain, there is a bit more of a path, but it is only marked by a white dotted line. After we got to the end of the trail (to the sacred part of the mountain for the aborigines) Kamron and Harry decided to venture to see the stone people!
After successfully making it down Uluru (and taking a number of pictures), the entire tour group did a short section of the base together. It was called the Mala walk. There are a number of sacred places along the walk where only the aborigines are allowed to go, and we were not allowed to take pictures.
After the walk we had lunch and made our way towards our next campsite, which was right outside Kings Canyon. Our tour guide offered to drop us off at a pub right before we made it to the site, because we didn't have anything planned for when we got to camp. Of course our posy took him up on the offer! We had a few pitchers of beer, and that was all she wrote. By the time he came back to pick us up, we all had had a bit to drink. Dinner was delicious, which could have been because everything tastes good after you've had a good amount to drink. Thankfully it didn't seem as cold as the night before, which could have been because of our drunken stooper. After being calmed down from our biligerent selves, we managaed to listen to a star gazing shpeel from our guide. It was cool being able to see an entire new set of stars from at home. I got to see the Milky Way (Dr. Schmidt would be proud - I even knew some of the random facts that our guide was sharing. I did learn something!).
Sleeping outside wasn't too bad because of the warm fuzzy feeling I had acquired from my drinks. The boys spent their time before bed playing with the mice on site. There were millions running all over the place. You can see some pictures on the shutterfly page.
After being sung to sleep by our lullaby of choice, dingo howling, we got up to start our hike of Kings Canyon. Kings Canyon is supposedly similar to the Grand Canyon, except it is smaller and was created in a slightly different way. It was a gorgeous hike. It started out a bit chilly, but as the sun began to rise the weather became perfect! The hike took a few hours, including our many stops for pictures. After we finished up, we headed back to Alice Springs - stopping for some lunch along the way.
When we got back to Alice Springs we checked back into our hostel for the night, showered, and made our way to dinner. Our tour guide was able to get a cheap meal for anyone on our tour if we went to this restaurant in walking distance. Of course, we were game. Instead of having to spend money on an expensive meal, we bought pitchers of beer. How many... well I'm not sure. We spent most of the night hanging out with people from our tour and our tour guide. Our tour guide, Jimmy, was awesome, and he was super smart. Like many Australians he decided not to go straight to college right out of high school. He spent most of his time working and traveling, while he figured out what he would want to study when he actually went to college. Come to find out many countries other than America encourage their students to take time to figure out what they want to do with their lives before entering college. I thought that was pretty neat. Australia also pays for their students to attend college, much like many other countries. Jimmy told Kamron and me that they are in dire need for nurses and teachers before we even told him what we were studying at home. Maybe we will go there for a few years! :) The sky is the limit!!!
We did eventually make it back to the hostel, and we were all ready to crash. We got up early on Friday to catch our flight back to Melbourne. After grabbing a bite to eat for lunch on our way back to Kamron's, we planned our Grampians and Adelaide trip!
Oh my, this post is getting rather long, and I still have a day trip to the Grampians and my trip to Adeliade to cover, so I will hold off until another time. I will right again soon! I send my love and lots of hugs! I will be there in person soon :)
Kamron and I took a trip to the Outback (which is central Australia - all desert - I didn't know this haha) with two of his friends from Austria, Harry and Josef. We left for our flight to Alice Springs early Monday morning. We took a cab to a pretty cheap hostel, while our cab driver warned us about the natives in central Australia. The aborigines form gangs, and so it is not safe to be out at night unless you are in a large group.
After settling in to our hostel, we arranged for our pick up to begin our tour of the Outback - 6:10am Tuesday morning, off to an early start. We then made our way to the city, composing two streets haha. For lunch I had a kangaroo burger! YUM! It was tasty! It takes just like stake. Then we began our search for a cheap, but decent, pub. We found a western looking pub that was called Bojangles. Funny, huh?! Unfortunately we didn't stay there. It was far to expensive. After finding a decent pub (right next door, we didn't have to travel far), we started our rounds. After about six pitchers, I lost count. I never thought I would be a beer drinker, but it is soooo much cheaper! By the time it was starting to get dark, dinner was among us, so we were starting to get hungry. We ordered chicken schnitzel (which is kind of like fried chicken, but nothing like the south). Of course we had some more rounds with dinner, and I got a chance to play at the slot machines. We didn't win anything, which is a shame. We decided on our way back to the hostel that we should invest in some cases of beer, because it was probably going to be ridiculously expensive on the tour. Against the warnings, we ventured for some cases of beer and wandered back to the hostel had a couple of more beers and headed to bed by 11pm - definitely early for us!
Time to get up came way to early! Luckily we showered before bed, and we didn't have much to get together. The bus was packed and the roads were too rough to sleep. It was about a two and half hour drive to Ayers Rock where we were camping for the night. We made two stops along the way. The first stop was at a camel farm where I got to pet a dingo, and I saw my first kangaroo! Our second stop was at the geographical center of Australia, kind of cool! Then we made a quick stop for firewood. Of course, we had to pull the beers out along the way. Between our first and second stop (8:15ish am), we pulled out our first round at the back of the bus. Vollgas - which translates to "all the way" in German - also known as "go big or go home!" Nothing like being the bad kids, sitting at the back of the bus drinking beer. We arrived at the campsite in time for lunch and then headed to Kata Tjuta for a short hike. Next we went to see the sunset on Uluru (which gave us another excuse for a beer). When you watch the sunset on Uluru, the rocks seem to change color, and the sky changes color beautifully. We got some great pictures of both Kata Tjuta and the sunset at Uluru (and of the rest of the trip), but I probably won't be able to post them on the shutterfly website until I am back state side (which will be a few days from now).
Anyways, after the sunset, we made our way back to camp for dinner. We had kangaroo steaks and camel sausage. The camel sausage was shockingly delicious. They don't taste that much different from pork sausage. After cleaning up we sat around the campfire for awhile, attempting to keep warm. If you are unfamiliar with the weather here in Australia, more particularly central Australia, I will fill you in. The days are wonderful, perfect for hiking. The sun is shinning constantly! Now the evenings are freezing! In central Australia the nights can get below freezing during winter. We were camping outside on our tour with no tents. Just a swag and a sleeping bag. Kamron and I shared a swag, managing to squeeze two sleeping bags inside. The stars were stunning, the weather not so much. Before bed we were also given the chance to play the didgeridoo, which is a long tube looking instrument particular to the aborigines. I wasn't all that successful in playing it (but I made noise haha). Kamron was able to get a few notes out :)
On Wednesday, we woke up before the sun and travelled to see the sunrise against Uluru. Similarly to the sunset, the colors were awesome. In an attempt to keep from getting dehydrated (from drinking beverages other than water...), Kamron and I made sure we had a number of water bottles before we started our hike for the day. We hiked up Uluru after the sunrise. We had the option to do a walk around the base or climb up it. Naturally I was gung-ho, until I learned about the hike. The aborigines ask each tour to ask the tourists not to climb. Thirty-five people have died climbing Uluru, and the aborigines feel like it is their duty to keep people safe on their land. Did I decide to hike up Uluru... well, yeah. Despite all of the warnings, a small group of us from the tour (including but not limited to Kamron, Harry, Josef, an Australian named Michael, and myself). The only thing to get you up the side of this mountain was a chain. There were no steps. Being the goober I am, I didn't pack my hiking boots, so I wore tennis shoes. No worries, I made it alive!! YAY! It was totally worth it! I was a bit worried of how I was going to get down, but it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought, and the view from the top was phenominal. Nothing beats it. When we got to the top of the chain, there is a bit more of a path, but it is only marked by a white dotted line. After we got to the end of the trail (to the sacred part of the mountain for the aborigines) Kamron and Harry decided to venture to see the stone people!
After successfully making it down Uluru (and taking a number of pictures), the entire tour group did a short section of the base together. It was called the Mala walk. There are a number of sacred places along the walk where only the aborigines are allowed to go, and we were not allowed to take pictures.
After the walk we had lunch and made our way towards our next campsite, which was right outside Kings Canyon. Our tour guide offered to drop us off at a pub right before we made it to the site, because we didn't have anything planned for when we got to camp. Of course our posy took him up on the offer! We had a few pitchers of beer, and that was all she wrote. By the time he came back to pick us up, we all had had a bit to drink. Dinner was delicious, which could have been because everything tastes good after you've had a good amount to drink. Thankfully it didn't seem as cold as the night before, which could have been because of our drunken stooper. After being calmed down from our biligerent selves, we managaed to listen to a star gazing shpeel from our guide. It was cool being able to see an entire new set of stars from at home. I got to see the Milky Way (Dr. Schmidt would be proud - I even knew some of the random facts that our guide was sharing. I did learn something!).
Sleeping outside wasn't too bad because of the warm fuzzy feeling I had acquired from my drinks. The boys spent their time before bed playing with the mice on site. There were millions running all over the place. You can see some pictures on the shutterfly page.
After being sung to sleep by our lullaby of choice, dingo howling, we got up to start our hike of Kings Canyon. Kings Canyon is supposedly similar to the Grand Canyon, except it is smaller and was created in a slightly different way. It was a gorgeous hike. It started out a bit chilly, but as the sun began to rise the weather became perfect! The hike took a few hours, including our many stops for pictures. After we finished up, we headed back to Alice Springs - stopping for some lunch along the way.
When we got back to Alice Springs we checked back into our hostel for the night, showered, and made our way to dinner. Our tour guide was able to get a cheap meal for anyone on our tour if we went to this restaurant in walking distance. Of course, we were game. Instead of having to spend money on an expensive meal, we bought pitchers of beer. How many... well I'm not sure. We spent most of the night hanging out with people from our tour and our tour guide. Our tour guide, Jimmy, was awesome, and he was super smart. Like many Australians he decided not to go straight to college right out of high school. He spent most of his time working and traveling, while he figured out what he would want to study when he actually went to college. Come to find out many countries other than America encourage their students to take time to figure out what they want to do with their lives before entering college. I thought that was pretty neat. Australia also pays for their students to attend college, much like many other countries. Jimmy told Kamron and me that they are in dire need for nurses and teachers before we even told him what we were studying at home. Maybe we will go there for a few years! :) The sky is the limit!!!
We did eventually make it back to the hostel, and we were all ready to crash. We got up early on Friday to catch our flight back to Melbourne. After grabbing a bite to eat for lunch on our way back to Kamron's, we planned our Grampians and Adelaide trip!
Oh my, this post is getting rather long, and I still have a day trip to the Grampians and my trip to Adeliade to cover, so I will hold off until another time. I will right again soon! I send my love and lots of hugs! I will be there in person soon :)
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Protest Crazies
Hello all! It has been entirely wayyyy to long, but I have not had internet access for the past week and a half due to travelling. I will have to fill everyone in on my trips in a later post, but I forgot to mention the rally that Kamron and I witnessed the day before we left on our tour of the Outback.
Well, Kamron lives right next to an immigrant detention center, so sometimes protests can get a little out of hand. When Kamron checked his email the day before the protest, he found one saying that all of the residents shouls stay inside if they were around during the protest or pretty much just simply avoid the area. Of course we forgot, and we walked right into it. Kamron and I walked to Highpoint (the mall), and on our way back we found ourself mixed in with a number of protesters. Luckily we were able to stick to the sides, and we had no problems staying out of the way. Fortuntately we also just missed the protestors going nut-so! There were about fifteen to twenty police officers on horseback and a number on foot. The protestors thought it would be a good idea to beat the horses with their signs, and the police officers reacted. One of the horses fell on a few of the protestors, and they claim police brutatlity... silly, huh? That is pretty much it for that story. I just thought it was funny - and crazy. We don't usually see much of that at home unless we're in the city or maybe DC.
Cheers until next time :)
Well, Kamron lives right next to an immigrant detention center, so sometimes protests can get a little out of hand. When Kamron checked his email the day before the protest, he found one saying that all of the residents shouls stay inside if they were around during the protest or pretty much just simply avoid the area. Of course we forgot, and we walked right into it. Kamron and I walked to Highpoint (the mall), and on our way back we found ourself mixed in with a number of protesters. Luckily we were able to stick to the sides, and we had no problems staying out of the way. Fortuntately we also just missed the protestors going nut-so! There were about fifteen to twenty police officers on horseback and a number on foot. The protestors thought it would be a good idea to beat the horses with their signs, and the police officers reacted. One of the horses fell on a few of the protestors, and they claim police brutatlity... silly, huh? That is pretty much it for that story. I just thought it was funny - and crazy. We don't usually see much of that at home unless we're in the city or maybe DC.
Cheers until next time :)
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