$1500 and 13 Days later

Well I just got back from 13 of the best and most exhausting days of my life. Our “Spring” break trip was awesome, but now like someone on the trip said, I need a Holiday after my Holiday. I feel like I’ve been going non-stop and I haven’t had a good nights sleep in ages. Just a warning this entry is going to be extremely long seeing as I have two weeks of non stop adventure to update everyone on.

Out trip started Friday the 10th when Rachel Jackie and I got up at the crack of dawn for our shuttle to the airport. Our flight got us into Cairns early in the afternoon and then we just walked around and hung out at the Hostel for the rest of the day. There was a really nice pool and bar area which is where we ate dinner. It was $10 for your pick of mean (steak chicken fish) side salad, break and a drink. It was interesting because they just gave you the raw meat and then you had to grill your own, but it was delicious.

Saturday we got up early for our 2 hour bus ride to the Tully river where we did white water rafting. This was intense, our raft consisted of 3 strangers, our guide who didn’t speak very good English, Jackie, Rachel, Dana and myself. We did 2.5 hours in the morning, braked for a bbq lunch and then another 2 hours in the afternoon. It was grade 4 rapids which are pretty difficult, but it was nice because after each rapid we had a calm period to rest. About 15 minutes before our lunch break we were approaching a rapid that apparently had a cyclone on the right hand side that was pretty tough to get through. Our guide told us we should go left but after the first three rafts went right we just followed them. Bad idea, we got to the cyclone, stopped and knew we were doomed. Our raft went straight into the air throwing all of us into the water. I really don’t remember much because it all went so fast but I do remember not knowing which way the sky was. Eventually I came up, just quick enough to get a breath before another wave pushed me back under. Our raft flipped in the middle of the rapid so we ended up floating/swimming/ getting pushed down the remainder. They advised us that when your raft flips you should go into the float position which is on your back with your feet out infront of you. Yeah, well this is easier said then done. I was spinning around doing somersaults running into rocks while trying to get to that position. I remember floating past one of the other rafts that was trying to pull us in except they couldn’t reach me. Then eventually one of the guides in the other raft threw me the rope and pulled me in. Everyone in that raft said I looked horrified and they were all pretty concerned for me because they said our flip/swim through the rapid looked pretty intense. I got a nice cut on my knee and many bruises all over my legs but I’m fine and now I have an awesome story to tell. Our guide told us that he owed us beers at the bar afterwards since our raft flipped, but when we got there he never followed through with his promise, what a jerk. The afternoon went smoothly although we were all a bit apprehensive about getting back into the river after our tumble but all in all it was a good day.

Sunday we got up early yet again, this time to head north along Captain Cook Highway which has awesome views of the ocean. Our bus/tour guide Scotty was awesome and on the way told us tons of ways that you can die in Australia, the jellyfish and crocodiles were what he liked to talk about most. Our first stop was at a Rainforest Habitat where we got to see tons of wildlife and pet/feed Kangaroos and Wallabies. After that we got back in the bus to head up to Daintree National Park in Mossman George, here we did a rainforest walk and saw some more wildlife. After that was a stop at smaller beach where we had a delicious lunch before we headed north to the Daintree River. We took a “cruise” down the river in a small boat where we saw some crocodiles, birds, butterflies, and other wildlife. Back into the bus and another long drive until we arrived in Cape Tribulation where we spent the night. It was cool because our hostel was being remodeled so we got upgraded to the Cape Tribulation resort and spa. It was a really neat place, all of the units were kind of like little log cabin/tree houses in the middle of the rainforest. The best part was probably the bathrooms though, there were large glass showers AND hot water. We ate dinner at the restaurant there event though reception told us it was “a bit pricy” as if because we were students/backpackers we couldn’t afford it. they told us it would be very busy and they would try to fit us in which was bogus because the restaurant was half empty when we were seated. The food really wasn’t that great and somewhat expensive but I’m still glad we ate there because our only other option was a 20 minute walk down to the tiny grocery store in town.

Monday we got to sleep in a tiny bit, 7:45 pick up, to head out to the Great Barrier Reef. We all got on board a boat and headed out to the reef which was about an hour away. It was awesome to relax/suntan on the front of the boat during the drive out there. When we got there we had an introduction about snorkeling and then they let us out into the ocean for about 2 hours to explore the reef. I’ve never been snorkeling before but it was awesome. We saw pretty much all of the wildlife they talked about, coral, fish, sting rays, turtles, and even a reef shark. Some of the girls said it wasn’t as beautiful as some of the snorkeling they’ve done in the Caribbean and other places but that’s because the Reef is slowing dying/disappearing because of all the pollution in the world. I’m just glad I got to see it before it’s gone. In between snorkeling we had a break for a huge lunch and then after we headed back to land where we caught our bus for a 2 hour ride back to Cairns where we returned to our wonderful Bohemia “resort” hostel. We had dinner there again, this time it was included in the trip and instead of one of the meat selections you got a small portion of all three. After that everyone packed and got ready and then we all played drinking games by the pool until it was time to get on our bus at midnight to head down to Airlie Beach. This was probably one of the funniest nights of my life. We played Kings Cup and with all the rules we added it was a ridiculous game, not to mention there were like 20 people in on one game that just made it insane. We didn’t’ realize at first that we had to get our own transportation to the greyhound terminal so we ended up calling taxies to get us there. The last taxi was running late and according to greyhound rules you have to be at the terminal 20 minutes before departure. The last taxi with about 5 people from our group arrived at 12:30 which is when we were supposed to leave, and our asshole bus driver left without them even though we begged him to wait. They all were drunk and retarded arguing but it really sucked for them because they ended up having to take a taxi to the next town where they could catch a different bus.

The bus ride was ridiculous, we stopped at 3am for a meal break, not sure what meal that’s supposed to be, but some of the drunk kids got off to get snacks. After that it felt like we stopped every hour for a break or to pick up more passengers. We finally arrived around 11 to Arlie beach and had no idea where we were supposed to go. Josh, one of the guys on our trip was amazing at organizing things, he helped the stranded bunch of kids get to Arlie beach and figured out where we were supposed to go when we got there. Once we arrived in the office we found out that we were only allowed a small backpack of things for the trip and that we were supposed to leave the rest of our luggage in their hold room. I wish I would have known this before because I just took my large travel backpack and then a tiny cloth backpack. I ended up stuffing everything I needed in there and then we had the day to hang out in town before getting on the boats. It would have been a lot of fun except that we were all tired from the lack of sleep we got on the bus the night before and it was raining so no one really wanted to walk around o explore the town. We were supposed to leave at 1 but since the group that missed the bus was still on their way we were postponed. Then at 3, our second scheduled arrival time we found out that they were fixing the “freight train” which is the sailing yacht that I was supposed to be on, that made me feel good. Finally everyone got there and the boat was ready and we ended up leaving around 5. It was still raining so it wasn’t that much fun to be on the top of the boat, for me at least, I hate being cold and wet so I just went under the boat and hung out. Our sleeping arrangements were very interesting. It was like bunk beds in the side of the boat, and I was on top. It was hot and kind of smelly but I’m still really glad I did it, it was an awesome experience and made a great story to tell. The way out was a bit rocky, and I was a little nervous but I got used to it. Our skipper was Jason and then we had another guy Patrick that was supposed to be the diving instructor but he was basically in charge. Then there was Erica who was the cook for us, I can’t believe the meals she made in that tiny kitchen with limited resources, while sailing. The first night we had spaghetti and garlic bread which was delicious. The rain stopped so we sat up top for a while, and then we went to a bar on one of the islands. We stayed there till 12 but it was a pretty chill night because all of us were pretty much exhausted from our long day. The most annoying part of it was that we had to walk to the bar, and Patrick told us that we didn’t’ need our shoes because it was just a short walk. Well he was wrong, it was a long walk through mud, and rocks, all of us were tiptoeing through these rocks screaming every time we hit a sharp one. This guy Patrick was pretty cool but could also be a complete asshole.

The next day what was it Thursday the 16th I woke up pretty early, before anyone else and went up on top the boat. I was just in time to catch the end of the sunrise which was GORGEOUS, I got some good pictures of that and then while I was waiting everyone else woke up and we had breakfast. We sailed out to Whitehaven beach which is again another beautiful place. Everything on this trip was so pretty and amazing it was hard to take it all in. I’m sure you’ve seen pictures of this beach in magazines and on posters and stuff. It has the whitest sand I have ever seen in my life and it’s so fine. The only problem is it gets in everything, we were constantly covered in sand and they warned us to be careful with our cameras because the beach has been known to take the lives of many digital cameras. I was careful because I’ve already lost one camera to sand damage and did not want to loose another one, especially in the middle of this trip. We got to the beach at like 8:30, did the touristy picture thing at the lookout and then just hung out there until about 10. We left early because we had a 2 hour trip to another area of the islands where we were doing snorkeling. On the way to that we all just hung out on the boats, the weather was gorgeous, sunny and warm so all the girls were sprawled out on the deck tanning. When we got to our next location we had lunch, which was so good, I was expecting basic meals on this trip but we had potato salad, roast chicken, pasta salad, bread, and some other things. After that we went snorkeling for a while, but the water was kind of murkey from all the rain they had the day before so it wasn’t as good as it should have been. After this we just sailed to anther area where we stopped to anchor for the night. We all started drinking “good’ (it’s what they called boxed wine here) on the way and just hung out the entire night. It was crazy, we were blasting music, singing along, dancing, all in all a great end to the sailing trip. The skipper also thought it would be a good idea to do a snorkel bong. it’s kind of like a beer bong, basically you just fill the tube of a snorkel with wine and then chug it. It seemed like a good idea at the time, and the first one was fun, the second one not such a good idea though.

Soo I woke up the next morning not feeling so hot, I think the mixture of hangover, smelly wet people that hadn’t showered in two days, and sea sickness was a deadly combination. I made my way up to the deck and puked overboard, it was a great start to the day. We had breakfast soon after that and Dana told me tea should settle my stomach and I figured a piece of bread would be okay to eat. Well I was wrong again because both came up within a few minutes. I’m pretty sure I saw some fish eating my puke. Sorry to anyone with sensitive stomachs but I figured I’d include all the details. We didn’t spend much time on the water that day, just headed back to Arlie beach where we had the whole day to sit around, waiting for our next overnight greyhound bus which left at 8pm. The first thing we did was showered and washed our clothes at the facilities they had by the marina. That was one of the best showers in my life and I didn’t even have a towel to dry off with, I just drip dried and then put on my swimsuit, since it was the only clean clothing I had with me. After that we found what they call the Arlie lagoon, which was pretty much just a huge public pool. Rachel and I weren’t really hungry but after a while decided that it would be better to eat something than have an empty stomach all day. I had Mc Donalds for the first time (except ice cream of course) in probably 2 years,maybe more, and it was a big let down. It was beautiful weather again and we hung out there until about 4 which is when we had to pick up the rest of our luggage from the sailing office. After that we just went to a bar and got drinks and dinner while waiting for our bus. We all made it on time this time, thankfully, except the bus ride still sucked. I feel like I didn’t sleep at all however the time passed pretty quickly so I must have just been in and out of sleep a lot.

We were supposed to get into Hervey Bay on Saturday at like 9am. Somehow the bus made up a ton of time and we got in at like 6:30. The hostel thankfully provided a courtesy van, but since we were so early they weren’t ready for us and we had to hang out at the hostel for a while before we could check in. Everyone was dead tired from the drive, some of us just hung out by the pool and some decided to go find a place to eat. We sat around until about 8:30 when they finally had us check in. The rooms were really cool, it was like a little apartment with a kitchen, living room and two bathrooms and then like 6 bedrooms. There were 19 people per unit and my unit was all people from our trip which was really cool. After we checked in we had the whole day to ourselves to just hang out, we went to the beach because it was another beautiful day. The beach was really nice, not too busy and the water was pretty shallow for the first part so it was a good beach for just hanging out. The boys bought a soccer ball, Frisbee and football so we played games for most of the day. We went back and got ready and then people from the hostel took us on a booze run so that we could stock up for that night and our camping trip. I really didn’t want to drink that much so I just got a box of wine that I was planning on sharing with Dana. After we all went on our run we came back to the hostel where they had a bbq dinner for us, it really wasn’t that good, just their sausage type hot dogs that I’m not really a fan of. After that we hung out in our apartment thing and played some drinking games, then headed down to Hollihans an Irish pub on the beach. They had a live band doing cover songs of a ton of American music and the group of guys I was with was insane. The guys were dancing with all of the older women there, and they were loving every minute of it. One of the women had a video camera with her for some reason and ended up recording some of guys dancing because they were so ridiculous.

The next day we had to be checked out of our Hostel by 6:30 and then down in the meeting room for our briefing for Fraser Island. They had us watch a movie on all of the basic rules of camping, as well as how to drive the trucks that they give you. We thought the trucks fit four but it was actually made for 10, there were the two in front and then the back of the trucks were bench seats on the sides so that you could fit 8. You had to be 21 in order to drive the trucks so that took out like half of our group and then we found out the trucks were manual and there were only a few people that knew how to drive stick. We had a girl try to drive our truck but stalled it like 3 times on the way to where we packed up our camping equipment so they decided to send a driver with us. At first we were all mad because we thought the driver was going to be strict and keep us from having fun but we were completely wrong. They ended up sending two people because the one guy didn’t want to go out alone. We had 12 people in our truck and one of the other trucks only had 8 because they were all separate from the STA group. The first day out Rachel and I rode with them because we thought it would be easier than stuffing 12 people into our truck. That kind of sucked because we got separated from the rest of the trucks for the majority of the day and didn’t think that we would ever meet back up with them. On the way to the campsite I told Rachel it would be awesome if we got there and all of our stuff was set up with dinner cooking. She told me not to even say that because it would get her hopes up, but when we pulled up that’s exactly what happened and it was awesome. We had spaghetti and I cracked open my wine to go with it. We found out that we couldn’t have a campfire in the area we were set up at (which I actually knew already since I watched the video at orientation) but this came as a shock to everyone else when they realized we’d just be hanging out in the dark. We sat by the beach except I was freezing and didn’t’ really feel like drinking so I think I ended up going to bed pretty early.

The next morning we woke up to find that the Dingo’s ate all of the meat from our coolers, so we didn’t have much food for dinner that night. We decided that we would camp at the same location that night so that we did not have to pack up all of our camping gear and then unpack and set up again that night. We left around 8 because you have to drive when the tides are low and we headed up the east coast of the Island. The ride was a bit scary, it’s so weird driving in sand you just swerve back and forth and with all of the weight we had on the top of our truck it felt like we were going to tip over. There were a few spots where the tide was pretty high so we almost got stuck in some of the water. there were also spots where we had to go over rocks which was pretty intense, and kind of scary. After we got over one patch the park ranger stopped us and told us to be safer because he didn’t want another accident like the one they had the day before, that freaked me out a little bit. After about 2 hours we got to the top of the Island to what they call the champagne pools, it’s an area where the ocean washes over rocks and creates neat little pools of water. We hung out there for a while and some of us started drinking, some may have thought it was early but we reasoned that it was okay because it was 5 o’clock at home. We packed back into our trucks and headed south again, stopped at the Maheno shipwreck which is basically just a rusty ship that washed up on shore. After that we went to Eli Creek which is a really neat shallow creek that runs into the ocean along the beach. We walked up and down that and then hung out there for a few hours because we had to wait for the tide to be low again so we could drive on the beach. I laid down to tan and ended up taking an amazing nap on the beach, I guess the wine/sun combination made me a bit tired. The rest of our group was playing football in the creek so when I woke up I joined in with that. Some of the guys thought it would be more fun to play football with me so one of them picked me up and they started passing me around. It was actually really funny and kind of fun, most of them were joking that I would be covered in bruises the next day because my legs were basically one big bruise as it was because of the white water rafting. Once the tide was low we headed back to camp where we made some delicious sandy grilled cheese sandwiches, chips, and any other random food we had. The other groups had some extra sausage and cheeseburgers so they also shared these with us. That night the Dingo’s must have remembered where the food was because they came back for a friendly visit. All of the guys thought it would be a good idea to go Dingo hunting so they tried to make spears and one of them picked up a shovel. I think they ran around for a while but then they just gave up and continued drinking and acting like retards, pretty much normal behavior for those guys but extremely amusing. I went to bed early again that night, as did most of the group, long days of sun, 4 wheel driving, and drinking will do that to you.

The next morning we had to get up and pack up all of our stuff before we headed out for Lake McKenzie. It was about a 2 hour drive but once we got there it was beautiful. The lake had the bluest water I’ve ever seen in my life and some of the softest whitest sand. It actually squeaked when you walked on it, I’ve never been on a beach that’s done that before. The water was a bit cold, but having not showered for 2 days it felt amazing. While most of the girls laid out in the sun the guys invented a new game, human beer pong. Basically they stood in two lines about 30 feet away from each other and then took turns throwing a football, footy ball, and Frisbee at each other. If you got hit with any of these you were out, but you were also out if you flinched as one of them flew at your body. I must say it was quite amusing to watch. We left there around 1 and ate the rest of the food that we had left, I had my apple and a peanut butter and jelly, which I didn’t mind at all. Some of the guys were complaining because there was only whole grain bread, but then they found a package of hot dog buns so they ate their PB and J on that.

Completely off topic but talking about PB and J made me think of this. They don’t have Jelly in Australia. It’s either Jam or preserves, so when one of the girls here told a local that she loves peanut butter and jelly sandwiches they thought she was crazy. Apparently what we call Jello is called jelly here, so they thought she was making some crazy new sandwich.

Anyways back to the trip, after lunch we headed back to the west side of the island where we had to meet the barge which would take us back to Hervey bay. Once back we had to unpack all of our gear and check back into the Hostel. This was an interesting point in the trip, 31 filthy smelly people and limited showers. Our room had about 11 people from the trip and one shower, we took turns and unfortunately we all got a cold shower. The hot water at this place seemed to run out ridiculously fast. As I showered sand was constantly pouring out of my hair, it was ridiculous, and despite the fact that it was freezing cold and I had to dry off with the dirty towel I had been using all week it was still one of the best showers I’ve taken. That night the hostel set up a deal where you could pay $10 for all you could eat Dominos pizza. I wasn’t really that hungry but I did it anyway because everyone else was and there were really no other options for dinner. That night was spent on the balcony of our room drinking and once again acting like complete idiots. I had a stomach ache and wasn’t really in the mood for alcohol so I just hung out with everyone. I’m actually really glad I didn’t drink because they provided the best entertainment I’ve had in a while. The guys did a great rendition of backstreet boys, follow by the girls doing spice girls. Around 10:30 they wanted to head out to the bars but I was dead tired so I just went to bed. I was woken up at 12 by them returning home and was once again provided with a few good hours of entertainment. I also collected all of the valuables, ipod, speakers, and phones that were left around the room. Many people thanked me for that in the morning.

The next morning everyone got up and started packing, sadly it was our last day of the trip and we had to check out of our rooms by 9:30 and be at the airport by 12. The flight home went by pretty fast, I slept for about half of it, read a chapter and we were there. We had scheduled an airport pickup so that we didn’t have to mess around with taking the train. Because we had so many people it wound up being about the same cost, a lot faster, and a lot more convenient, I am hoping I don’t have to travel on the train at all with luggage, I can only image what a pain that would be. It was good to be back but I was a bit disappointed when I walked into a messy, empty apartment, thanks roommates for leaving the garbage full, dirty dishes in the sick, and shit all over the living room. It was awesome though because I had two cards in the mailbox, thanks mom!

Now it’s back to reality, I had a group meeting today with some kids from my marketing group because we have a presentation/paper due in a little over a week. This week I have another paper due and then a huge test the week after. I also have to register for classes for next year in La Crosse, sort out the details of my lease, and figure out traveling plans. I have a flight to Melbourne with about 5 other people from my apartment building for May 14th so we have to book our hostels and activities for that. Then I have to figure out what I’m going to do with Brian when he comes….juuust kidding, I can’t wait for that, only 2 months!! I also booked my plane ticket home, June 24th, get excited! And start planning my party!!!

Well I guess I should wrap up this novel. I’m typing it on word right now and I just got to page 8 so I think that’s probably enough to talk about. The weather has started cooling off here, not too excited about that. I just got an awesome tan on this trip and now it’s probably going to fade because I don’t think it’s going to be warm enough for beach days anymore in Sydney. I’ll probably be living in the library for the next few days, usuing the internet to talk to everyone, update this blog, figure out classes, oh yeah, and do homework. Wish me luck with my tests, I’m still not used to being in school!

Love you and Miss you,
See you soon!

Almost halfway

Time's flying by here, I was just realizing that i'm halfway done with classes, and once I get back from break i'll be half done with my entire time here, roughly. I can't really tell if it's going too fast or just right. I'm enjoying myself and haven't felt rushed to do anything, so I guess it's going good. I was talking to someone the other day that said they heard of a lot of people who are really homesick and some that even moved their flight home to an earlier day because they're anxious to get home. I think it's mostly that everyone is ready for a break, school is stressful in that I have no or little motivation to study or do my homework since I know I only have to pass. The other problem is that in two of my classes the test averages so far were right around a 50% and the professor said that was good! I dont' get it, I guess the major differnece between here and home is that at home when the class average is that low the professors just curve it to bump everyone up, not the case here. Although i have little motivation I still do the readings, go to class, and study, but it's tough to focus when there are so many other things on my mind/ that i'm wanting to do.

We made it to Luna Park last Friday and that was a lot of fun. The special was "friday frenzy" and you got an unlimited ride pass for $25. It was worth it because otherwise rides are $10 each, kind of rediculous. The only problem was that I get motion sickness pretty easy and a majority of the rides were spinning. After a few I was done for. Me and spinning just don't get along very well. We ate dinner down there too, I had Calamari and chips and it was delicious, then as if I hadn't eaten enough we opted to get some ice cream, which was also delicious.

Saturday was a slow going day, we didn't do much of anything. Everyone was overtired and studying/preparing for all of the stuff that was due this week. I actually dont' have a hard week this week but when we get back from break I have 2 tests a presentation and a paper due so I've been trying to keep up with that knowing that i'll get nothing done over break. Saturday night I hung out with the girls upstairs and we got to talking about high school/college and just all kinds of random stuff. It was a nice relaxing night, something I think we all needed.

Sunday we had plans to go to Manly beach for Beth's 21st birthday. Despite the fact that it was kind of cloudy/cool we still went. It wasn't the best of beach days, but we stuck it out. I'm reading "The Pillars of the Earth" right now which I borrowed from my roomate John. It's about 1000 pages long, but it's really good so far, and i'm about 1/4 done.

Monday and Tuesday I had my internship which i'm enjoying. I found out that I will be able to go along to a few conferences in May. One of them is to Coffs Harbor which is suppsoed to be beautiful so that'd be cool if I could take a free trip out there.

I'm getting anxious to plan what i'm doing when Brian comes to visit, but i'm not even sure what days he's going to be here for sure or what the weather is like so I guess i'll leave some of that till after break. I also would like to know when my finals are so that I can figure out waht my schedule is going to look like for June and when i'm going to be coming home. Right now it looksl ike if I don't have finals towards the end i'll be coming home on the 23rd or 24th, but if I have finals that last week i'll probably wait until the 28th or 29th becasue flights are a lot cheaper then.

My next post probably wont' be until after my "fall" break but i'm sure it will be a long one talking about everything I did. My wall is filling up from the cards i've been getting so thanks to everyone that has sent one so far, I love getting mail!

Love you all, take care
Stephanie