What's with the spiders?

Ok...I'm sorry. I did it again. I was trying to give you all a weekly update and after telling various people earlier in the week that I'd let you know what happened last weekend and then failed to do it, I'm back. So that just means that this will possibly be a long one for you to enjoy. :)

I unfortunately didn't get an early start to last weekend. I had a big paper due and being the best procrastinator in the world, I didn't finish it until about an hour before it was to be turned in on Friday afternoon. Saturday however, was much better. Steph and Shawn had rented a car for the weekend and I joined them and a couple others on a roadtrip across the border again. We first drove into New South Wales to check out the tiny town of Nimbin. Now Nimbin is known as Australia's Alternate Capital...as in alternate lifestyle. So it was a very hippie town to say the least. We spent a little while checking out the shops and admiring the art painted onto all the buildings, sidewalks, and columns. And when I said in another post about how Byron Bay was a hippie area...it pales in comparison to Nimbin's people, art, and lifestyle.


After we got our fill of Nimbin (which didn't take very long as the town covers an area about the size of my apartment complex back in Virginia), we drove through the mountains on a quest to find a waterfall. After a short-lived attempt we decided to head back onto the main road in order to find some petrol for the car and then head off to Bryon Bay where Steph and Shawn were hoping to have a go at hang gliding. When we got to Byron we browsed the stores and I bought some souvenirs to remind myself of the town I am now obsessed with. After that we made it down to the beach and lounged around for a while where I got my fill of people watching and sunbathing. And although hang gliding never occurred (don't worry - they got to go a couple days later!) we ended the day with a stop at the best gelato place...mmm...

This past week seemed like it went by so fast. I was honestly confused at one point last night and kept asking "Is it Saturday? How did that happen?". The week was fairly boring with class and what not...until Thursday afternoon. Oh man...

I was browsing through my closet deciding on what to wear to go out for the evening when I gave up, sat down, and gazed blankly towards my wardrobe. And that's when I noticed the legs...long, brown, spider legs. As in monstrously long spider legs...sticking out on the wall next to where I had just been standing moments before. I froze and a million ideas as to what to do raced through my mind. I decided the best thing to do was to leave the room immediately while keeping an eye on the monster and call in reinforcements - aka Chris and Steph. They were in disbelief at the size of the thing and I found myself not even able to look at it anymore because I'll be honest...I was scared. Very scared. After the first attempt to kill it after which it escaped across the wall and behind my dresser, the three of us spent the next HOUR devising ways to kill it without it killing us first (at least I thought it was going to attack us because this monster was (no joke) the size of my entire hand). This included moving almost my entire room into the foyer and my bed to the other wall. The plan of attack also implemented multiple phonebooks, a cutting board, and a large frying pan. Oh...and multiple screams and cries...mostly from me. Finally though, Chris and Steph managed to get rid of it by smashing my dresser against the wall a few times. My heart's racing right now just thinking about it again. I'm still scared to sleep in my room and every five minutes I give a thorough glance across everything to make sure there aren't any more hanging out with me.


Thursday night was much better though where we all went to watch Shawn play in the footy game - Victoria vs. the Rest of the World. It was a lot of fun and I felt like I got some more Aussie culture.

Friday however, was one of my favorite days so far. We took a two-and-a-half hour train ride to the Australia Zoo...Steve Irwin's zoo! It was perfect. We had arrived just in time to feed the elephants (that's right! feed them!) and we also got to feed and pet kangaroos and koalas. They had areas where you could just walk around in a park-like area and kangaroos were everywhere and would just let you come up to them and feed and pat them. It was one of the many highlights. We also went to a tiger show where we got to see the trainers play with the beautiful cats and watch them leap into the water to play. Being there made me want to become one of the trainers and work with the animals all day. The only downfall though was that we never got to see Bindi or Robert (Steve Irwin's kids). I was hoping they and Terri would be around in the park.

Saturday I spent the majority of the afternoon on the beach at Burleigh Heads (where I got a little burned, but I think my spandex tanline definitely disappeared) and had the BEST burger I've had in a very long time. And today, I did some more procrastinating on my schoolwork because I'm so good at that and running away from more Australian creatures (because I've become good at that too). Today's menagerie included another large hairy spider in the kitchen which Tiffany helped me take care of, a gecko, and a bee in my room. Lovely. I'm hoping that I will be alone in my room tonight and won't have any surprise visitors. Actually, I'm hoping I won't have any hairy, slimy, or buzzing visitors for the next month.

Waffles, Rhys, high-tech toilets...but no Nemo.

This past weekend truly made me feel like the typical American tourist again. Steph, Kendra, Chris, and I packed our bags and headed to Sydney Thursday evening. After looking like lost students walking the side of the road, feeling like we were back in the States while eating our Subway dinner, and meeting an American dad and his daughter who now live in Australia (I plan on growing up to be just like them), we made it to the Gold Coast airport where we boarded our evening flight to the city. It felt like we had only been on the plane for about 10 minutes when Kendra and I looked out the window for our first taste of Sydney. We had a beautiful view of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the famous Opera House all lit up on the edge of the city. Amazing. After grabbing a cab we made it to our hostel. It looked creepy and haunted...and I loved it. It used to be a house and it reminded me of a smaller version of my dorm from my sophomore year of high school. After settling into our room we decided to check out our surroundings...and that's when we met Rhys. Somehow Kendra manages to attract the most interesting characters wherever she goes and on this particular night, she found Rhys. He was drunk as a skunk and after almost getting himself run over by a cab and buying us each a beer we had given him 10 different stories about where we were from and how long we were staying in Sydney...because he had asked us 10 different times in 30 minutes. But at least he makes quite the story for our introduction to the city.

The next day we headed out early for a 2 hour train ride to the Blue Mountains to see the Three Sisters - a beautiful formation that we were only able to catch for about three seconds due to the amount of fog that day. However, we saw some gorgeous views during our walk through the forest including a giant waterfall and a plethroa of cockatoos. We spent a good part of the day walking through the cute little mountain town and walking through the mountains. After making it back to the city we spent forever and a half looking for a place to eat in the rain (finally settling on Japanese where I tried some eel for the first time) and meeting up with some friends who were also in the city for the weekend.

On our second day we had much nicer weather and I felt like I was able to get a taste of fall from back home as it was much cooler in that area of the country than here on the Gold Coast. And with the amount of walking we did that day, I felt like I had walked all the way back home anyway. My feet still hurt four days later! All the walking was worth it though. We started the day at the Tip Jar where after a bit of a wait we had the best waffles ever...for me - strawberries, strawberry sauce, strawberry cream, and strawberry ice cream along with a cup of chai tea. So good. Then we were off to Paddy's Market where the four of us loaded up on touristy things for back home. The amount of tables selling anything and everything was truly overwhelming for me and I had to stop and take a moment to map out my morning so as not to get lost and make sure I saw everything. We then continued on to Hyde Park, the ANZAC memorial, and for me a stop into the Australian Museum. It was mostly your typical Natural History museum but my favorite was the exhibit on all the dangerous things in Australia that could kill you or at the very least make you incredibly sick...including a tiny tiny jellyfish that you would never notice. Now of course I'm scared. On my way to meet back up with the rest of the group I stopped inside the amazing St. Mary's Cathedral where I saw a bride walk down the aisle to meet her fiance...definitely a good place for a wedding. Finally I made it to the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge. That bridge is gigantic! So of course there were many photos taken with both. I didn't feel like I was truly there though until I walked up the stairs and placed my hand on the Opera House. I thought it would sound more legitimate and amazing when instead of saying "I saw the Opera House" I can say "I touched the Opera House." We then decided to walk across the bridge where I took about a zillion and one more photos of the Opera House and the city, resulting in enough photos to make a flip-book of the attraction from every angle seen from the bridge. We then took a stroll through Luna Park where shortly afterwards we found ourselves entertained by the public restroom. To get in you had to walk through an automatic door where as it was closed you were given oral instructions on how to use the completely automatic room. There was the typical automatic flush and sink water but also soap, doors, and toilet paper But the best part - the elevator music. Needless to say, we were entertained. After that moment we walked through residential areas so we could find the perfect place to watch the sunset over the city. It was a relief to sit down and rest at this point. 10 hours of straight walking! Finally, we began the trek home and to find some dinner where we again took photos of the Opera House and city every 10 feet but this time all lit up at night. This was definitely my favorite moment of the trip.

Sunday we woke up to an on-and-off-again misty rain as we made our way to Bondi Beach. After perusing the markets there and taking a stroll through the shops to escape the rain (including an adorable second-hand bookstore) we went on to the beach where I photographed some surfers before having a small accident involving my camera and a bottle of water. No worries though...after my heart leapt out of my chest, the camera still worked as if nothing had happened...thank goodness! We then walked along the ocean for the annual Sculpture by the Sea. There were some amazing sculptures and the views of Bondi were amazing. Finally, we ventured back to the city where we happened upon a neat place for dinner where you could buy any drink and get a free meal - no catch at all. So of course, being cheap backpackers like a lot of others wandering the city, we took the deal and had a filling dinner. After a stop at a hole-in-the-wall bar recommended by Rhys earlier that weekend and making friends with a hilariously entertaining Aussie duo of friends we went to bed before catching our 4:45am cab back to the airport on Monday morning to make it home in time for that morning's classes.

Overall, Sydney was amazing despite the not-so-amazing weather and I would love to go back there again.

Mother Earth Hates Me...Sometimes

I officially have less than two months left in Australia. On one hand that sounds like a long time...but on the other, two months can fly by. I've been struggling with it the past few days actually. I look back to two months ago when I first arrived on the other side of the world and Cairns feels like a lifetime away. So in retrospect, two months is a long time. But then I think about how Christmas will be here before we know it, which also means I'll be home. So in that way, two months from now is a hop, jump, and a skip away. But from here on out I plan on continuing my adventure and making the most of my time here.

This past week was slightly unadventurous...you can't expect much I guess when it comes to going to class during the day and trying to accomplish the job of being a student. That gets pretty boring, so as usual, I don't have too much to say about the weekdays. Except for the fact that Mother Nature was against me in almost every way on Wednesday and Thursday. My goal was to make it to the beach after my Wednesday morning class...but that goal was shot down when the weather took a turn for the worse. Queensland is known for 300 days of sunshine a year and it must have filled its quota for the month because it was a dreary day. Thursday then proved to be a windy day and while I got one step farther by making it on the bus and getting off at Broadbeach...huge dark grey clouds hovered over the area and brought tons of wind and some chilly air. So I sat on the small boardwalk and watched surfers and kayakers take advantage of the wind. But Mother Nature made up for it by giving me a wonderful weekend...

The weekend started bright and early on Friday morning when Steph, Kendra, Bethany, Shawn, and I caught a very early bus to the airport where we picked up Red Ginger...our car (a red Hyundai Elantra to be exact) for the day. After calculating that renting a car would be cheaper than the bus, we booked one so that we could drive to one of my new favorite places...the gorgeous Byron Bay. We paid for the rental, found Red Ginger in the parking lot, and loaded our stuff in the boot...and that's when everyone's hearts began to race a little...especially mine. Why did mine race a little more, you ask? Well, I had volunteered to drive. I think the rest of the group became a little nervous when the first words out of my mouth when I sat down in the driver's seat (which is on the right side of the car) were "Is the brake normally on the left side? I think I forgot how to drive..." But don't worry! After a bit of nervous driving trying to get out of the airport without hitting anything (I felt like I was learning how to drive all over again) and getting the windshield wipers to stop moving and the turn signals to start blinking (they were switched on the wheel so you can imagine the frustration with that...I also had to push down for the right turn signal and up for the left turn signal!) we safely made it onto the highway. The whole hour I was concentrating on staying in the lines like I was coloring in a coloring book. I also had to get used to all the exits and merging lanes being on my left and the fact that they pass on the right...and of course the obvious driving on the left side of the road thing. All in all, it was a good experience and I was a little sad to see Red Ginger go the next morning. But on to Byron...

I can't accurately describe Byron Bay until you see it for yourself. But it's a small town with a whole lot of character. It has a very relaxed hippie feel to it. Mosaics were found in the sidewalks with animals painted into the columns in front of the shops and restaurants. While I saw your typical tourist shops with tshirts and hats, I also caught glimpses of stores with beautiful jewelry and other odds and ends. The beaches were amazing where we had a perfect view of Mt. Warning (remember my 2am hike?) to the left and the famous Byron Bay lighthouse to the right. Surfers, hippies, and other tourists were on the beach enjoying the morning (although somewhat cloudy to Kendra's disappointment). We went to the lighthouse where we found the other tourists admiring the view. Then, the best part...we walked down to Cape Byron - "Australia's Most Easterly Point". It was gorgeous! While out there we saw whales and dolphins off in the distance! Needless to say...amazing. We hurried back to the car though because we watched a large rainstorm cross the water towards us. After getting back into the town we went off to our biggest adventure of the day...sea kayaking! Kendra and I tandemed in our kayak and were the first ones to successfully flip before making it past the break...Mother Nature knows I hate water so in the process, she let me get stuck under the kayak before I was able to stand up and look at Kendra with a defeated face. We were successful on our second try though :) Although we didn't see whales or dolphins again, we did see loggerhead turtles...aka GIGANTIC turtles. As in over 300 pounds of turtle! And Ben, our tour guide, said he didn't see them too often, so we got a bit of a treat. After a couple hours we headed back (which was a bit of a relief as we all started to feel a bit sea sick) when Kendra and I successfully rode a wave back into shore and got to have snacks on the beach. After a delicious dinner of Thai food and amazing gelato, we quietly drove home.

Saturday was Halloween and Kendra, Bethany, and I dressed up as the Powerpuff girls! Our costumes came together nicely and while most people still asked who we were, I thought we looked good together. We went with a ton of other Bondies to The Drink, a club in Surfer's where we saw some interesting characters for the night...including Oscar the Grouch, Big Bird, and multiple Michael Jacksons. Although Australia doesn't celebrate Halloween to the extent the US does, it was still a lot of fun. Finally, Sunday was spent relaxing and preparing for the week ahead.
Moral of the story: I will be moving to Byron Bay (maybe even to the 15million dollar home Ben showed us next to one of Australia's best surfing breaks) in the future. And also, although Mother Nature and I had a few battles over the past week, she and I are at peace for now.