Take Me Back to Cairns

My lovely readers, I have been holding out on you. As I unwind from last week’s adventure in New Zealand, I realized I never finished telling you about when Ryan was here. After a lot of calculations and one spontaneously booked flight, we were heading north to the Great Barrier Reef and the city of Cairns.

Our two major excursions for the week were hiking through the rainforests of Cape Tribulation and scuba diving the Great Barrier Reef.

Cape Tribulation:

Sometimes I feel like we have the worst luck any couple can have and then other times everything turns out perfect. Cape Tribulation is two hours north of Cairns, and the day we went it was pouring down rain. The northeast part of Australia is super tropical a.k.a. rainy season all year round. Here’s where the luck part comes in. Every time we got out of the bus to explore an area, the rain magically would stop until we were safely back on board. I swear this happened EVERY time and we had a lot of stops.

In order to reach Cape Tribulation, you have to cross the Daintree River by ferry. On the way up, we stopped for morning tea and a river cruise to look for crocodiles! How Australian does that sound. The Daintree River is really, really brown so you couldn’t see anything under the water which made it perfect for lurking crocodiles. Scar Face is the 12 feet long alpha male of the river which we thankfully didn’t run into. I was sitting right on the edge. Ryan kept spotting “log-odiles,” bless his heart.  

{Crocodile River Cruise on the Daintree River}

Once we made it across the river, Cape Tribulation was our next stop. You might be thinking “Doesn’t tribulation mean grievous trouble and suffering; why would anyone want to go to a place like that?” Well my friends, you would be correct. When Captain James Cook was sailing up the east coast to claim the land of Australia for the British, his ship The Endeavor hit a coral reef during the night. His crew worked tirelessly through the night to keep the ship afloat. By morning, The Endeavor had been freed from the reef. Captain Cook looked out to the nearby land and named it Cape Tribulation for all the woes that had befallen him.

{Striking a pose where the rainforest meets the reef}

As this little history story illustrates, Cape Tribulation is the point where the tropical rainforest meets with the Great Barrier Reef, both of which are World Heritages Sites. This is the only place in the world where this happens!

{The lush green rainforest}

Australia never ceases to amaze me with all its wonders.  Ryan and I have been tramping through the forests and rivers that the beautiful wetland area of Queensland has to offer.

{Staying dry at Mossman Gorge}

The day we went was St. Patrick’s Day {I know I am sooo late with this post}.  At our stop in Port Douglas, we were given an hour break to explore the main street and marina. In true American drinking style, the two of us found the first pub and ordered a pitcher of green beer. After two beers, it was back on the winding road with one spot en route to Cairns.  

{I’d like to think I’m windblown and not frizzy}

Great Barrier Reef:

Another early morning for Ryan and I, this time we took to the water. This was the moment I had been waiting for. I became scuba certified just for this reason: to dive the Great Barrier Reef. What a bucket list thing to do!

{Under the Sea}

Both Ryan and I were doing two snorkels and one dive. The first two sites we stopped at, we snorkeled. The water was so clear in the Coral Sea that I could see everything down to the bottom.

{Zebra fish, blue water & Coral}

The first reef was my favorite. The fish were so numerous. The parrot fish was my favorite because they were so colorful. Their bodies were a fluorescent blue with bright pinks and purples that dazzled underwater. We also saw a white tipped shark (!) and sea turtle; both of which I failed miserably to get on film.

{A school of Parrot fish}

It was decided that I would do an introduction dive with Ryan at the third reef. He did so amazing for his first time diving even though he was SUPER nervous. I was surprised how quickly all the technical aspects of diving came back to me. I hadn’t been diving since October. I will admit I got a little nervous right before I stepped off the boat and into the water. No worries though. It was so surreal to swim all the way down to the bottom of the reef. Our guide pulled a sea cucumber off some coral and let just touch it. The suction cups felt so creepy. I wasn’t a fan of that.

{Coral Reefs & Stinger Suits}

I must say that the color of the coral was a little disappointing. When I think of the Great Barrier Reef, I think bright orange and red colored coral. The Outer Reef, which is where we dove, is suppose to be better than the Inner Reef because less people make the longer boat ride out there. So I was a little disappointed with the color of the coral, but the coral itself is so intricate. There are just layers and layers stacked on one another.

{Orange coral & itty bitty little blue fish}

I am so blessed to have gotten to do this once-in-a-lifetime experience with someone I love!

{Ryan & me}

A note to anyone who is planning on diving- Don’t buy a disposable underwater camera like Kodak. The picture quality is horrible. I wish we would have spent the extra money and rented a legit {read: huge} digital underwater camera. For only $20 more than a Kodak, you can take as many pictures as you want. It’s the best choice for your money and experience especially if you have a group to split the price. Plenty of shops in town offer rentals.

{Gorgeous day in Paradise}

Cairns doesn’t have a beach which I was surprised about but they have a lovely boardwalk called the Esplanade. The main feature to the esplanade is the swimming lagoon with five steel fish squirting water from their mouths. Also, all the restaurants are down the road running parallel to the esplanade so you can’t miss it.

{The famous Cairns fish}

Sorry this took so long to post but I must say it’s nice to reminisce. All I can say is take me back to Cairns.

Cheers for now,

Kim

{Hostel Review: We stayed at Gilligan’s in the heart of Cairns. Unfortunately, Ryan and I had a bad experience there. The customer service was horrid. We waited for 30 minutes to get checked in. Plus their wireless Internet was out the whole entire week which made it hard for Ryan to watch March Madness. Gilligan’s does have a great bar and all the rooms have private bathrooms. Overall, not my favorite.}

March Recap in Pictures

It's the last day of March and I only have two and half months left in Australia! Good thing I've been spending my time wisely.

Five girls that became best friends and have WAY too much fun



Too many pictures at Sydney Harbour



Mossman's Gorge- Wishing I had taken more than four months of ballet

Deep in the Rainforest

Commencement- Getting dressed up with 200 of your closest friends

The money shot- Jack & I

One AMAZING day snorkeling and diving the Great Barrier Reef

Even if you hit a couple of bumps like I did this month, just look to the good times to realize how much you really have! I hope March was just as wonderful for you as it was me! Let me know what you did.

Cheers for now,
Kim

[SDU Note: Going through all my pictures, I realized I forgot to blog about my week in Cairns. Shame on me! I'm getting on that right away; stay tuned.]

Airport security and other oddities at the Sydney Airport

In typical Kim fashion, Ryan and I procrastinated on deciding what to do for his last week in Australia. We went back and forth between our three options - Uluru, Cairns, Melbourne. Cairns was ultimately decided on Monday night; we bought plane tickets roughly nine hours before the flight. We pulled an all-nighter, passing the time watching the first season of Entourage. (I’ve watched the seventh season before and now I’m starting from the beginning.) Wheeling our luggage through Uni to the train station at 4 in the morning wasn’t too glamorous, but after two train transfers and five hours later I am now writing this post while sitting at Gate 5 awaiting our departure, with Ryan off finding breakfast.

I would consider myself an experienced flyer. I’ve flown the most out of my family and for the most part solo. When security divides the line into ‘Causal’ and ‘Expert’ traveler, I’m always the latter. Sydney, however, is my first time flying domestic in a foreign country. My main concern as Ryan and I were traveling was the fact that we only had an hour from the time we got off the train at the airport and our flight leaving. My main concern wasn’t what if we got lost but would we get held up in a long security line?

Sydney is the largest airport in Australia, so you would assume there would be some strict airport security. Having ‘earned my wings’ in post-9/11, I know airport security is something America takes seriously. I’ve become a master of the security line shuffle-the awkward dance where I remove my shoes and belt while scooting my carry-on and trail of bins down the conveyer belt while holding my boarding pass in my mouth. It’s a spectacle to see!

Yet I did not perform “the dance” in Sydney. I wasn’t asked to remove my shoes or even show my boarding pass. I was extremely puzzled. Would they check for my id at the gate before I boarded? Going through security took a grand total of two minutes and one of those minutes was when I was randomly tested for explosive material on my clothes and bag.

I’ve come to learn that Australia is an extremely laid-back country, but is this taking it too far? Anyone could’ve gotten through security or posed as another person. There were no security announcements reminding passengers to be aware of suspicious looking baggage. My boarding pass was never verified by an id. Then I thought-does being American have something to do with it? After all, controversial body scanners are now being installed into our airports. Do we take airport security a little too far?

Ryan’s view of the matter is that no the US doesn’t go overboard on security because terrorists are coming up with new tactics so we have to keep one step ahead of them. He gives a valid point. September 11^th showed a great weakness in our system and we’ve been try to compensate ever since. He does joke that he has no problem with TSA patting down his “God-given” asset.

Something that was also interesting but not surprising was that there were no check-in counters. We got our tickets and even checked our bags using the nifty airline kiosks.

Ahh Ryan’s back with breakfast; Hungry Jacks it is!

Blogging on the go

Cheers for now,
Kim

[SDU Note: Of course nothing goes right for us and both of our flights-to and from Cairns-were delayed by an hour and two hours.]

Commencement: Any Reason to Dress Up

An Evatt tradition, Commencement is the formal event of the semester. So glad that I packed a cocktail dress, just in case. You can't go wrong with a LBD. I paired it with my Nine West pumps and Lilly earrings for a touch of color. I felt very classic and totally loved it.

Cutest Couple Award

Since Ryan was here, he got special permission to attend. He was the only non-Evatter in attendance; how VIP did he feel. I was thrilled to take pictures with him since we missed both Semi Formal and Formal this year. He was so cute ironing his clothes before the evening.

Everyone at Evatt goes out for a nice dinner. I loved taking pictures with my block because it was the first time we actually had everyone in D Block in one picture.

D Block Love

Dee First

We held an after party downtown at Customs. Evatt rented out the top floor and we had a huge dance party. Most of the songs were American, but I loved hearing my new Aussie favs like Calvin Harris. The party continued with the last tradition of the night-a midnight swim in the ocean baths. A procession of about 200 Uni students walked over the baths which is basically a swimming pool connecting to the sea i.e. salt water and sandy bottom. Everyone had a blast splashing in the water and playing sholder wars (Aussie term for chicken fight).

Overall the night was fabulous-lots of pictures, drinks and memories. 

Cheers for now,

Kim

The lovely ladies of Dee

Beach & Beer

Now that classes are over for the week, I can actually entertain my guest. Since it was a nice day, we headed into town for a beach day. The water at Nobby's Beach was a little cold but the sun felt relaxing. I would have enjoyed laying out all afternoon, but Ryan soon grew restless. What is a boy to do on the beach? He decided it would be fun to bury his girlfriend alive. Not fun considering I got a mouthful of sand.

Afterward we headed to Queen Wharf and had lunch at The Brewery. We sampled some local beers like Pure Blonde and Carlton's while looking out into the bay. I wish I was more of a beer connoisseur because every thing tasted the same to me.

Cheers for now,

Kim

Restaurant Review: Chat Thai

My favorite part about being in Australia is the opportunity to experience new things. That being said, I've had Thai food before but the boyfriend hasn't. Oh, well, when in Rome. . .  or Sydney. . . anyways. . .

Over the course of our wanderings, we kept passing this restaurant called Chat Thai (20 Campbell St., Haymarket). It must have been the local favorite because the wait was out the door every time. So for our last meal in Sydney we went to see what the buzz was all about.

We were seated at a table with delicate silver drinking glasses. At first we didn't know if they were even meant to be drunk out of. After looking at the menu, we ordered the following:

Appetizers:

Mu Bhing-pork skewers with dipping sauce, well seasoned and delicious

Main Meal:

Gaeng Keaw Gai-chicken curry in spicy green paste and coconut milk, curry is my favorite especially with steamed rice

Pad Thai-a classic Thai dish of chicken, peanuts and noddles, Ryan's new favorite

Dessert:

Coconut Ice Cream-a Chat Thai specialty with peanuts and jellied rice, interesting combination that works

We were celebrating our last night in Sydney, my Study in Australia blogger position and Ryan's first Thai experience. We joked that we should have told them I was a published Australian blogger so we could get a free meal in exchange for a food review :) Overall I walked out there having only spent $50 and feeling extremely full. If you are ever in Sydney, I would definitely give this restaurant a Sratty Star of Approval. Good food and amazing atmosphere-what more could you ask for.

Cheers for now,

Kim

Lions and Tigers and (Koala) Bears, Oh My!

It was a gorgeous Sunday afternoon when Ryan and I embarked on our journey to see koala bears, my favorite animal. The Taronga Zoo is located in the middle of the Sydney Harbour; the only way to get to it is by ferry. We ended up seeing heaps of animals including some Aussie favs like the Tasmanian Devil and wallaby.

We arrived right in time for the seal show, a main attraction at the zoo. The trainer brought out three different types of seals including a California sea lion named Archie. Archie was the biggest and most talented.

At one point, I looked up and a koala was hanging in the tree above me. According to a bush legend, koalas are permanently drunk on fermented gum leaves. In fact, eucalyptus leaves are low in energy and difficult to break down, which is why koala bears sleep up to 20 hours a day. Their laid-back pose also keeps them cool. It exposes the soft white belly fur which reflects the heat and is easily ruffled by the breeze.

How cute is he!

Did I mention that the Taronga Zoo has some of the best views of the Harbour. How cool is it that you can see the Opera House in the background of the giraffe area?

I would recommend this to anyone who is visiting Sydney!

Cheers for now,
Kim

[SDU Note: Just for you Mom-There were heaps of sailboats out in the harbour. I know you would have loved to be out sailing about. Miss you.]

Mardi Gras & other Sydney Shenanigans

Ryan & I at Mardi Gras

Yay he's finally here! After waiting at the airport for two hours, Ryan finally made his way through customs. My initial thought was that he got in trouble for all the Reese's I asked for.

The Easter Koala came early!

First up on Ryan and my weekend in Sydney was Mardi Gras. After checking into our hostel Wake Up! Sydney (definitely recommend and located right next to Central Station), we made our way to Oxford Street for the parade. The Sydney Mardi Gras is put on by the gay and lesbian community. The overall effect was a lot of feathers, sequins and leather. We were about three people back from the guardrail, but still had a decent view. People were selling foot stools to get a better view of the parade and at $10 a pop were making quite a profit.

The next day, we decided to explore the city. Seizing the day bright and early, we walked up George Street toward the Harbour. Our first quest of the day was finding Pancakes on the Rocks, a delicious 24-hour pancake restaurant. Although Ryan ordered the ribs, I went for the Strawberry Patch pancakes with chocolate sauce instead of strawberry sauce. Pancakes with cream, ice cream, strawberries and chocolate sauce sounds more like dessert than breakfast but YUMMY!

The Rocks is the historical part of Sydney; it's where the first European settlers-British convicts-landed in Australia. We walked along the boardwalk around the Sydney Harbour and took the typical tourist pictures in front of the Opera House.

We sat on a bench in the Royal Bontanical Gardens, taking in the sights and trying to decide what to do. We wanted to do the Sydney Harbour Bridge climb, but the steep price didn't seem worth it. So we opted for the Taronga Zoo instead. Great decision; I made a whole seperate post just about it. 

After a long day exploring, we headed to a local fav for some dinner: Chat Thai.

Overall, Ryan and I enjoyed ourselves. Be on the lookout for a guest post from Ryan about his time in Australia.

Cheers for now,

Kim 

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions

I have a very special surprise coming on Saturday. Ryan, my loving boyfriend of almost a year, is spending his Spring Break (and some) in Australia with me. He'll be flying in Saturday morning just in time for the Sydney Mardi Gras. This should be very interested since it's put on by the gay and lesbian community. The rest of the weekend will be spent in Sydney then back to Newcastle for classes. I'm pawning Ryan off on a friend who doesn't have class on Monday or Tuesday. Most likely it will be boy bonding time over beers and beaches.

The following week will be our traveling week which brings in the dilemma. I've been pouring over travel brochures from STA Travel and I've decided on three options:

1. The Outback. This six day adventure takes us camping (most nights) from Darwin to Alice Springs. We get to see a sunrise at Uluru and hiking Kings Canyon. This is the most outdoor-sy but definitely warranted since we're in the Outback.

2. Great Barrier Reef. A quick flight up to Cairns (pronounced cans) and the tropical waters of the northeast. A full day of diving and snorkeling will be the itinerary with a possible trek inland to the rain forest. Only downside is that Ryan isn't scuba-certified and Katie and I wanted to dive this together.

3. Melbourne. The southern part of Australia is a perfect combination of beaches, mountains and cities. We could go to Philip Island and get up close with Australian wildlife like wombats, dingoes and my favorite, koala bears! Plus the trip takes us back to Sydney for an extra day exploring.

Where do you think we should go?

Cheers for now,

Kim