where the wild ones are.

My last adventure down under was when me and Kelsey went to Cairns (pronounced Cans). Cairns is on the north east coast of Australia, and is one of the main places to see the Great Barrier Reef!

We had a long day of flying, and we got into Cairns around 11 that night. We stayed at the Wood Duck Hostel which we quickly learned was the epitome of the "party hostel."

Boredom in the airport.

When we got let into our room, even the receptionist second guessed which beds were the clean ones. Our room held 10 people and it looked like the majority of the people had been living there, as their stuff was EVERYWHERE! We changed into our pajamas and were contemplating sleep (we had to get early) when our roommates returned. There was one guy from England, and the other 8 were from Belgium. And yes, I know that adds up to 11. Two people shared one bed. They were crazy! And very excited that we were American! We didn't get to sleep until 2 or 3 in the morning. Fabulous.

Kelsey at the hostel. Her face says it all.

The next morning we got up early and headed to the marina. We had scheduled a day on the Great Barrier Reef. It was about a hour boat ride to a platform on the reef and then we had all day to snorkel and/or dive. I stuck with just snorkeling, simply because I was too poor. Kelsey, who is scuba certified, didn't think that she would be able to dive (because we had to leave the next day), but the instructors gave her the go ahead and she got to fulfill her dream of diving the GBR! My most adventurous feat was going on the snorkel safari! We took a boat to a deeper part of the reef and then snorkeled the channel back to the platform. It was a lot of fun! The reef is GORGEOUS! I hope that it can stay in it's current condition and not deteriorate like so many others reefs!

Me and Kels on the boat.

Boat.

Cairns.

Marine World platform.

GBR from the boat!

Me with Wally, the Maori Wrasse.

Me and Kels in the GBR! :)

Scuba Tanks!

After we got back to Cairns we spent the evening walking around Cairns, all the shops, and the night market. I ended up getting Josh a Didgeridoo. :) It was rather exciting! Thankfully our roommates were less obnoxious this night, so it was a good end to a great day!

Kelsey's swollen hand (left) compared to her right. She got stung by an anemone.

The next day our flight back to Newcastle didn't leave until the afternoon so we had all morning just to walk around and enjoy the views. We spent the majority of the time just sitting on the boardwalk in the sun. It was fabulous!

Crazy bird I like to call the Velocirooster!

Bats! There were several trees just filled with them!!

Cairns.

Palm tree.

Fun fact: Our driver on the way to the airport was the winner of the Twin Cities Marathon in 1988! It really is a small world!

Me with the Didg.

When we got back to Newcastle it was really really cold compared to the tropics of Cairns! We ended up getting about 3 hours of sleep and then we had to head back to the train station so I could catch my flight back to the US. This is easier said than done since my luggage is as follows, 1 GIANT roller suitcase, my backpacking backpack, my small backpack, my camera bag, and the Didg. It was quite the effort to get it on the train. But once it was settled I had a whole 3 hours to figure out how I was going to transfer bags to the airport train. Needless to say, I looked a little ridiculous. Kelsey has a picture that I shall post when I get it!

After I was able to get a cart it was smooth sailing! I got first class back to LAX and then coach back to MSP, although I did miss my first domestic!

I loved Australia and can't wait to return!! A trip is already in the works! :D

42 Wallaby Way.

On Friday I left Lismore early in the morning and took a hour bus and then a 9 hour train to Newcastle. The train ride was pretty uneventful except for the fact that I saw my first kangaroo! I was rather excited!

I got into Newcastle around 8 and then went to Kelsey's apartment. It was sooo much fun to see her again! We ended up going out that night with a bunch of her friends, it was a lot of fun!

The girls. [Michelle, Me, Kelsey, Lauren, Carly, Dani, Anna, Maria]

Despite getting in late the night before we awoke early to catch a train to Sydney. We were meeting people at 6 in the morning to catch our train, but by the time we got the boys to consciousness we missed the first train. Luckily there's about one every hour, so we just walked along the beach, got breakfast, and then got on the next one.

Sunrise on the ocean.

When we got to Sydney we went to the flea market and then got brunch at Pancakes on the Rocks. The pancakes were AMAZING! Yum. After that we walked through an open market and then me and Kelsey split up from the boys to do all the touristy things.

We walked along the harbor taking pictures of the opera house and the bridge and then walked over to the opera house. We had a good time catching up and enjoying the scenery.

Australian White Ibis .

In front of the Sydney Opera House.

Me and Kelsey in front of the Sydney Harbor Bridge.

:)

Bridging the gap.

Side of the opera house.

Sydney.

Luna park.

Bridge climbers.

We met up with the boys again and caught a train back to Newcastle. While waiting for the train I saw one of the best rainbows of my life!

Rainbow. It was a full arch.

The next day Kelsey, Lauren, Maria and I went to Hunter Valley, which is the equivalent of California's Napa Valley. Needless to say, I was all for it! We went to several wineries. Tempus Two was my favorite. They had a fabulous sparkling moscato!

Kels at the winery.

Flowers.

Me and Kels.

We went to another winery for lunch, and got a fabulous pink blush champagne. :)

Champagne at lunch.

After we left Hunter Valley we decided to drive to Nelson Bay. We even saw some kangas on the way! Once we got to Nelson Bay the weather took a turn towards the cold and wet, so we just drove between the few towns surrounding NB and took in the sights. On the way home we did see a fabulous sunset though! :D

Kangas!

Kels at Shoal Bay.

Shoal Bay.

Sunset.

got it? yes. do you know what that means? no.

On Wednesday we got up early to catch a bus to Byron Bay. This was one of my favorite cities in Australia. It was sooooo gorgeous. The epitome of a beach town! :] Since this was Ashlee and Stef's last time in Byron, Stef's parents were nice enough to get us a hotel for the night. It was fabulous! We even got chocolate upon arrival, plus it was right on the beach! You couldn't have asked for better!

Friday on the Beach. Our hotel.

After we settled into the hotel, we headed back into town. On the agenda for the day was our surfing lesson. It was an overcast day, so Ashlee and I were the only two people in our lesson. Our surf instructor was Gaz and he was amazing! One of the most down to earth people I've ever met and a great teacher. I got up on my first try, although I didn't stay on long. The second time was much better, and after that for the most part I could ride the wave for a good length of time before falling off, or getting to shore. I absolutely LOVED surfing! We were out in the water for at least 2 hours, and by the time we were done I was exhausted! It definitely works muscles I didn't even know existed! I will say though if I lived on an ocean I would buy a surf board the second I got to town! :D

Me and Ashlee with Gaz.

Catching a wave. :)

The next day we got up nice and early because Stef and Ashlee were going sky diving. About 15 minutes before they were supposed to get picked up though the company called and said that the weather was a little ify so they were going to postpone the dive for a few hours later. Since we were already up we decided to walk on the beach. It was gorgeous. If I lived there I might actually be inclined to wake up earlier.

We ate breakfast in town when we heard that Byron Bay was under a cyclone warning. We left the restaurant and about half way to our hotel it started to downpour. We tried seeing if we could stay at our hotel longer than the check out due to the storm, but they said we could only stay an extra 30 minutes. We ended up watching a movie and killing as much time as possible at the hotel to avoid getting soaked. Luckily by the time we left the hotel it was only sprinkling, so we decided to just walk around the shops in town.

Torrential rain from the hotel.

After awhile the rain completely let up, and it turned into a nice day. Sadly for Ashlee and Stef though, skydiving didn't happen as the company can't take any risks when it comes to weather. We got Bay kebabs for lunch which was pretty much heaven in your mouth, and then met up with some friends and sat on the beach the rest of the afternoon.

Bay Kebabs and Baskin Robins.

We caught a late afternoon bus back to Lismore and spent the night repacking our bags, as I left for Newcastle, and Stef and Ashlee left for Brisbane the next day.

remember you're a spirit on a journey.

After being home for a week I packed up my bags again and headed for the land down under to visit Ashlee and Kelsey! My travel itinerary went as follows:

1. MSP to LAX (3 hour 59 minutes)
2. Layover in LAX (6 hours 24 minutes)
3. LAX to SYD (15 hours)
4. Layover in SYD (3 hours 30 minutes)
   
5. SYD to BNE (1 hour 35 minutes)
   
6. Layover in BNE (2 hours 25 minutes)
   
7. Bus to Lismore (4 hours 55 minutes)

TOTAL: 37 HOURS 48 MINUTES

Needless to say it was A LOT of traveling! But I was in Australia, so I was happy! When I got off the bus I was worried that Ashlee wouldn't be there as I had ended up having to book a different bus, but thankfully everything worked out and she was waiting when my bus dropped me off! :D We grabbed some dinner with Stef, Molly, and Ellie and then headed back to Ashlee's flat on campus.

The rest of the night we caught up and did a lot of talking. For my bed we ended up borrowing a mattress from Ashlee's friends apartment as well as a sleeping bag. It was quite eventful hauling that across the campus! :)

The next morning we all got up early. Ashlee had a final, and Stef and I went to get a rental car for the day. When Ashlee got done with her exam the three of us headed towards Nimbin. Nimbin is most well known for being the marijuana capital of Australia. Although I refused all the marijuana cookies I got offered, the town had a great vibe to it. I love free spirits! :]

One of many interesting shops.

I LOVED this sign! It was fabulous!

The bus that runs from Byron Bay to Nimbin.

Close up.

Another shop.

And another. I found this one to be the most amusing.

Nimbin is home to a museum all about Nimbin. It was pretty much a collection of anything and everything, which made it delightful to go to.

Einstein was a smart man!


Mural outside the museum.

Right above the exit to the museum.

peace.

On the way back to Lismore we pulled over at the scenic lookout for the Nimbin Rocks. From there I got the chance to drive on the opposite side of the road for about fifteen minutes before I let Ashlee take over again. At first it was really bizarre, but then it just felt natural. The hardest part for me was turning on my windshield wipers whenever I would try to use the blinker. Whoops!

Nimbin Rocks.

Me driving on the "wrong" side of the road.

Stef.

Ashlee, our actual driver for the day! :)

Once we got back to Lismore we ate some lunch and then went to the mall. I really enjoyed the stores, even though I didn't let myself buy anything. I was learning fast that Australia is expensive! Very expensive! So instead I just window shopped. After the mall we dropped off the rental car. By the time we got back to campus it had started to downpour, so we just watched a movie and passed out early. I was still a bit jet lagged and we had to wake up early the next day, so I wasn't complaining.