First of all, let me just apologize for the very long amount of time in between posts. But I do have, what I would classify, as good reasons. Last week was just one exciting event after another, so there was no time for blogging. And this monday I woke up with the strangest Australian flu bug ever, and it's still working its magic on me. So unfair! But allow me to update you on my other adventures, post-bed-ridden.
The previous week started out as nothing too fantastic, just a few classes, some studying, Taco Tuesday, and so on. Wednesday was when things really started to get exciting! My friend Kaitlin and I adventured out to the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary. It was very similar to the Rainforestation place I went to in Cairns, like an interactive zoo, but much bigger. We actually got to feed the kangaroos this time, and we saw a few with joeys! So precious. I even got to hold a baby crocodile while they took a professional photo, which I later stole ha ha. They print them all for everyone to look at, then if you don't buy it, they just throw them away! Well I wasn't going to pay $16.00 for a 5x7, so I just took it. Hmm yes there is thievery in all of us.
Before the stealing could commence, however, Kaitlin and I did what they call a Challenge course. It's basically a ropes course, where you have to wear a harness and suspend yourself from wires high up in the trees and make your way from tree to tree on different obstacles. Not sure if I've had that much fun since I've been here! It was so neat to be up in the trees like some sort of primitive beast. Oh wait.... Well in any case, check out the photos! Amazing.
Thursday wasn't all that thrilling, but it was nice to actually relax a bit. Studying is cramping everyone's style lately. Friday we went out to have some fun, and ended up stuck walking a couple miles in the pouring rain. Crappy as it sounds, it makes for a good story and some excellent memories.
Saturday we focused on studying because a few of us would be gone all day Sunday, so we needed to make sure everything got done. After only a few hours of sleep, we found ourselves standing on a street corner waiting for our ride to Moreton Island at 6am. The island lays about an hour north of us, then about 1.5 hour ferry ride east of there. It was so cool to actually drive the 4WD vehicle onto the ferry! I've never done anything like that. Moreton Island is the 3rd largest sand island in the world, so tons of locals and tourists make a day trip out of it, if not an overnight camping trip. Because the ferry ride itself was so fantastic, I was sure the island would bring equal amounts of excitement. By the time we arrived on the Island, it was about 1015 am, so we had the whole day ahead of us to do the many activities listed on the brochure ha ha.
There are no roads on this island, mind you. The highway is the beach—we were about three feet from the surf while driving. Our guide, Russell, took us into the middle of the island, through some incredibly bumpy sand roads through a thick jungle. Once we got through it all, we found ourselves in the midst of rolling sand dunes. Bring on the sand boarding!! We hiked to the tallest dune, at the steepest part, and waxed our boards. These boards are about a foot wide and three feet long with one rough side and one smooth side that we waxed. The wax helps the board glide easily over the sand. At first, Sunniva and I didn’t want to do it because the hill was so steep! But we decided to buck up and at least give it a try.
So you lay on your stomach, grip the front of the board and pull it back, elbows up, abs and legs tight, and toes pointed. If you drop your elbows, that’s when you get a face full of sand. No bueno. However, the four of us had some master skill and we rode that hill like pros. The walk back up to the top was the worst! It’s nearly impossible to walk up an almost vertical wall of sand, especially more than once. Your body gets too tired to handle that. We had a contest of who could board the farthest, and I held the winning spot until literally the last run! Some Aussie guy beat me by only a foot, but he beat me nonetheless. I tried so hard!
After that, we headed back to the 4WD truck (named Tina) to remove the sand from every crevice imaginable. We bounced around in the back of Tina during the 45 minute drive back to the camp, where Russell made us some excellent sandwiches for lunch. The afternoon was meant for snorkeling and/or sea kayaking, but this was when I started to really feel sickly. I just wanted to curl up on the beach and sleep away the afternoon in the warm sun. So that’s just what I did! I know that it wasn’t what the trip was all about, but I honestly don’t think I could have held my own weight in the water, let alone constantly remind myself to breath. They dove in a man made cove just off shore from the camp. In the early 1970s, massive ships were purposefully sunk in order to create the cove, so divers can explore in and around the ships. Apparently the place is just teeming with fish of every size and color!
Everyone spent about three hours with their water fun before it was time to close up camp and head back to the ferry. The line to get on the ferry was crazy! Almost 100 cars, I was sure that they wouldn’t all fit. But after waiting to get on last (we had the biggest vehicle) I was surprised to find that there was still room for nearly 20 more vehicles! That ferry was massive. I managed to stay awake long enough to catch the sunset, which was gorgeous, but then I headed to the second level to have a sleep before we got back to Brisbane. I was so deliriously tired; I could barely stand it.
During the day we hung out with three German girls, who said they wanted to talk with us to perfect their English skills. Glad to be of service! We also hung out with a girl from Ireland, who was insanely nice. It’s so cool to meet people from all over the world like that. It’s probably one of my favorite things about traveling abroad.
It took us about four hours to get home, from the time we got on the ferry to when we walked through the front door of our villa. So tired! I knew then that I was getting sick, but I figured a good night’s sleep was all I needed. Moreton Island was beautiful! Absolutely worth the trip… just wish I wasn’t sickly for the second half of the day.
It’s taken me nearly five days to finish writing this. Everytime I’ve been up long enough to want to write, I’ve gotten too dizzy to continue. I went from simple flu symptoms to full on tonsillitis. Ew. Still in major pain this morning, but I’m taking antibiotics now. I really hope things start looking up for me soon! Being sick and being alone sucks. Just wish I was home for this! And I promise to update more frequently now.
Cheers
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