"Good enough for the Bush"

On Monday morning, I took off for a road trip with Erika and Bailey, my neighbors who are also American JCU students. We were headed for Undara, a remote spot in the bush of Australia (almost but not quite the Outback). We headed up the coast and stopped for lunch on the beach in the beautiful little town of Cardwell. We turned inland towards the Atherton Tablelands and stopped at Mamu, which has elevated walkways built so that you can walk through the rainforest canopy.




We arrived there at night and checked into our “lodge,” a three person room with a shared outdoor kitchen and access to the campsite bathrooms. The next morning we took a short hike up to a bluff and found an incredible view. I was awestruck by the remoteness of the vast empty land surrounding us. We then took a guided tour of the lava tubes that are Undara’s claim to fame.




After the tour we went for another little hike to lookout, and saw some wallabies. We had dinner at the restaurant that night since we were eager to try Emu, Crocodile, and Kangaroo meat (I haven’t been a strict vegetarian in Australia because the meat industry is so much better than in the US). They were all quite good but kangaroo was the tastiest and most tender.




That night we did a nightwalk and saw a number of kangaroos but little else in the way of cool nocturnal animals. Wednesday we did a 12 kilometer hike. It was so beautiful and we did not encounter a single other person on the trail. We were hot and thirsty when we got back so treated ourselves to ice cream and a dip in the swimming pool.


The “wilderness at sunset” tour took us through the park in a van looking for macropods (“long foot,” wallabies, kangaroos, and wallaroos) and we did see a lot of them. Then we watched the beautiful sunset and enjoyed some champagne, cheese and crackers. We also went to a lava tube cave that is home to tons of microbats and watched as hundreds of them flew around our heads. Snakes at the mouth of the tunnel were trying to catch the bats as they passed.




Thursday morning it was time to check out and we started the long drive home via the inland route this time on which we passed roadkill kangaroos every five minutes. We stopped to examine up close a huge termite mound.

We arrived home in the afternoon and got cleaned up. Bailey, Erika and I celebrated Thanksgiving that evening with a meal out at an Asian restaurant.

GBR & semester's end

I’ve finished exams and am done with the semester! My finals were spaced out so that I had a whole week between tests, so Marissa and I took a little dive vacation during that time. Last Saturday we took an exam then took off for the airport and Cairns. On the short flight you get a great view of the reef.


Early Sunday morning, we boarded the day boat (the same one we took a month ago) and it delivered us to the bigger boat where we would spend the next two nights. We did nine dives over three days as well as some snorkeling and just enjoying the amazing warm blue water. I also got my Advanced Open Water Diver Certification. We saw some sharks, a cuttlefish, an octopus, and six turtles! Our second night dive was especially memorable. As soon as we hopped in, not only could we see sharks everywhere – a dream come true, no lie – but we also saw a lionfish. Not all of our photos turned out but here are a few (I would have many more from snorkeling since my digital is supposed to go to 30 feet, but to my dismay the screen cracked so it isn’t waterproof at all anymore).





I had interesting conversations with some of the guests on the boat from all over the world; it was cool to meet some Dutch travelers close to my age. Also, since we had befriended some of the boat's crew last time, it was really fun to catch up with them. Below are Duz, busy swabbing the deck, and Ryan, keeping watch over the snorkelers. Please note Duz’s gloriously filthy moustache. The crew participated in the great Australian tradition of “Moevember” when everybody grows a mo’ (known in the US as No-Shave-November), and had a contest for best facial hair to raise money for prostate cancer. We bought stars to give our favorite crewmembers and their staches, including one for both of these boys – Duz because his is shameless and awesome, and Ryan because he deserved an A for effort.



Tuesday evening we returned to shore and went out with some of the crew, and then caught a train home Wednesday. Yesterday I took my very last final exam and that means celebration time! So hung out with friends and then went to Uni Club for a bit (that’s the pictures below)… and now I have just a short time left in Australia.

Study Break

Lectures are over! I went to my last class on Friday morning. And Thursday night I attended the last Club Night at Uni Club. It was Halloween themed but my simple Pebbles Flintstone costume – I put a cardboard bone in my ponytail – didn’t survive the night. Below you can see me with two of my wonderful friends from the water polo team.

Since then, it’s just been a lot of studying. Finals last till November 21, but it’s good we have so much time because most of them are worth about 50% of my grade. For study motivation, it helps a lot that I’m interested in my classes. Tonight as a study break, Marissa and I used my dad’s recipe to make some delicious guacamole and enchiladas – the perfect meal for two Mexican food-deprived southern Californians.


Here’s another cultural tidbit: Before I arrived, I was told that Australian guys are aggressive and treat girls like crap, but I have found that it’s untrue. You encounter the occasional asshole, as you would anywhere, but for the most part everyone is incredibly nice. I do think Australia is more old-fashioned in the sense that I get a lot more special treatment from boys on the water polo court for being a girl, which I find well-intentioned but unnecessary. For example, in a shooting game, it was a rule that guys shoot left-handed when a girl was playing goalie.

Friends have also told me that American girls are more assertive. For example they’ll go after a guy they’re interested in while an Aussie girl would never make the first move. Another interesting remark was that American girls are more interested in AJs (army jerks) than Australians. (Don’t worry about me, Dad, it’s not my type). In general, it seems that gender equality has progressed further in the US than here and while Aussie guys are more chivalrous, American girls are more convicted of the fact that they are equal to guys, including in physical competition.