Before I left the United States, I found myself anticipating New Zealand, mostly because of its natural beauty. Clearly, I was not disappointed when I arrived. I did, however, have quite an interesting ten days traveling primarily 'alone.' It's odd because even when backpacking alone, you end up meeting people so that you don't feel lonely. I shall elaborate as I go along here.
I took everyone's advice and stayed in Auckland as briefly as possible (only because there is so much more to see in New Zealand other than Auckland). Unfortunately, I never did get to explore the city though and there were a few things I wanted to do. I caught up on the sleep that I was clearly lacking and the next morning I flew to Christchurch, on the south island. On my way to the YHA on the city bus, I saw a guy from my flight (also with a backpacking sort of backpack) and you know when you just get the feeling someone is going to talk to you? Well, I got that feeling. Within a few minutes he came and sat down next to me. It turned out he was from Paraguay, studying English in Auckland, and traveling around the rest of NZ for a while. He ended up staying at the same YHA as me, so we walked around the city for a while - visiting the church in Cathedral Square and then a museum, with a pretty even collection of older and more modern artwork. Eventually, we met up with my friend Matthijs (from the Netherlands) and who I met in Melbourne and who I intended on meeting in Christchurch.
The next part of my day marked a bit of a stressful turning point in my trip. It shouldn't have been that stressful, but I got sidetracked, distracted, and overwhelmed all at once. My friend (see, technically stranger-friend, this is where everything about backpacking gets complicated, friend for two hours?), Mauri, from Paraguay, and I discussed how we both wanted to get ourselves to Queenstown (a 6 hour drive south of Christchurch) in about three days (which is when my Dutch friend was also leaving). While booking my next two nights at the hostel and being persuaded to sign up for an international YHA card, some guy next to me at the counter overheard me ask about buses to Queenstown and then showed me his piece of paper advertising a ride to Queenstown and a free ukulele lesson for $20. Now, I have met some people along my travels that I have known briefly, but immediately identified as what I consider good people, and something about this guy kind of irritated me. Perhaps it was his immediate suggestion that we go grab coffee and after I politely said no, he suggested the next day. This was the only person I met who I felt immediately threatened (or mostly unsettled) by in one way or another, but in the brief instance that I realized it was a decent offer and Mauri was interested I told him I'd consider going. He then suggested we leave the next day and I did not like that idea since I wanted to travel with my friend Matthijs. We decided on the day after, but then I decided not to go at all, which I felt a bit bad about, but it was a lesson in being assertive, making my own decisions, being an Ubermensch to say the least (Nietzsche would be proud). After I made that decision, it was much easier to proceed with enjoying New Zealand.
I spent the next day exploring the Botanic Gardens even though it was quite overcast, rainy, and cold. It was a relaxing day and I didn't mind the general lack of activity. The following day was a bit more interesting: Matthijs and I took the TranzAlpine train from Christchurch to Greymouth, which was about a 10 hour journey in total. It's one of the top train rides in the world apparently. It was quite beautiful - we saw lots of mountains, braided rivers, and stretches of land. I really love train rides. There's something incredibly exciting about them. It was a really nice day and we spent lots of time on the platform looking out and feeling the wind rush around us. It was rather chilly, but incredibly exhilarating at times. I'm glad I chose to spend the time with Matthijs instead of traveling with strangers to Queenstown. We had a nice time and it was nice to catch up with someone I met in Melbourne.
I left Christchurch quite early the next morning on a bus that cost only $30 to get to Queenstown. Upon arriving, I realized it was quite a beautiful place - basically a ski-resort kind of town, surrounded by snow-covered mountains, plenty of lush trees, and a sparkling lake. Quite amazing. I settled myself into my hostel and then booked my skydive. I started to feel a bit lonely and bored and wanted to go to bed early, but I met a girl from NY who suggested we go out, so we did. We talked for a while and then headed back to the hostel. I woke up quite early to go skydiving. I was slightly terrified, but mostly excited.
I boarded a shuttle with about five other people and we set off for the private airfield. On the way, I talked to a guy named Marcus, from Germany, about our shared anticipation, which was oddly calming. Within moments, I was suited up and listening to a brief orientation speech. A few moments later, I found myself in a plane, ascending, and soon dangling out over the edge. It was an incredibly unreal experience. I was the last to jump, so I watched the two girls in front of me essentially fall out of the plane and then I found myself on the edge, surrounded by mountains, blue sky, and clouds. Then, I was falling. And it was the oddest thing. It wasn't scary in a traditional sense, it was just breathtaking. Usually, when you fall, you find yourself grabbing onto something to stop yourself or hold yourself up, but in this situation I was only falling with nothing in my way. I jumped from 12,000 ft so I was able to free-fall for 45 seconds. Once the parachute opened, the experience completely transformed into something very calming and my partner pointed out Mt. Remarkables and various lakes. It was an amazing experience, kind of a parallel to scuba diving, except the very opposite. After the skydive, I grabbed coffee with the aforementioned Marcus and also went to this restaurant called Fergburger, known for its giant burgers. I found a falafel burger and it was delicious. Marcus made a good point, he just wanted to be with someone who shared the same experience, and it's true, it's kind of the only thing you want to talk about after you do it. So we talked about it, for a while, and then parted ways.
That night was another weird one. I met up with some Floridians (I have never met so many fellow Americans in my travels). We played Jenga for a while and then explored the nightlife, but not for long. The following day I explored by myself. I walked around the park, wrote for a bit, and eventually went to the Queenstown winter festival in the evening to watch the fireworks. I changed hostels that evening and found myself in a room with two guys I roomed with in Christchurch. Strange how that happens. There was also a guy from Canada in our room. We all got in bed early and watched some strange ghost-hunting show. I felt like I was at a sleepover. Everyone in NZ is sort of on the same page though because it's such an adventure town, everyone is incredibly active during the day, and most people go to bed early at night (even though there is a happening night-life). My days in Queenstown were the days on which I did question traveling alone. Although liberating, I would have enjoyed to have company. Perhaps the next time I explore NZ I will see it with a few others by car or hop on a bus tour.
I woke up early the next morning and felt the very cold wintry weather at 6am. I found myself at the airport, drinking coffee, and writing, awaiting my flight. While purchasing coffee, a girl overheard me mention that I was returning to the States. Whilst backpacking it is completely helpful to keep your ears and eyes opened at all times. Her name is Pooja. She came up to me and told me what she heard and we spent the next few hours chatting. It's quite fortunate that we met. Little did we know that we would become the best of friends in the following hours. She had an international flight home to Chicago two hours after our plane was expected to land in Auckland; however, our flight first got delayed and then altogether cancelled due to fog. Jetstar's solution was to bus us up to Christchurch. Granted, if you are forced to take a bus in any country, NZ is one of the top choices. While we found out this sad news, I noticed two girls (Allison and Kristin) from my hostel in Queenstown. We eventually got to Christchurch, anticipating our flight to Auckland; however, it was also cancelled. Kristin, had an international flight out the next day (the same one that Pooja rescheduled herself onto) so some degree of panic/worry ensued. Jetstar gave us free accommodation that night and Pooja and Kristin found themselves on the earliest flights to Auckland. Allison and I spent the day meandering around Christchurch, finding ourselves quite ill from the airport and bus travel. At 10 o'clock at night we returned to the airport to find our flight delayed! We half-jokingly asked the man at the information desk how far Auckland (in hours) was from Christchurch and how much it cost to put a car on the ferry from the south island to north island. We were partially seriously curious. Fortunately, our plane departed, just a little later than anticipated and we found ourselves in Auckland that night! Allison had an apartment in Auckland, so I stayed with her for the night, and then the next day organized my hostel for my last night, did my laundry, and packed one last time.
There was some relief associated with getting myself on that plane home. After all of that traveling, I developed a general sickness: cough, aches, etc. and I was quite terrified of being quarantined for suspected swine flu, which they were doing semi-often in NZ. I heard a few stories of bus tours being quarantined and such. So, once I was on the plane, luggage checked-in, I was quite pleased. I was sad to leave the southern hemisphere, but at that point, I had my fill of traveling and was truly anticipating the United States. When I was on the line, entering customs, I noticed a girl behind my crying a bit. I wondered if she were leaving home or heading home. It's hard to tell, ya know. You end up so attached to a new place that you find yourself crying coming and going.
The flight went by relatively quickly, but was much more sleepless than the flight to Australia because we left at 2pm and flew into darkness so I think I slept for an hour. I did watch the movies Synedoche, New York and Milk, and a few episodes of How I Met Your Mother. A very entertaining trip. Oddly enough, I also met someone who was studying at Macquarie with one of my friends from Marist. At that point, it wasn't too surprising, but neat nonetheless. Also, to more fully colour my trip home, I consumed food with pine nuts and convinced myself I was having an allergic reaction for the first two hours of the plane ride. I was fine. Apparently, in that situation, had I been having an allergic reaction, they ask for a medical volunteer, who proceeds to perform an examination, and then (and only then) can they prescribe some sort of medicine. My one question is what if there are no medical volunteers? I am grateful that I was fine and I managed to land (in one piece, yet very sleepy) on U.S. soil.
Los Angeles was hot and muggy. The people were rude. I politely asked for the lift and was directed to the 'elevator.' I wanted to get out of L.A. as soon as possible. (Sorry to complain for a minute here). It immediately paled in comparison and I was upset about it. I found myself at the counter un-packing and re-packing my bags in an attempt to avoid luggage fees and once I succeeded I headed through security, where I encountered a very perturbed security officer, who gave me an attitude for having a very heavy backpack and when I told her there were books in my bag and then quietly asked if there was anything wrong, received an 'I was just asking' and a dirty look. Immediately after, I heard her state that she needed a break immediately because she was hungry. I can understand the need for a break. Maybe all airport staff members are incredibly over-worked. Perhaps, they all need more breaks.
I spent the next few hours calling everyone I could think of. It felt so good to have my cell phone back in service and to hear so many voices I went months without hearing at all! Abstaining from such simple things leads to immense appreciation. I waited a bit and soon found myself asleep in my seat on my way to San Francisco.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
The Last Week in Melbourne!
When I returned from Airlie Beach, I had only eight days left, which was entirely overwhelming and saddening since I had a paper to write and an exam to prepare for, but also so many people and places to see. Fortunately, it worked out that I managed to see everyone and say my goodbyes.
My friend Mike, from Adelaide, had a gig so I went to see his band perform at the Old Bar in Fitzroy and met up with Nathaniel Enright as well. It was a fun night and since those two are two of my favourite Australians, I'm glad I got to see 'em. I have vowed to increase Aviator Lane's popularity in the United States, so: http://http//www.myspace.com/aviatorlane.
On the Friday after that, I got to see Alex Sutton! It was nice to see a familiar face from the U.S. We caught up for a bit and later on I went to James' to experience his famous pizza-making and to watch a few movies. James is one of my friends with a real life, also added to the list of favourite Australians. Really, anytime that I found myself at an apartment or in a car, I felt like a less temporary blip on Australia's surface (if that makes sense, I hope it does).
So the weekend continued and I found myself seeing lots of movies, exploring nightlife with my housemate Lauren, and making an attempt to see the aquarium with Alex, but failing and eventually parting later that evening.
The week was a bit rough, due to the fact that I procrastinated to an obscene extent with my Australian culture on the relationship between Australia and Asia, which is quite interesting because although Australia is so geographically close to Asia, has an increasingly large population of Asian people, and depends greatly on Asia's economic markets, it is still ideologically attached to the Western world and has a long history of an anti-Asian mentality. So I ended up reading quite a few articles about Australia's changing identity and the difference between financial and cultural acceptance of such changes. I mean, Australia is incredibly isolated from the 'Western world' yet it is incredibly western in its ideologies (for obvious reasons). Australia finds itself in quite a culturally tricky situation. Anyhow, the paper was completed although it was quite an effort on my behalf to focus in the last week and I eventually found time to study for my exam on the 'Meaning of Life' or more honestly, Friedrich Nietzsche's philosophy. Fortunately, I managed to pay attention all semester and found the material engaging. It is fortunate because the night before my exam I found myself at the State Library (which is beautifully distracting) and then at my favourite bar in Melbourne (Hell's Kitchen) with James, Chris, and the Wednesday night Trivia crew. I managed to get myself an HD (pronounced heych-d, an equivalent to an A). Thankfully.
The next evening, I went to the Corner Hotel in Richmond to see Deerhunter with my friend Chris (who I should have met two-three months prior); however, it was a grand time. When I purchased tickets to see Deerhunter, I thought it was a band called Deerhoof (it really gets confusing with all of these 'deer' and 'wolf' bands); however, Deerhunter was far, far, far from disappointing. In fact, my appreciation of them increased post-gig. One of the oddest things did happen to me that evening, something I will never be able to forget. Well, two things. First of all, my friend Chris brought me 'chocolate' with 'nuts' in it, so it was actually vegan chocolate with some sort of odd nut substitute. Probably the greatest thing, second to James' pizza, that I consumed in Australia. Second of all, whilst sitting on the stairs, waiting for Deerhunter, someone fell on me. My first reaction (being at a gig) was 'What a jerk!' assuming I was the victim of some inebriated kid stumbling about; however, after falling on me, he fell to the floor and appeared to be unconscious. After being startled awake, he stood up, took three steps, and fell to the floor again. I found the situation incredibly unsettling. Anyhow, Deerhunter was great! and afterward, I met up with Lauren in the city, for another adventure.
Reflecting upon that last week, I am now realizing that it was quite dominated by that Wednesday night trivia crew, which I particularly enjoyed. Friday, my last night in Melbourne, I went out to dinner with my housemates Lucy and Lauren to a delicious restaurant in Chinatown and then went out to celebrate Suzan's departure. We went to two pretty neat bars, one called '1806,' which served drinks based primarily on historical significance and such. There are so many clever bars in Melbourne. After saying goodbye to everyone, I returned to Box Hill South to say goodbye to my International House friends, which led to more sadness! I found myself in bed by 4am and waking up at 8am or so to gather my belongings and prepare for my departure.
I dragged my suitcase and backpacks to the Richmond to meet up with Chris. We were going to go to the Salvador Dali exhibit (I do everything last minute), but because the queue(!) was so long we went to the Eureka Tower, which turned out to be an amazing last-hours-in-Melbourne experience. The Eureka Tower overlooks the city and is the 'tallest viewing platform in the Southern Hemisphere.' It was amazing. Then I had lovely accompaniment to the airport, where I was too sleepy to realize that I was actually leaving Melbourne. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I imagined myself returning in a week or two. I managed to get myself and my belongings on the plane and headed to Auckland, New Zealand, which is a whole other story.
There are so many things I am still processing since I've left Melbourne. I miss it and I miss Australia in general, but it is also good to be home (hmm, perhaps I did not mention this, but it must be clear from the date that I am writing this after two weeks of being home in New Jersey and about a month since I left Australia). It is just hitting me that there are so many subtle things about Australia that I miss. Just the other day I tried to pay $4.01 with 8 quarters and a penny thinking that the quarters were fifty-cent pieces. In the same day, I hit the windshield wipers instead of my turn signals. Sigh. Australia finds me at the oddest moments. And I truly miss the sound of Australian voices, just so pleasant to the ear, and their odd sayings. I refuse (for as long as I can) to drop the UK English spellings, they just look so much more full and complete. As I mentioned earlier, traveling was becoming extremely emotionally draining since people and surroundings kept changing so rapidly. Absolutely worth it, but draining still. Home is very refreshing in light of that, but I think I'll find myself in Australia again sometime. It's nice to know that I have a handful of favourite people and places to visit when I do return.
My friend Mike, from Adelaide, had a gig so I went to see his band perform at the Old Bar in Fitzroy and met up with Nathaniel Enright as well. It was a fun night and since those two are two of my favourite Australians, I'm glad I got to see 'em. I have vowed to increase Aviator Lane's popularity in the United States, so: http://http//www.myspace.com/aviatorlane.
On the Friday after that, I got to see Alex Sutton! It was nice to see a familiar face from the U.S. We caught up for a bit and later on I went to James' to experience his famous pizza-making and to watch a few movies. James is one of my friends with a real life, also added to the list of favourite Australians. Really, anytime that I found myself at an apartment or in a car, I felt like a less temporary blip on Australia's surface (if that makes sense, I hope it does).
So the weekend continued and I found myself seeing lots of movies, exploring nightlife with my housemate Lauren, and making an attempt to see the aquarium with Alex, but failing and eventually parting later that evening.
The week was a bit rough, due to the fact that I procrastinated to an obscene extent with my Australian culture on the relationship between Australia and Asia, which is quite interesting because although Australia is so geographically close to Asia, has an increasingly large population of Asian people, and depends greatly on Asia's economic markets, it is still ideologically attached to the Western world and has a long history of an anti-Asian mentality. So I ended up reading quite a few articles about Australia's changing identity and the difference between financial and cultural acceptance of such changes. I mean, Australia is incredibly isolated from the 'Western world' yet it is incredibly western in its ideologies (for obvious reasons). Australia finds itself in quite a culturally tricky situation. Anyhow, the paper was completed although it was quite an effort on my behalf to focus in the last week and I eventually found time to study for my exam on the 'Meaning of Life' or more honestly, Friedrich Nietzsche's philosophy. Fortunately, I managed to pay attention all semester and found the material engaging. It is fortunate because the night before my exam I found myself at the State Library (which is beautifully distracting) and then at my favourite bar in Melbourne (Hell's Kitchen) with James, Chris, and the Wednesday night Trivia crew. I managed to get myself an HD (pronounced heych-d, an equivalent to an A). Thankfully.
The next evening, I went to the Corner Hotel in Richmond to see Deerhunter with my friend Chris (who I should have met two-three months prior); however, it was a grand time. When I purchased tickets to see Deerhunter, I thought it was a band called Deerhoof (it really gets confusing with all of these 'deer' and 'wolf' bands); however, Deerhunter was far, far, far from disappointing. In fact, my appreciation of them increased post-gig. One of the oddest things did happen to me that evening, something I will never be able to forget. Well, two things. First of all, my friend Chris brought me 'chocolate' with 'nuts' in it, so it was actually vegan chocolate with some sort of odd nut substitute. Probably the greatest thing, second to James' pizza, that I consumed in Australia. Second of all, whilst sitting on the stairs, waiting for Deerhunter, someone fell on me. My first reaction (being at a gig) was 'What a jerk!' assuming I was the victim of some inebriated kid stumbling about; however, after falling on me, he fell to the floor and appeared to be unconscious. After being startled awake, he stood up, took three steps, and fell to the floor again. I found the situation incredibly unsettling. Anyhow, Deerhunter was great! and afterward, I met up with Lauren in the city, for another adventure.
Reflecting upon that last week, I am now realizing that it was quite dominated by that Wednesday night trivia crew, which I particularly enjoyed. Friday, my last night in Melbourne, I went out to dinner with my housemates Lucy and Lauren to a delicious restaurant in Chinatown and then went out to celebrate Suzan's departure. We went to two pretty neat bars, one called '1806,' which served drinks based primarily on historical significance and such. There are so many clever bars in Melbourne. After saying goodbye to everyone, I returned to Box Hill South to say goodbye to my International House friends, which led to more sadness! I found myself in bed by 4am and waking up at 8am or so to gather my belongings and prepare for my departure.
I dragged my suitcase and backpacks to the Richmond to meet up with Chris. We were going to go to the Salvador Dali exhibit (I do everything last minute), but because the queue(!) was so long we went to the Eureka Tower, which turned out to be an amazing last-hours-in-Melbourne experience. The Eureka Tower overlooks the city and is the 'tallest viewing platform in the Southern Hemisphere.' It was amazing. Then I had lovely accompaniment to the airport, where I was too sleepy to realize that I was actually leaving Melbourne. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I imagined myself returning in a week or two. I managed to get myself and my belongings on the plane and headed to Auckland, New Zealand, which is a whole other story.
There are so many things I am still processing since I've left Melbourne. I miss it and I miss Australia in general, but it is also good to be home (hmm, perhaps I did not mention this, but it must be clear from the date that I am writing this after two weeks of being home in New Jersey and about a month since I left Australia). It is just hitting me that there are so many subtle things about Australia that I miss. Just the other day I tried to pay $4.01 with 8 quarters and a penny thinking that the quarters were fifty-cent pieces. In the same day, I hit the windshield wipers instead of my turn signals. Sigh. Australia finds me at the oddest moments. And I truly miss the sound of Australian voices, just so pleasant to the ear, and their odd sayings. I refuse (for as long as I can) to drop the UK English spellings, they just look so much more full and complete. As I mentioned earlier, traveling was becoming extremely emotionally draining since people and surroundings kept changing so rapidly. Absolutely worth it, but draining still. Home is very refreshing in light of that, but I think I'll find myself in Australia again sometime. It's nice to know that I have a handful of favourite people and places to visit when I do return.
Queensland: The Whitsundays & Great Barrier Reef
Last summer while I was working at Fleet Feet, I found myself having a conversation with a woman who visited her daughter in Australia. She told me two things: 1. If she could live anywhere in the world, she would live in Melbourne, Australia; 2. You must see the Whitsunday Islands. I haven't made all of my decisions based on this one woman's advice; however, the Whitsundays were always in the back of my mind as a beautiful, must-see place in Australia, especially to see the Great Barrier Reef (which is one of the seven natural wonders of the world)!
At the end of the semester, just as classes were ending, my friend Jackie and I took a trip to Queensland, more specifically to Airlie Beach, which is situated between Brisbane and Cairns. Airlie Beach was rather touristy because, second to Cairns (which is farther north), it is a great starting point if you want to see the Whitsunday Islands. After we settled ourselves in the YHA, Jackie and I booked a two night/three day snorkeling and sailing tour. We spent some time exploring the area. Unfortunately, we couldn't go in the water immediately along because of jelly fish and potential sharks, but there was a nice stretch of beach and a lagoon, so we spent a lot of our days and nights near the water.
Although I was excited about our sailing trip, I was particularly hesitant because almost exactly three years ago I vowed to never step foot on a sailboat again. After a particularly long and nauseating sailing trip during my last week as a counselor at Fairview Lake, I realized that I have terrible motion sickness and I do not function well on boats. The sailing trip was the only feasible means of seeing the reef though so I prepared with plenty of anti-motion sickness pills and boarded the boat. Thankfully, I spent almost all 48 hours completely fine and the trip was fantastic.
Our boat was primarily filled with backpackers from Germany, a guy from Spain and a girl from Italy (the first two people I have met from both countries while in Australia), two women from South America, a woman from France, a girl from Canada, a few girls from the UK, and a small group from some Scandanavian country (which is really just a guess based on their language).
I, unfortunately, managed to lose my voice on this trip, which was inconvenient in such a social situation; however, I managed to have a number of enlightening conversations. Although the language barrier and lack of voice made it difficult, I spent a lot of time conversing with Daniel from Madrid. Spanish is the only other language that I know (to some degree) so it was nice to finally meet someone from Spain, at least there was the chance that we could rely on a language other than English to convey certain points. Plus, Daniel was studying journalism and writing. It was refreshing to also meet someone from a different country and language studying a similar field. He recommended quite a few South American and Spanish authors and even sent me a few of his own translations of Mario Benedetti's poems! Jackie and I also spent some time mastering our German language skills. I now know a series of very useless phrases; however, it's a beginning (just like my Dutch skills).
Aside from the social aspect, we spent the full-day visiting White Haven Beach, snorkeling, and scuba diving. The beach was comprised entirely of silica and the water was perfectly clear. We had some fun exploring the bit of forest that preceded the water and then swam around for a bit. After some time on the beach, we took a small boat back to the sailboat. One of the crew members asked if anyone trusted him. Apparently, I was the only one and so I got to stay on this small, motor-powered boat, which I immediately regreted and simultaneously loved. I got to go on a bit of a super-fast joy ride, rather terrifying, but fun. I held on with all of my might. After we arrived on our sailboat, we put wet suits on and got in the water to snorkel for a while. The minute we entered the water, I was completely stunned. The reef was so colorful and alive; it was nice to be able to look straight out into the water, eyes undisturbed. I think I could have snorkelled all day - it was so peaceful and unlike anything I have ever done before.
Later on in the day, we went scuba diving, which was even more amazing. There were some certified divers, but because we were uncertified we could only do an introductory dive. The night before the dive we were informed as to what to expect. I almost chose not to do the dive after the information session, due to the fact that we were told that if we held our breath at all and ascended to the surface, our lungs would essentially explode because of the pressure change. We were also told that if we did not properly seal our goggles and clear our noses we could end up with black eyes. It all sounded really unpleasant; however, I practiced breathing while snorkeling and felt completely prepared for diving. The introductory dive allowed us to go down approximately 8m (24 feet) and spend about thirty minutes underwater. It was amazing to temporarily defy human limitations and to fully explore the reef. So we swam for a while amidst the coral and the fish. It was so quiet except for the sound of my breathing. Occasionally, I felt myself panic a bit, but once I got my breathing in control, it was one-hundred percent beautiful and captivating. Returning to the surface was a bit saddening, so we snorkeled a bit more and laid on the beach. We spent the rest of the trip relaxing on the deck and admiring our surroundings.
The night we returned to Airlie Beach, we went out with everyone on our boat, still voiceless, I tried to stay out, but went back a bit early. The next evening, some of our German friends who also went on a boat tour returned, so we spent time with them and some other backpackers on the beach. It was kind of unreal: there were some kids from America, Canada, and France on the beach playing a bongo-like drum and spinning fire on ropes. Oh, youth. I learned some useful German words and phrases and a bit about the culture, ultimately discovering my desire to formally learn German and hopefully one day visit Germany. The funniest part about this (which may only be funny to me and Jackie) is that we went to Airlie Beach with a Dutch Language and Grammar book that I borrowed from the library and as we sat near the lagoon practicing our Dutch, we met some people from Germany, and then almost everyone we met after that was also from Germany. To reiterate, meeting people from so many different countries and conversing with them was definitely my favourite part of my experience abroad in addition to seeing so many beautiful cities and landscapes. Our German friends conveniently had a car, so we spent one of our final days attempting to find one of the national parks in the area. We eventually found Conway National Park and did some hiking and exploring.
The following day, I had to leave, but Jackie stayed for a few additional days. We spent some time near the lagoon for my last few hours. I brought my backpack and mentally prepared to leave. It was at this point that I realized traveling is extremely emotionally wearing. As much as I loved meeting so many people so rapidly and forging fast friendships, it gets extremely overwhelming to have to keep parting. It's worth it and I loved it, but still, it pulls on the heart a bit.
I have to say, leaving Airlie Beach was one the most difficult and disappointing moments of my time abroad. I didn't want to stay forever, but I think that the next time I am in a beautiful place I will ensure I do not leave by myself. The bus to the airport was so long and lonely, the plane ride was just plain long, and when I arrived in Melbourne it was ice-cold and rainy. I did find myself missing Melbourne a bit. Whenever I left Melbourne to go elsewhere, I found myself desiring it again, so it was nice to be back, but just so cold! Queensland is located above the Tropic of Capricorn, so it's much warmer and well, tropical.
Again, a completely beautiful and moving experience in Australia. If I ever return to Australia (or I should say, when I return to Australia) I would ideally like to take a roadtrip up from Melbourne to Cairns. There were so many backpackers traveling either down or up the coast (most up, probably to escape the winter weather in the south) that it would be so easy to travel alone, but meet tons of people on the way. Plus, one day I plan on getting myself to Townsville, which is just south of Cairns, so that I can cuddle a koala (clearly a priority in my animal-loving life). Cairns also seems a bit more intense in terms of ancient forests, rough seas, and adventure activities; definitely worth exploring someday. Also, more as a note to myself, I would like to see the west coast too. From what I've gathered, it is less populated and more remote and wild. I am very curious to explore it. And then there is Darwin and Tasmania. So many reasons to return.
At the end of the semester, just as classes were ending, my friend Jackie and I took a trip to Queensland, more specifically to Airlie Beach, which is situated between Brisbane and Cairns. Airlie Beach was rather touristy because, second to Cairns (which is farther north), it is a great starting point if you want to see the Whitsunday Islands. After we settled ourselves in the YHA, Jackie and I booked a two night/three day snorkeling and sailing tour. We spent some time exploring the area. Unfortunately, we couldn't go in the water immediately along because of jelly fish and potential sharks, but there was a nice stretch of beach and a lagoon, so we spent a lot of our days and nights near the water.
Although I was excited about our sailing trip, I was particularly hesitant because almost exactly three years ago I vowed to never step foot on a sailboat again. After a particularly long and nauseating sailing trip during my last week as a counselor at Fairview Lake, I realized that I have terrible motion sickness and I do not function well on boats. The sailing trip was the only feasible means of seeing the reef though so I prepared with plenty of anti-motion sickness pills and boarded the boat. Thankfully, I spent almost all 48 hours completely fine and the trip was fantastic.
Our boat was primarily filled with backpackers from Germany, a guy from Spain and a girl from Italy (the first two people I have met from both countries while in Australia), two women from South America, a woman from France, a girl from Canada, a few girls from the UK, and a small group from some Scandanavian country (which is really just a guess based on their language).
I, unfortunately, managed to lose my voice on this trip, which was inconvenient in such a social situation; however, I managed to have a number of enlightening conversations. Although the language barrier and lack of voice made it difficult, I spent a lot of time conversing with Daniel from Madrid. Spanish is the only other language that I know (to some degree) so it was nice to finally meet someone from Spain, at least there was the chance that we could rely on a language other than English to convey certain points. Plus, Daniel was studying journalism and writing. It was refreshing to also meet someone from a different country and language studying a similar field. He recommended quite a few South American and Spanish authors and even sent me a few of his own translations of Mario Benedetti's poems! Jackie and I also spent some time mastering our German language skills. I now know a series of very useless phrases; however, it's a beginning (just like my Dutch skills).
Aside from the social aspect, we spent the full-day visiting White Haven Beach, snorkeling, and scuba diving. The beach was comprised entirely of silica and the water was perfectly clear. We had some fun exploring the bit of forest that preceded the water and then swam around for a bit. After some time on the beach, we took a small boat back to the sailboat. One of the crew members asked if anyone trusted him. Apparently, I was the only one and so I got to stay on this small, motor-powered boat, which I immediately regreted and simultaneously loved. I got to go on a bit of a super-fast joy ride, rather terrifying, but fun. I held on with all of my might. After we arrived on our sailboat, we put wet suits on and got in the water to snorkel for a while. The minute we entered the water, I was completely stunned. The reef was so colorful and alive; it was nice to be able to look straight out into the water, eyes undisturbed. I think I could have snorkelled all day - it was so peaceful and unlike anything I have ever done before.
Later on in the day, we went scuba diving, which was even more amazing. There were some certified divers, but because we were uncertified we could only do an introductory dive. The night before the dive we were informed as to what to expect. I almost chose not to do the dive after the information session, due to the fact that we were told that if we held our breath at all and ascended to the surface, our lungs would essentially explode because of the pressure change. We were also told that if we did not properly seal our goggles and clear our noses we could end up with black eyes. It all sounded really unpleasant; however, I practiced breathing while snorkeling and felt completely prepared for diving. The introductory dive allowed us to go down approximately 8m (24 feet) and spend about thirty minutes underwater. It was amazing to temporarily defy human limitations and to fully explore the reef. So we swam for a while amidst the coral and the fish. It was so quiet except for the sound of my breathing. Occasionally, I felt myself panic a bit, but once I got my breathing in control, it was one-hundred percent beautiful and captivating. Returning to the surface was a bit saddening, so we snorkeled a bit more and laid on the beach. We spent the rest of the trip relaxing on the deck and admiring our surroundings.
The night we returned to Airlie Beach, we went out with everyone on our boat, still voiceless, I tried to stay out, but went back a bit early. The next evening, some of our German friends who also went on a boat tour returned, so we spent time with them and some other backpackers on the beach. It was kind of unreal: there were some kids from America, Canada, and France on the beach playing a bongo-like drum and spinning fire on ropes. Oh, youth. I learned some useful German words and phrases and a bit about the culture, ultimately discovering my desire to formally learn German and hopefully one day visit Germany. The funniest part about this (which may only be funny to me and Jackie) is that we went to Airlie Beach with a Dutch Language and Grammar book that I borrowed from the library and as we sat near the lagoon practicing our Dutch, we met some people from Germany, and then almost everyone we met after that was also from Germany. To reiterate, meeting people from so many different countries and conversing with them was definitely my favourite part of my experience abroad in addition to seeing so many beautiful cities and landscapes. Our German friends conveniently had a car, so we spent one of our final days attempting to find one of the national parks in the area. We eventually found Conway National Park and did some hiking and exploring.
The following day, I had to leave, but Jackie stayed for a few additional days. We spent some time near the lagoon for my last few hours. I brought my backpack and mentally prepared to leave. It was at this point that I realized traveling is extremely emotionally wearing. As much as I loved meeting so many people so rapidly and forging fast friendships, it gets extremely overwhelming to have to keep parting. It's worth it and I loved it, but still, it pulls on the heart a bit.
I have to say, leaving Airlie Beach was one the most difficult and disappointing moments of my time abroad. I didn't want to stay forever, but I think that the next time I am in a beautiful place I will ensure I do not leave by myself. The bus to the airport was so long and lonely, the plane ride was just plain long, and when I arrived in Melbourne it was ice-cold and rainy. I did find myself missing Melbourne a bit. Whenever I left Melbourne to go elsewhere, I found myself desiring it again, so it was nice to be back, but just so cold! Queensland is located above the Tropic of Capricorn, so it's much warmer and well, tropical.
Again, a completely beautiful and moving experience in Australia. If I ever return to Australia (or I should say, when I return to Australia) I would ideally like to take a roadtrip up from Melbourne to Cairns. There were so many backpackers traveling either down or up the coast (most up, probably to escape the winter weather in the south) that it would be so easy to travel alone, but meet tons of people on the way. Plus, one day I plan on getting myself to Townsville, which is just south of Cairns, so that I can cuddle a koala (clearly a priority in my animal-loving life). Cairns also seems a bit more intense in terms of ancient forests, rough seas, and adventure activities; definitely worth exploring someday. Also, more as a note to myself, I would like to see the west coast too. From what I've gathered, it is less populated and more remote and wild. I am very curious to explore it. And then there is Darwin and Tasmania. So many reasons to return.
Monday, May 25, 2009
Cape Schanck, Victoria
Victoria, Australia is a beautiful place; Cape Schanck, the southernmost tip of the Mornington Peninsula, is no exception. Reflecting upon this, it seems I have been to not one, but two of the southernmost parts of Victoria (see: Wilson's Promontory). My friend James so kindly offered to drive down after discussing what I had and had not seen during my travels one evening. We went to his parent's farm and then to Cape Schanck. His parents treated me to a delicious vegan lunch and then we explored the farm. There is something charming about land and homes passed down through families; it seems to define childhood in a very special way and there's something incredibly natural about growing up on a farm. It was fun to get a bit of a tour and see all of the animals (which I loved to pieces, note the tiny kittens and the goats)!
The day was a bit overcast, but we had a nice time wandering about the cape and I enjoyed visiting a place in Australia that meant so much to someone else as opposed to visiting places in Australia that I sought out on my own or with other study abroad students/backpackers. The rocks and pools of water were most certainly my favourite, so tempting to jump in and swim around; however, it was quite chilly as it was winter in Victoria and it was easy to resist.
Overall, it was a very serene experience, especially in comparison to the night or morning beforehand. On my way back to Box Hill South from the city, I fell asleep on the Nightrider, the lovely bus that runs from 1:30am-4:30am. I will never fall asleep on public transportation again. I woke up in Belgrave, which is quite a distance away from my suburb; however, the bus turned around a bit and stopped at tram stop 75 (whereas, I live around tram stop 66). It was a bit unsettling because I realized that I was in a place where I had no one to call to ask for a ride home or help. I just had to deal with it and of all the situations to have to deal with, it really pales in comparison. I found a cab and arrived home much later than I anticipated seeing that I left the city around 1am and promptly added this to my 'small lessons learned abroad' list. The trip to Cape Schanck was a refreshing trip away from the city center. I never needed a 'break' from Melbourne, but after that night, it was nice to sit in a car, explore the more rural parts of Victoria, and catch up with a friend.
The day was a bit overcast, but we had a nice time wandering about the cape and I enjoyed visiting a place in Australia that meant so much to someone else as opposed to visiting places in Australia that I sought out on my own or with other study abroad students/backpackers. The rocks and pools of water were most certainly my favourite, so tempting to jump in and swim around; however, it was quite chilly as it was winter in Victoria and it was easy to resist.
Overall, it was a very serene experience, especially in comparison to the night or morning beforehand. On my way back to Box Hill South from the city, I fell asleep on the Nightrider, the lovely bus that runs from 1:30am-4:30am. I will never fall asleep on public transportation again. I woke up in Belgrave, which is quite a distance away from my suburb; however, the bus turned around a bit and stopped at tram stop 75 (whereas, I live around tram stop 66). It was a bit unsettling because I realized that I was in a place where I had no one to call to ask for a ride home or help. I just had to deal with it and of all the situations to have to deal with, it really pales in comparison. I found a cab and arrived home much later than I anticipated seeing that I left the city around 1am and promptly added this to my 'small lessons learned abroad' list. The trip to Cape Schanck was a refreshing trip away from the city center. I never needed a 'break' from Melbourne, but after that night, it was nice to sit in a car, explore the more rural parts of Victoria, and catch up with a friend.
Built in 1859 & the second lighthouse in Victoria.
Friday, May 22, 2009
Catching up.
I have certainly fallen very far behind in keeping a digital account of my experiences here due to a lack of time and a fickle internet connection. I have, however, kept a tangible journal. I would like to have a decent and permanent record of all of my travels though so I will proceed to write out a few (probably very long) entries based on what I have written down in my journal. Catching up is not only an effective means of procrastination, but also a necessary means of preserving my memories, communicating with family and friends who do not have Facebook, and an attempt to persuade those of you reading to return to Australia with me someday!
Adelaide
When I left Adelaide the first time, I felt the desire to return. In fact, if I'm comparing Australian cities, I think I would be able to most successfully and healthfully sustain my life in Adelaide as opposed to Sydney, but Melbourne seems to be good middle-ground. Anyhow, I arrived in Adelaide on May 15th and Mike was kind enough to pick me up at the airport far too early in the morning. We went to the markets and bought a bunch of produce, drove to Mt. Lofty, but it was too cloudy to really see anything, nice though, and then returned to his house where we made the most delicious stewed apples with cinnamon and sultanas and guacamole! Generally, I don't try cooking anything beyond cous cous and veggie burgers so it was nice to actually create something quite yummy. Stewed apples are a-mazing. Eventually we went out and did things other than peeling apples and avocados. We saw Matt, Mike's housemate Bridget's boyfriend (whew, lots of possession there) play a gig at The Metro (and he sounded a bit like Bill Callahan and Will Oldham, cool!) and then went bowling, but ten-pin bowling as opposed to "lawn bowling." We finished the evening with a game of Scrabble! Spending time with a group of good friends was refreshing because it reminded me of being at home and although they weren't my good friends it was still comforting. I felt like a real person as opposed to merely a student meandering around Australia, in temporary accommodation, and riding in a car once every month or so. I'm finding that hard to articulate. I felt relatively grounded for the weekend.
The following day we went to Hahndorf, a little German town outside of Adelaide (which we reluctantly drove past on our way into Adelaide on the outback trip). It was quaint. We walked around and went to a museum, bought some candies, and returned to observe a fairly violent division one rugby game, which reminded me of my brief encounter with rugby a year ago; we went to a variety of parties, and ended up ultimately at The Metro to see a band: The Stabs. I enjoyed them, kind of Sonic Youth-esque, maybe.
The following day we went to Hahndorf, a little German town outside of Adelaide (which we reluctantly drove past on our way into Adelaide on the outback trip). It was quaint. We walked around and went to a museum, bought some candies, and returned to observe a fairly violent division one rugby game, which reminded me of my brief encounter with rugby a year ago; we went to a variety of parties, and ended up ultimately at The Metro to see a band: The Stabs. I enjoyed them, kind of Sonic Youth-esque, maybe.
On Sunday, while Mike had band practice, I strolled around the artsy/cultural district. I went to the Art Gallery of South Australia, The Museum of Southern Australia, the State Library, and the Flinders University exhibit. Afterward, I walked through the the Rundle St. markets and the Botanic Gardens. Although it was a bit of a foggy and rainy day, it was pleasant and I always enjoy walking around cities by myself, due to the fact that it's actually quite liberating. That evening we watched Waltz with Bashir, an animated film about the Palestine-Israel conflict, which I found a bit confusing, but maybe worth watching again after reading up on it a bit. We went to a cute cafe and then the Grace Emily, a rather cozy pub.
While at the Art Gallery of South Australia, I saw a wonderful portrait of Colonel William Light that stayed with me due to the fact that it was partially unfinished and in the bottom right-hand corner there was another self-portrait upside down and smaller. It was a little bit eerie. Anyhow, we went to see Colonel Light's statue, pointing over Adelaide, which he designed. A Lamington may or may not have been consumed. And St. Peter's Cathedral was visited; churches are always inviting and warm, at least as buildings. Overall, I enjoyed my time in Adelaide; by far one of the busiest weekends I have experienced in Australia and very pleasant thanks to my new and very kind friend!
Sydney
A few weekends ago, from May 7-11, I boarded a plane to Sydney with Jackie (from Marist) and Rana (from California). Oddly enough it was the first time since February 20th that I had been on an airplane. Somehow, I have managed to cover quite a lot of ground in cars, vans, buses, trains, and trams.
Most of the trip was unplanned and we only had a vague outline of what we wanted to see and do, but that seems to be the only reasonable way to go about traveling these days. Essentially, I'm learning to be flexible. We stayed with Eric Gentile (also a student at Marist) and his five friends from New York. Another North American-dominated weekend. We felt like we were staying in something that resembled a frat house superimposed onto a fancy apartment in Coogee Bay, but it was free and Eric was incredibly generous so there will be no complaints, just gratefulness. Plus, the couch was comfortable.
Most of the trip was unplanned and we only had a vague outline of what we wanted to see and do, but that seems to be the only reasonable way to go about traveling these days. Essentially, I'm learning to be flexible. We stayed with Eric Gentile (also a student at Marist) and his five friends from New York. Another North American-dominated weekend. We felt like we were staying in something that resembled a frat house superimposed onto a fancy apartment in Coogee Bay, but it was free and Eric was incredibly generous so there will be no complaints, just gratefulness. Plus, the couch was comfortable.
We arrived and got ourselves settled. We were pretty tired so we hung around the apartment that evening and the following morning we walked and ran along the 6km Coogee Bay to Bondi Beach coastal walk, which was absolutely gorgeous: lots of rocks, waves crashing, lap pools meeting the sea, and Waverly Cemetery (which reminded me of Poe's "Annabelle Lee," the 'kingdom by the sea,' 'sepulcher' bit). There was a lot of construction along the way so we were forced to take a number of detours through the streets, which Rana informed us reminded her of San Francisco: a hilly beach-town meets suburb appearance. We encountered a neat staircase that had little mosaics embedded on each level. We arrived at Bondi Beach and sat around for a while. The water wasn't too cold as far as I can recall, but we didn't swim. We just put our toes in it, sat around, and admired the beauty.
In the evening, we went to Darling Harbour where we met up with Amy Wheeler! In celebration of Darling Harbour's twenty-first anniversary there was a fireworks show so we watched that and caught up for a bit. We returned to Coogee with the intention of returning to the city, but we were overcome with a wave of fatigue and decided to stay at home instead and wake up early the following day.
We awoke with the intention of finding Sydney's oldest coffee place, but could not find it in The Strand, so we abandoned that plan and instead, went to the Glebe Markets and I met up with Kat (also from Marist, this was a Marist/NY-filled weekend). The markets were amazing: lots of handmade crafts, jewelry, scarves, clothing, etc.
Afterward, we grabbed coffee at a fair trade coffee shop and then headed to the greatly anticipated Sydney Harbour. The sight of the Harbour Bridge and Opera House seemed to confirm our distance from home and our presence in Australia. Although it is primarily a tourist attraction and we didn't walk on the Bridge or enter the Opera House, it was useful in placing us in the greater global context because it's such an icon and uniquely Australian. Most of the time when I said I was studying in Melbourne, people did not know where that was until I put it in relation to Sydney, so it was fun to take pictures, fully realise just how massive the Opera House buildings are in real life, and absorb the fact that I am actually in Australia and on whole different continent.
Afterward, we grabbed coffee at a fair trade coffee shop and then headed to the greatly anticipated Sydney Harbour. The sight of the Harbour Bridge and Opera House seemed to confirm our distance from home and our presence in Australia. Although it is primarily a tourist attraction and we didn't walk on the Bridge or enter the Opera House, it was useful in placing us in the greater global context because it's such an icon and uniquely Australian. Most of the time when I said I was studying in Melbourne, people did not know where that was until I put it in relation to Sydney, so it was fun to take pictures, fully realise just how massive the Opera House buildings are in real life, and absorb the fact that I am actually in Australia and on whole different continent.
We walked through the Botanic Gardens for a bit and then around to the Museum of Contemporary Art, which is located in The Rocks, the historical section of the city. At the Museum we saw an exhibit by Yayoi Kusama, which is one of the most physically effective exhibits that I have ever seen. It's extremely powerful in person since most of her pieces consist of rooms filled with repetitive designs such as metallic balls the size of bowling balls lined up next to each other, a room filled with cloud-like pillows, and tiny rooms for entering and looking around, usually decorated with mirrors, Christmas-like lights, and bright lights with cushiony designs on the floor. It's really hard to articulate now that I am trying to. Kusama describes herself as an "obsessive artist" and a lot of her artwork is based on repetition and pattern. It is also autobiographical, psychological, and sexual. Although it is more meaningful to experience it first hand, it might be nice to check out her artwork. Soon after, we returned to Coogee and eventually went out. We went to Fortune of War, Sydney's oldest pub, which had a certain historical old world sort of charm and then we went to a variety of other places that were not very entertaining beyond being aesthetically pleasing, like The Argyle.
On Sunday, we intended to go to the Blue Mountains; however, in order to get there we would have had to rent a car or take the bus and since our day started later than we anticipated, we did neither and instead decided to enjoy the city a bit more. We went back to The Rocks, had coffee at a cute shop, and then meandered through the markets and eventually made our way to Newtown, an area predominantly filled with fun restaurants, where we ate Thai food, enjoyed wine, and where I found a shop called "Vegan's Choice" where I had vanilla ice cream on a cone! The word "Vegan" just brings joy to my heart.
The return journey to Melbourne took hours upon hours it seemed. We woke up around 7am and I arrived in my room by about 4pm thoroughly exhausted. Sydney was fun, but I am quite pleased that I chose Melbourne to study in. It just seems more fitting. I can't quite put my finger on it, but I think I'm happier here than I would have been there (but that's assuming a lot). My opinion of Sydney is directly related to the fact that I did not have enough time to explore the best parts. Either way, it was a good time and I think it would be silly to come all the way here and not see Sydney. There's so much to see here, so much. I think I'll have to return someday.
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