AUSTRALIA DAY

Yesterday was Australia Day. It celebrates the day Australia was colonized. Our whole group went to the Daintree National Park to go to the oldest rainforest in the world. Our bus driver/tour guide was legit. He reminded me of Dwight from the Office because he kept saying “Fact.” after telling us things. When we got to the forest we enjoyed tea and biscuits (cookies) with a beautiful view. Then we took a tour through part of the forest and climbed up a lookout to see the view over the trees. It was so pretty! We went to Cape Tribulation for some more beautiful views. Unfortunately the mozzies (mosquitoes) were attacking us, which made it a little unpleasant. We walked through the forest again to a picnic area to enjoy an Aussie “barbie” :) We also took a boat ride along the Daintree River and we saw a little crocodile on the shore! One of my favorite parts of the day was when we saw a cassowary in the wild. Cassowaries are big, colorful, flightless birds that remind me of Kevin (the bird from Up). They are endangered and there are only 70 that live in the huge rainforest. We were so lucky to see one!

Tomorrow is our last full day in Australia! This trip has been absolutely amazing so far…and it’s not over! Hawaii here we come :)

BUNGY JUMPING!

Yesterday Caitlyn and I woke up and went bungy jumping. I’ve always wanted to go, so I thought, why not in Australia? We went to an AJ Hackett site (apparently he’s dude who invented modern bungy jumping) with Kaitlyn, Michelle, and Audrey. I was a little nervous, but super excited. I was the fourth to jump. At first I thought that I wanted to have them hold on to the back of my harness, have me lean forward, and then have them let go of me. I didn’t think I would have the guts to jump. After seeing everybody else go, I decided that I wanted to make the most of it and swan dive out from the platform. It all happened so fast. All of the sudden I was strapped in ready to go, my toes were at the edge of the platform, the guy was telling me to smile for the camera and then jump after he counted down from 5. It was so insane…I loved every second of it. I love that stomach-drop feeling, and I felt like I was flying (or plummeting to my death haha). I’m so happy I did it; especially because when we got back we found out that white water rafting had been canceled that afternoon because of the stupid cyclone.

Here's a video of my jump that I recorded from the TV at the place :)

GREAT BARRIER REEF

On Saturday, most of the girls on my trip sailed out to the Great Barrier Reef. The water was really rough due to a cyclone that was supposed to hit the area. I slept most of the way out to the reef to avoid getting sick. When we got to the reef, my roommates and I spontaneously decided to go scuba diving. After about a 10-minute briefing and a two minute lesson with our gear on, we were ready to go! We had to link arms the whole time with each other and a diving instructor, but I was on the end so I felt relatively free. It was such an amazing experience. The coral and fish were so beautiful. We even got to touch some soft coral and a giant clam! I saw two clown fish in an anemone…it was straight out of Finding Nemo! We only went about 15 feet deep, but we were out there for over 30 minutes, and we got to see a lot. I’ve never been scuba diving before…it was so awesome to be able to breathe under water!

After we went diving, we went on a semi-submersion boat. We sat below the water level and were able to see coral and fish out the glass sides of the boat. We saw a sea turtle, which was so cool! I wish I got to see one when I was in the water. After the boat we went back out to the coral and went snorkeling. It was a lot of fun to be able to swim on my own and explore. I saw some different fish and Cait saw a shark…I was so jealous!

On our way back, most of us sat on the front deck of the boat and got soaked by the huge waves. It was so much fun. The boat was going crazy and the waves were insane. The air and the water were so warm that we didn’t mind getting drenched. My trip to the Great Barrier Reef was definitely an unforgettable day :)

BILLABONG SALOON

Yesterday was such an adventure! A group of us went horseback riding through the rainforest. I rode a horse named Storm. He was the smallest horse! We were the same height haha. They told me that children usually ride him haha but he was perfect. It was such a cool experience riding through the rainforest and going up and down steep hills. I even got to trot up a few hills, which was a blast. We got to a lookout point at sunset and had an awesome view of the mountains and the rainforest. Then we rode back to the ranch in the dark! We had lights attached to our helmets, but of course mine was dead and I could barely see. Luckily we took a shortcut back! When we got back to the ranch there was a big campfire and we all roasted marshmallows.

The last part of our night was spent with kangaroos! This time they were Eastern Graybacks, so they were a lot bigger than the wallabys. We got to feed them and hang out with them. We even saw a little joey! He was so cute, but we couldn't get really close to him. I still can't believe I'm actually in Australia doing all these awesome things, but I'm having the time of my life!

BEST DAY EVER!

Tuesday was probably my favorite day so far on this trip. We started our day by taking the Kuranda historic train from Cairns through the rainforest to Kuranda. We had awesome views of the mountains, rainforest, and waterfalls. It's so different from Sydney here, but I love it!

When we arrived in Kuranda, we went to the Koala Gardens. I got to hold a koala!!! Its name was Chibby and she was so cuddly. There was the cutest little baby koala named Otto sleeping in a tree. After cuddling with the koala we fed wallabys! They look just like kangaroos, but they're smaller. It was so awesome to just hang out with them...they were so friendly!

After hanging out with the Australian wildlife, we took the Skyrail over the rainforest back to Cairns. We got out at lookout points and saw Barron Falls and mountains. It was awesome. After our ride we went to Tjapukai, which is an aboriginal culture park. We saw aboriginals play didjeridoos and dance. We were also taught how to throw boomerangs and spears! I never knew this, but boomerangs were used for hunting. I would be one hungry aboriginal because I wasn't good at throwing either haha, but I'm bringing home a boomerang to practice with!

LUNA PARK

Yesterday was another beautiful day at Bondi Beach. Caitlyn and I got up early to beat the crowds. Unfortunately, after being at the beach during the time you're supposed to avoid the sun (10 am - 2 pm), I got sunburned :(

This morning I went to Hillsong Church again. It was awesome. You can really feel God's presence in that place!



Today Michelle, Kara, Bari, Audrey and I went to Luna Park. We walked across the Sydney Harbour Bridge to get there. It was like a little old school amusement park. We didn't go on any rides, but we had fun walking around. We even got some cotton candy, which was called "fairy floss" hahah

SURF'S UP DUDE

Thursday was a great day! Our whole group went to surf school and went surfing at a private beach. The weather wasn't so nice. It was pretty chilly and gray, but the ocean was warm and the waves were great! We learned how to paddle and catch waves on the beach first then we went in the water. I was pretty nervous even though I've been surfing before. After a little while I was doing pretty well! It was such a blast and we stayed in the water for so long. My body was so sore the next day, but it was well worth it. The day ended with almost everybody getting stung by jelly fish, but somehow I avoided them all :)


This picture isn't great, but it's proof that I caught a wave!