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!

SYDNEY HARBOUR BRIDGE

Yesterday a group of us walked across the Sydney Harbour Bridge. We had another nice view of the Opera House. It was pretty windy up on the bridge, but it was fun! Afterwards, we walked to a cool restaurant with tables on the roof. Caitlyn and I split a huge bowl of seasoned potato wedges. Of course we finished the whole thing...they were sooooo good!

DINNER AT 114

After a day at the beach, we decided to cook a nice meal in our apartment. Cait and Lauren did an awesome job of making veggie pasta sauce and garlic bread. I popped open a bottle of sparkling wine on our balcony. I was petrified hahah but it was great success! Our meal was delicious, and we had a great time bonding as roomies :)

SYDNEY AQUARIUM

Yesterday we went to the Sydney Aquarium, which is right by our apartment in Darling Harbour. It was really cool to see all the different fish and coral. They had a real crocodile too! We also saw dugongs, which aren't like the pokemon dewgongs, but they are very similar to manatees. I loved walking in the glass tunnel with the water and animals all around us. We saw huge stingrays and sharks :)

Today we are going back to Bondi Beach...rough life, I know! Cheers!

SUMMER IN JANUARY

This weekend we went to two different beaches. First we went to Bondi Beach. I loved it so much. The sand was so soft and the water was so clear. It was great to be swimming in the ocean and laying on the beach in January! I only got a little bit of sunburn even though the sun is so strong here because of the hole in the ozone layer. The next day we took the ferry to Manly Beach. It was more crowded, but still great.



On Sunday a group of us went to Hillsong Church at the city campus. I expected it to be a lot bigger, but it was awesome. The worship was great, and I liked the message. Plus hearing Australian accents throughout church service is always cool. I am definitely going back next week :)

I LOVE SYDNEY

Two days ago we toured the Opera House. It was a really cool building and it was really interesting to learn the history of it. Yesterday we toured the Sydney Hospital and saw some gross body parts in jars haha. Then we toured the Rocks at Circular Quay. The hospital is the oldest institution in Australia and the Rocks is the first settlement, which is right by Sydney Harbour. I love how much I'm getting to learn and explore. I already have a good idea of how to get around the city, which is really cool. I love living here! The city isn't really crowded or too busy...it's much more laid back.


The weather was sunny and beautiful today and a bunch of us walked to the Royal Botanical Gardens. The gardens were so beautiful and it was so nice to just lay in the grass and soak up some sun. We also saw a ton of bats called flying foxes. They are huge! I can't wait until we see more Australian animals :)


I put up a few pictures here: http://picasaweb.google.com/sarahraulli/Australia

FINALLY HERE!

G'day! We finally made it to Sydney! Our flight was delayed for 24 hours due to technical difficulties. We got to spend the night in LA which allowed us to catch up on sleep and eat as much as we could (for free!) The flight from LA to Sydney was actually nice. They had awesome movies and tv shows and I was able to sleep a lot. My feet and legs swelled up (even though I wore compression stockings!), but other than that it wasn't bad at all! We had a bus tour around some parts of Sydney with the best tour guide ever, Henry. He was hilarious and taught us a lot about Australians and how to deal with stuff here. I love the Australian accents and slang. We got to see Bondi Beach, Sydney Harbour, the Harbour Bridge, and the Opera House. We are going on a tour of the Opera House in a little bit. It's gorgeous here! It's so nice to be in warm, sunny weather!

P.S.
Caitlyn and I are sharing a bed in our apartment for the next two weeks hahah slumber party!