More Adventures in Oz

I am now on the west coast of Australia in Perth. It is WAY too cold here compared to what I have been used to up north. They weren't joking when they said it gets cooler in winter.

Just before I started writing this, I was on a pay phone and all of a sudden I hear a loud screech and a bang. I hung up the phone and discovered a woman had been hit by a car! My curiosity got the better of me and I ran down to take a closer look. An old lady's head was sliced open and blood was everywhere. It was a disgusting sight. Apparently a truck had gone through a red light and hit her. When I first saw her I thought she was dead, but by the time the ambulance came she was moving. Hopefully the lady will make it.

On a happier note, the last 3 weeks have been fabulous! I last wrote about Magnetic Island, a gorgeous island just outside of Townsville. We (my friend Genny and I) had originally planned to stay for 3 days but decided to stay for a week because we were having so much fun. We stayed in a resort that felt like Club Med (minus the outrageous price) that was apparently the only hostel in Australia that was right on the beach. We stayed in little bungalows overlooking palm trees and the ocean. Most days we suntanned by the pool, took a dip in the warm ocean, and chilled out on hammocks, sipping cocktails. On our more adventurous days we horse backed on the beach, jet skied, and rented scooters around the island. Horseback riding was so amazing because we actually swam in the ocean with the horses and I got to canter on a horse for the first time. I had ridden horses many times before so I thought I had cantered before...I was wrong! Horses essentially have 4 'gears': walking, trotting, cantering, and running. I had apparently only gone to 2nd gear before, and boy was I surprised when the horse started to go... I almost fell off. I can't imagine what running is like!! We even got to ride bare back which is a little more unstable and uncomfortable than I thought. We had a few wild nights dancing in the open air club on the sand. Oh yeah... and I met a really hot scuba diving instructor named Kevin. My ear was plugged with water so I couldn't go diving, but I may just have to go back there again now that my ear has unplugged.


After reluctantly leaving Magnetic Island we hopped on the Oz bus again to Mission Beach, the Cassowary capital of Australia. Our hostel was in the middle of nowhere so there wasn't much to do and the weather sucked. On the way back from the beach one day I had a brilliant idea to cut through someone's back yard. Suddenly we were confronted by 2 animals running towards us and growling. We thought they might be wild dingos, but we weren't sure. I remember reading that with dingos you have to keep eye contact at all times. We stood there frozen staring at them while they ran towards us, stopped and turned away... thankfully. We had a hilarious night that night, consisting of copious amounts of red wine. After nursing our hangovers the next day we headed up to Cairns, which was the last stop on our Oz Experience bus. On the way, we stopped at a crocodile farm and saw dozens of HUGE crocs. I even got to hold a baby croc. Next, the bus stopped at a bungee jumping sight. We were both tempted to take the 40meter plunge, but I decided I would sky dive later in my trip instead.

Cairns was touristy as they said it would be, but lots of fun. Our hostel room was about a foot bigger than the bunk bed that was in it...it was the size of a closet! We went to a bar one night that was mostly full of Hells Angels bikers. Very strange night to say the least! The weather wasn't great and there are no beaches there, just mudflats, so we booked a tour up to Cape Tribulation for the next day. Cape Trib. was beautiful! It's where the rain forest meets the reef...literally. There are fascinating mangrove forests everywhere. Did you know that water flows in the opposite direction in the southern hemisphere? No...I don't mean upwards, but I mean in a clockwise direction instead of a counterclockwise direction in the northern hemisphere. It's called the cordialus effect. Try looking at the toilet flushing and seeing the direction the water flows. The vines on the trees in the rain forests in Australia all wrap around the tree in a clockwise direction because of the water flow. Interesting eh!!

The next day in Cape Trib we went on a crocodile cruise in Daintree. We saw tonnes of crocs and even a Python hanging from a tree. I felt like I was on the jungle cruise at Disneyland, but this time the crocs were real.

We took a ferry ride to Green Island... a GORGEOUS tropical island, surrounded by coral and clear blue water, and packed with Japanese tourists. The day was spent suntanning and snorkeling and buying identical shirts in the gift shop. While snorkeling I saw my first wild sea turtle!! It was so awesome, I swam with it for about 5 minutes and watched it glide through the water, looking back at me from time to time.

That day we hopped on a plane and flew to Darwin, or as the Aussie's call it, the 'Top End'. It was 35 degrees all day and night, sooooooo pleasant!!...we could wear tank tops at night. Darwin is a small town filled with crazy 20-year-old backpackers and lots of drunk aborigines stumbling down the streets. We spent a day poolside baking ourselves in the sun. Every half hour we would get so hot that we would dive into the pool to cool off. What a relaxing day!! Genny and I have moved from the 15 sunscreen to the 6 baby oil now.