Heyyy there lovely people! Well these past 5 days have been full of fish filled adventure. I have spent the past five days in sunny Cairns, Australia. Now before I go any further at all I must tell you how to pronounce Cairns in case you ever go there, and do not want to be laughed at. It is in fact pronounced "cans". Yes, that is right folks.... ignore that "i" and "r"
because they really serve no purpose at all. There were a group of 9 (10 at times) ladies who decided to head up to Northern Australia for our first spring break of the school year to go snorkeling on the great barrier reef. When we arrived we found our hostel, which said it included
linens, gave us only a sheet.... good thing it was between 30 and 37 degrees C the entire time.... except of course in the middle of the night, but that is a different story. Also, I do not know about anyone else, but when you thing Great Barrier Reef you think of ow amazing the beaches
must be.... well you would be wrong. There actually are no beaches close by at all. There are just muddy shores which could be infested with crocodiles....
interesting. Luckily Cairns has this huge man made lagoon, which is safe to swim in (see picture above and to the right) and has a sandy shore on one side, with an infinity pool effect looking out into the ocean. It was really nice needless to say, I felt like I was chilling by a pool at a really nice resort.
Our first full day there we just lounged by the lagoon and surveyed the little town with all of its shops, cafes, and restaurants. It was really nice to just lay out in the sun and know that we had no agenda, no places we needed to be. It was very relaxing, just the break I needed in the middle of this very long, daunting, study
abroad trip I am in the middle of.... (sarcasm.) The girls in the photo to the left starting from the left are my
roomie Meagen, Natalie, and myself. Do not be mislead this was in fact not a nude beach.... although I hear they do have those here.... I will not be visiting one though,
haha. Well day 2 was snorkel day. I took so many pictures on the boat out to the reef, which is about an hour and a half trip one way
surprisingly, it was hard to pick which one to show you, but I choose this one because it is a look back at the
mountains to the south of Cairns with come nice tropical fog settling, so
beautiful. Well the boat ride out was
absolutely relaxing. Just
an hour and a half of open ocean, lounging on the outside deck looking at the beautiful colors of the sea. Our first snorkeling spot was at a reef they do not get to go to much
because the wind and currents usually do not allow it. It was amazing. The reef is massive and colorful, as are the fish. I sadly did not have an underwater camera with me, but some of the other girls did so I will try to put some of those up when they get them processed. Needless to say you can tell God ad fun creating the ocean life,
because it is absolutely breath taking. After this we got back on the boat for a
healthy catered lunch, which was one of the best meals I have had my entire time in Oz, so that was fantastic. Our second snorkel spot was known as "the fish bowl" and indeed it was a fish bowl. The reef entering in was fairly close to the surface of the water, but after you swam over it a bit it dropped down to this massive bowl shape carved out of coral. It was full of brilliantly colored fish. However the current at this spot was going away from the boat and it was super
strong, so it took all of
everyone energy to get back to the boat,
haha. Thankfully everyone made it. This was also the spot with the "scary coral". I had my head sticking above water and I was chatting wit Meg... the current was super strong so it was moving us the entire time... pretty soon I realized it had pushed us so there was coral barely below our feet so I decided to start swimming again to get away from it. Well when I put my face in the water I was a bit startled
because all I could see in any direction was this crazy coral that looked sort of like millions of intertwined fingers. It is very hard to explain, but it would be the perfect setting for an under water horror movie,
haha. None the less it was very cool, and of course I made my way out with out any problems what so ever. The boat ride back was amazing, especially after 5 hours of snorkeling, it was really nice to just lounge about. The picture to the left is Sarah and I enjoying the ride back to shore. I do have to say this was my first real hostel
experience. The first
night was the hardest.... not knowing it got cold and having to put on a million layers and
cocoon in my sheet to stay warm. Plus there were four of us sharing a room with another random girl who was not very friendly, and I am pretty sure she moved everything she owned into that room. And she was super loud any time she got up or went to bed, which was always at the crack of dawn.... but
regardless it was an interesting experience. I loved the buildings at the hostel tough. The only rooms with doors were the bed rooms and the toilets. Everything else was open to the elements. It looked like a tropical oasis, shaded by palm trees with 4
hammocks and a mini pool. It was a pretty cool place to get to stay in. We met some random people, most seemed pretty nice. I do have to say I have never seen so many guys walk around in
their underwear.... no shame in Australia I tell ya. Also, random side note, I have never seen so many people make out in public before, on trains, beaches, in the middle of the street (I kid you not), on park
benches, in cafes.... oh the snogging,
haha. Its awkward when they are blocking doorways doing this and your trying to make your way through...
regardless this only happened
once, but I feel like it could easily happen again. Anyway... our last night there Sarah, Meg and I ran around the town to take random pictures and do some exploring. It was a really fun
evening full of laughter and silliness, and Meg finding out that "in that one picture it looks like I have two legs"
hahaha. Oh dear. This trip once again taught me a lot about myself and a lot about God. I am such a weirdo. I like to have alone time and it is hard for me when I cannot easily get it. Do I
isolate myself or suck it up?
Meh. Well I will leave you with his last picture just so I can brag a bit about being tan,
because lets be honest here this never happens, and this is maybe the second time it ever has,
haha.
Plus, who does not love a nice headless statue? I know I sure do. People on the street were
lagging at us for posing with him... that is always funny. Thanks for reading!
Heyyy there lovely people! Well these past 5 days have been full of fish filled adventure. I have spent the past five days in sunny Cairns, Australia. Now before I go any further at all I must tell you how to pronounce Cairns in case you ever go there, and do not want to be laughed at. It is in fact pronounced "cans". Yes, that is right folks.... ignore that "i" and "r" because they really serve no purpose at all. There were a group of 9 (10 at times) ladies who decided to head up to Northern Australia for our first spring break of the school year to go snorkeling on the great barrier reef. When we arrived we found our hostel, which said it included linens, gave us only a sheet.... good thing it was between 30 and 37 degrees C the entire time.... except of course in the middle of the night, but that is a different story. Also, I do not know about anyone else, but when you thing Great Barrier Reef you think of ow amazing the beaches must be.... well you would be wrong. There actually are no beaches close by at all. There are just muddy shores which could be infested with crocodiles.... interesting. Luckily Cairns has this huge man made lagoon, which is safe to swim in (see picture above and to the right) and has a sandy shore on one side, with an infinity pool effect looking out into the ocean. It was really nice needless to say, I felt like I was chilling by a pool at a really nice resort. 
Our first full day there we just lounged by the lagoon and surveyed the little town with all of its shops, cafes, and restaurants. It was really nice to just lay out in the sun and know that we had no agenda, no places we needed to be. It was very relaxing, just the break I needed in the middle of this very long, daunting, study abroad trip I am in the middle of.... (sarcasm.) The girls in the photo to the left starting from the left are my roomie Meagen, Natalie, and myself. Do not be mislead this was in fact not a nude beach.... although I hear they do have those here.... I will not be visiting one though, haha. Well day 2 was snorkel day. I took so many pictures on the boat out to the reef, which is about an hour and a half trip one way surprisingly, it was hard to pick which one to show you, but I choose this one because it is a look back at the mountains to the south of Cairns with come nice tropical fog settling, so beautiful. Well the boat ride out was absolutely relaxing. Just 
an hour and a half of open ocean, lounging on the outside deck looking at the beautiful colors of the sea. Our first snorkeling spot was at a reef they do not get to go to much because the wind and currents usually do not allow it. It was amazing. The reef is massive and colorful, as are the fish. I sadly did not have an underwater camera with me, but some of the other girls did so I will try to put some of those up when they get them processed. Needless to say you can tell God ad fun creating the ocean life, because it is absolutely breath taking. After this we got back on the boat for a healthy catered lunch, which was one of the best meals I have had my entire time in Oz, so that was fantastic. Our second snorkel spot was known as "the fish bowl" and indeed it was a fish bowl. The reef entering in was fairly close to the surface of the water, but after you swam over it a bit it dropped down to this massive bowl shape carved out of coral. It was full of brilliantly colored fish. However the current at this spot was going away from the boat and it was super 
strong, so it took all of everyone energy to get back to the boat, haha. Thankfully everyone made it. This was also the spot with the "scary coral". I had my head sticking above water and I was chatting wit Meg... the current was super strong so it was moving us the entire time... pretty soon I realized it had pushed us so there was coral barely below our feet so I decided to start swimming again to get away from it. Well when I put my face in the water I was a bit startled because all I could see in any direction was this crazy coral that looked sort of like millions of intertwined fingers. It is very hard to explain, but it would be the perfect setting for an under water horror movie, haha. None the less it was very cool, and of course I made my way out with out any problems what so ever. The boat ride back was amazing, especially after 5 hours of snorkeling, it was really nice to just lounge about. The picture to the left is Sarah and I enjoying the ride back to shore. I do have to say this was my first real hostel experience. The first 
night was the hardest.... not knowing it got cold and having to put on a million layers and cocoon in my sheet to stay warm. Plus there were four of us sharing a room with another random girl who was not very friendly, and I am pretty sure she moved everything she owned into that room. And she was super loud any time she got up or went to bed, which was always at the crack of dawn.... but regardless it was an interesting experience. I loved the buildings at the hostel tough. The only rooms with doors were the bed rooms and the toilets. Everything else was open to the elements. It looked like a tropical oasis, shaded by palm trees with 4 hammocks and a mini pool. It was a pretty cool place to get to stay in. We met some random people, most seemed pretty nice. I do have to say I have never seen so many guys walk around in their underwear.... no shame in Australia I tell ya. Also, random side note, I have never seen so many people make out in public before, on trains, beaches, in the middle of the street (I kid you not), on park benches, in cafes.... oh the snogging, haha. Its awkward when they are blocking doorways doing this and your trying to make your way through... regardless this only happened 
once, but I feel like it could easily happen again. Anyway... our last night there Sarah, Meg and I ran around the town to take random pictures and do some exploring. It was a really fun evening full of laughter and silliness, and Meg finding out that "in that one picture it looks like I have two legs" hahaha. Oh dear. This trip once again taught me a lot about myself and a lot about God. I am such a weirdo. I like to have alone time and it is hard for me when I cannot easily get it. Do I isolate myself or suck it up? Meh. Well I will leave you with his last picture just so I can brag a bit about being tan, because lets be honest here this never happens, and this is maybe the second time it ever has, haha. 
Plus, who does not love a nice headless statue? I know I sure do. People on the street were lagging at us for posing with him... that is always funny. Thanks for reading!
4 comments:
I got a tip from a certain lovely lady and thus I get to post first. Oh the honor! haha.
Indeed travel will make one... ah... understand and learn more about oneself than much else will. You could spend four years on a college campus and learn more in a month of traveling abroad than back at that college I bet. You realize what you're made of, what you need, what you want, and what makes you tick. At least I think this, maybe it is different for others--it probably is.
I see we, as 'outsiders' are mislead more and more. You see pictures of the Niagara Falls and think "Oh wow the U.S. has some crazy cool water falls!" Well, no... the Niagara Falls are ours, yes, but they are the 'cool' and big ones, that's the Horseshoe Falls which are the Canadians. But we, we Americans, sure do love to claim how amazing we are don't we? And you know what, back some years ago that would have been just great and true, we have been pretty B.A. for a long time. In recent years, I'd say the past 30 or so, that has changed.
Not being a history buff I can't truly say when our fall came, but given what little I know I'd say it started around Vietnam. We got into a mess we need not have and suddenly other countries started to really dis like us (I think.) Poking our nose, your nose, in others business will bring that about I guess.
Oh well.
I'm glad, all-in-all, you had a good time.
It is so true. I never knew travel could teach you so much about... well about everything. It is amazing. And yeah the U.S. definitely likes to think that they are the most amazing, the best, the biggest, the strongest, the best at what ever positive characteristic you can think of. I do not know when the fall for the U.S. came, but I know it definitely did. Maybe a little humility would do the trick?
A bit of it (humility) wouldn't hurt, but who or what is going to humble us? I think nothing. This country's arrogance knows no limit--much like a certain roommate of mine...hmmmm (surprised he's a FOX news Red Blood Right Republican?)
You know aliens with technology a thousand years more advanced than ours could show up and I bet we'd just be saying, "Nuke em! We'll teach them thar pointy heads!"
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