g'day mate

my aussie trip

sorry i havnt been online much, i have just been so busy visiting this AMAZING country! ive been here since the 10th.

Right now im in Lamington National Park just 3 hours out side of Brisbane. It is a WONDERFUL rainforest resort, reminds me of something in BC but with tropical plants. Kinda cold, im wearing my snowboarding jacket, but the view is spectacular. You can read about it it is called O'Reillys and there is some cool history about it , just google it..

So on the 8th i flew from YVR to LAX and had a 6 hour lay over in LAX so i took some time to read! Then my aunt met me (she was flying in from New York and her plane was delayed 4 hours due to city flooding) Then off to Brisbane, Australia we flew. (13 hours and 2 days later) Our plane was huge, i enjoyed some nice shut eye for half the trip, then watched a couple episodes of THE OFFICE, one episode of The Simpsons the movie "Land of Woman" or w/e that movie is called with Adam Brodie and then some racy Australian film.

We landed early morning in Brisbane and 2 hours later flew out to Sydney. Stayed at this cute boutique hotel (which could easily be described as a pig with lipstick) but it was quite nice, and close to everything. So we did some yoga in our room, then trecked out to the shops near by in Kings Cross and Darlinghurst. didnt buy anything, but ended up at a bar called "the Fringe" quite enjoyable, except for the fact it was 630pm and we had a drink and couldnt wait to go home, the jet lag was kicking in. Doesnt help that the sun goes down around 6, after all it is winter here, but warm:) Next moring trekked out to the Sydney harbour and the botanical gardens, saw some interesting birds, then later in the night enjoyed a nice Thai dinner with my aunt and her collegue then sat back and watched "a street car named desire" in Opera form...quite enjoyable :) The next day kinda lounged around in an internet cafe accross the street then took a ferry out to Manly Beach where we shopped a bit, enjoyed the ocean view then visited an aquarium, retunred to Syndey Harbour where we had an AMAZING dinner at this restraunt called PONY in the Rocks. (helped that our Waiter was quite the stud)

The next early morning at around 6 we flew up to Hot HOt Cairns. Stayed at this sweet Hostel called "travellers oasis" , that night had a "croc bbq" , ate croc, emu, and kangaroo and finnished a bottle of wine (amazing local wine called "rams leap" smelillion savonion blanc)mmm then headed out to THE WOOLSHED bar with some folks we met at the bbq in our hostel, and met the boys of the british navy!! Fell in love haha! didnt stay there long as it was getting rowdy and i was the only younge female there, there IS such thing as too much attention.

any who the following day we signed up for a snorkling day tour, headed out to the middle of the ocean to the GREAT BARRIER REEF. and it just so happened some of those navy boys were on our ship! they are a riot!! anywho, we did 3 differnt reef sites, i only snorkled 2 because i was exhausted cause we snorkeled in the water for over an hour each time. im so mad i didnt see any sharks or turtles, but they were swimming around me just couldnt spot them in between the reef. Later that night intended on going to party back at the Woolshed, but ended up passing out in my hostel room at 6pm till 6am the next morning, nothing could wake me. Next morning we caught a flight to Brisbane.

Once we got to Brisbane, we took a bus to our dive hotel in the middle of the city. On our way we passed thousands of teenages and young adults dressed up like they were going to the Ascott Horse Races or something, i figured it was their winter formal, but turned otu to be, they WERE going/ were at the Ascott races in Brisbane, it was a holiday here called "peoples day" . Our hotel was so scary like horror movie ish. But it was just for one night. That night we went out to this yummy vietnamese restaraunt and ate some soup as i wasnt feeling well (its amazing and disgusting how many ppl smoke here, and it is making me sick :()

Early the next morning we took a tour bus up to where i am right now at O'Reillys Resort at Lamington National Park. It was soooooo amazing up here and relaxing. The trip up was a bit scary, narrow roads with huge clifs on each side, in a couple hours i am making my way back down the mountain and am not excited for it. When we got here we took a tour around and went for a Tree Top Walk. We also walked to this area where there are tons of king parrors and parakeets and lorakeets and if u stick your amrs out they will land on them, and if u have food tons of them will flock to you and sit on you even on your head, they are so funny. It was soo amazing, then we met up with my aunts friends who are stayin here to and swam and had dinner with them, then played a game of pool. early the next morning we went for a 645am bird watching walk. So worth it to get up that early (especially cause the guide was prettty cute) saw 16 differnt types of birds and had an oppourtunity to feed em. Then a couple hours later after breakfast me my aunt and her friends took a 2 hour hike around these amazing waterfalls, its almost breathtaking. Came home rested and headed out for a 6pm glow worm tour. Tour bus takes you up a mountain threw the woods where we spotted an Akidna (a rare animal porcipine like) and then we saw some possums 2 feet away from us just enjoying some fruit (i got pics i will post them when i can) Then we sat on benches and watched this undescribable view of hundresd of glow worms. Came back ate a HUGE dinner then slept.

Well im off to Brisbane, i shall continue this next tiem i get internet and i promis i will post pictures asap!

love you all


...to be continued

i am home now and have about a week more to write about, i will up date when im not schooling