I'm sitting in the airport, regretting what's about to happen. In just 30 minutes, my plane to LA will begin boarding and I simply refuse to get on. Last night, I had such a hard time packing because I really didn't want to leave. But I suppose I've finally come to the conclusion that leaving is a reality.
My flight home is super long but that's not what's really on my mind. I can't stop thinking about the amazing people I met here. The amazing food that I had. The beautiful landscapes. The adorable animals. I just can't stop thinking about how much I love Australia.
I hope to see you all at my welcome back party...until then!
XoXo from Oz.
Ashley
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Saturday, June 12, 2010
My Past Week
Monday: School, School School
On Monday I handed in all (4) of my final papers at the University of Melbourne. It was tough, but it's done. Why do I always seem to have all of my papers due on the same day and on the first day of exams?
Tuesday: Packing and Goodbye
I packed, packed, and did some more packing as I prepared to say farewell to my Melbournian friends. Of course, we went out for Thai food on my final night there. I wouldn't have it any other way.
Wednesday: Goodbye Melbourne, Hello Sydney
I finished my packing and headed out of Melbourne. Beth, Lisa, and Devin saw me off and to be honest, it was quite emotional. As I sat in the airport shuttle, I took in my final views of Melbourne (at least for a while). After sitting in the airport for 3 hours, I finally caught my flight to Sydney. Upon arriving in Sydney, I found myself waiting to hear "New York, New York." With it's big buildings and bright lights, and men in pinstripe suits, Sydney looks a lot like New York and quite different from Melbourne! (To be frank, I think I like the laid-back vibe of Melbourne more). I walked around the city, finding the Sydney Tower.
Thursday: Walkin Around Sydney
My dad arrived and to keep him from getting jet lagged, we began walking around the city. I found a souvenir shop that was closing and everything was 50-70% off! Can you believe it! Of course, I already purchased most of my souvenirs. We then continued to Circular Quay (pronounced: "key") where we found the Sydney Opera House. It was so unreal! We then walked to the Botanical Gardens to get a view of the Opera House from the proper side. After walking around Circular Quay, we caught a ferry to Manly Beach, a beautiful surfer beach. In Sydney, the ferry system operates much like public transport.
Friday: Blue Mountains
I went to Blue Mountains, aptly named because as the temperature falls, a blue mist covers the mountain. We did another wildlife tour (if I see another Kangaroo, I might die). While at the Blue Mountains, we saw the Three Sisters (pictures to come). We also took the world's steepest railway down (and trust me, it was STEEP!) and then took a skyrail up (also scary but worth it).
Saturday: Hunter Valley Wine Tour
I went on a wine tour which was really fun. I made the mistake of not having breakfast but don't worry, I survived. I particularly enjoyed Oakvale Winery. It had a very nice sample of light wines and we got to sample nice cheeses (I loved the feta marinated in olive oil). My favorite wines were: 2009 Gold Rock Semillon, 2009 Oakvale Reserve Block 37 Verdelho, and the 2009 Vivo Pink. If you ever have the chance to go on one, you should definitely check out a wine tour.
Sunday: Remember the Sabbath Day
And now, I relax. I'm going to try to visit Hillsong Church tonight.
Next week: Sydney has been chosen as one of 6 cities to host World Cup Screenings. All week, there is a World Cup festival at Darling Harbour. The only problem is that most of the games occur at 4:30 AM Australian time. But Jess Heng (from Melbourne) has decided to come up to Sydney to attend the festivities. Can't wait! Let's go Socceroos! (and the US of course!)
On Monday I handed in all (4) of my final papers at the University of Melbourne. It was tough, but it's done. Why do I always seem to have all of my papers due on the same day and on the first day of exams?
Tuesday: Packing and Goodbye
I packed, packed, and did some more packing as I prepared to say farewell to my Melbournian friends. Of course, we went out for Thai food on my final night there. I wouldn't have it any other way.
Wednesday: Goodbye Melbourne, Hello Sydney
I finished my packing and headed out of Melbourne. Beth, Lisa, and Devin saw me off and to be honest, it was quite emotional. As I sat in the airport shuttle, I took in my final views of Melbourne (at least for a while). After sitting in the airport for 3 hours, I finally caught my flight to Sydney. Upon arriving in Sydney, I found myself waiting to hear "New York, New York." With it's big buildings and bright lights, and men in pinstripe suits, Sydney looks a lot like New York and quite different from Melbourne! (To be frank, I think I like the laid-back vibe of Melbourne more). I walked around the city, finding the Sydney Tower.
Thursday: Walkin Around Sydney
My dad arrived and to keep him from getting jet lagged, we began walking around the city. I found a souvenir shop that was closing and everything was 50-70% off! Can you believe it! Of course, I already purchased most of my souvenirs. We then continued to Circular Quay (pronounced: "key") where we found the Sydney Opera House. It was so unreal! We then walked to the Botanical Gardens to get a view of the Opera House from the proper side. After walking around Circular Quay, we caught a ferry to Manly Beach, a beautiful surfer beach. In Sydney, the ferry system operates much like public transport.
Friday: Blue Mountains
I went to Blue Mountains, aptly named because as the temperature falls, a blue mist covers the mountain. We did another wildlife tour (if I see another Kangaroo, I might die). While at the Blue Mountains, we saw the Three Sisters (pictures to come). We also took the world's steepest railway down (and trust me, it was STEEP!) and then took a skyrail up (also scary but worth it).
Saturday: Hunter Valley Wine Tour
I went on a wine tour which was really fun. I made the mistake of not having breakfast but don't worry, I survived. I particularly enjoyed Oakvale Winery. It had a very nice sample of light wines and we got to sample nice cheeses (I loved the feta marinated in olive oil). My favorite wines were: 2009 Gold Rock Semillon, 2009 Oakvale Reserve Block 37 Verdelho, and the 2009 Vivo Pink. If you ever have the chance to go on one, you should definitely check out a wine tour.
Sunday: Remember the Sabbath Day
And now, I relax. I'm going to try to visit Hillsong Church tonight.
Next week: Sydney has been chosen as one of 6 cities to host World Cup Screenings. All week, there is a World Cup festival at Darling Harbour. The only problem is that most of the games occur at 4:30 AM Australian time. But Jess Heng (from Melbourne) has decided to come up to Sydney to attend the festivities. Can't wait! Let's go Socceroos! (and the US of course!)
Monday, May 17, 2010
Gold Coast
The Gold Coast was amazing!! I love it there! Although, I think I met more Canadian's there than I did Australians.
Anyway, I can only write a little bit about the Gold Coast because most of it is a surprise. But the cool news: I finally held a Koala! It's illegal to hold a Koala outside of Queensland but now my wish has finally come true! Check it out- her name is Abbey!
Anyway, I can only write a little bit about the Gold Coast because most of it is a surprise. But the cool news: I finally held a Koala! It's illegal to hold a Koala outside of Queensland but now my wish has finally come true! Check it out- her name is Abbey!
Monday, May 10, 2010
Tasmania
I just realized that I forgot to write about Tasmania. So here goes:
We began by flying into Launceston on Thursday night. The next morning we went to Cataract Gorge and just observed the scenery. Apparently the last Tasmanian Tiger was spotted there but we saw no evidence of him. We did however see evidence of a few peacocks!
We continued our journey until we arrived at the Bay of Fires which was beautiful. Some of the rocks there had a natural reddish tint to them which was very pretty. We embarked on a little rock climbing, making our way up to the highest rock we could climb. The beach was beautiful. The sand was snow white and the water is crystal blue. I think my picture from Bay of Fires might just win the photo competition. What do you think?
Next we made our way to Bicheno where we stayed for the night. When we got there, the sun was about to set so we climbed a small whale watching mountain and sat there as the sun set. The sky was a beautiful orange-purple-pink.
The next morning we woke early to make out way to Freycinet National Park. There, we climbed a large mountain (3 hour hike!) and then climbed back down the mountain to see Wineglass Bay. Both Wineglass Bay and the Bay of Fires were named two of the top 10 beaches in the world so it was great to see them! While Wineglass Bay was beautiful, I was so tired after the hike that I just wanted to collapse on the sand. But on vacation, there's no time for rest (at least not in Australia)! So we marched forward and drove to Port Arthur.
Port Arthur is a scary town. It used to be where England housed all of its criminals and as a result, the town has somewhat of a haunted atmosphere as many criminals were killed there. One sign read, "An English prison is a vast machine...move with it and all is well. Resist and you will be crushed." These were the words of Austin Bidwell, a prisoners in the 1870s. As if I weren't creeped out about Port Arthur enough, I decided to go on a ghost tour at night. All seemed well-- the tour wasn't that scary and then they broke the news to us: we'd have to walk back to our accommodation by flashlight. That might not seem scary if you're used to city lights but in Port Arthur, there are no city lights and the only lights that lit the way were our flashlights along the with occasional car. I was scared out of mind!
The next morning, we went to Port Arthur during the day time, which was much more tolerable. We learned of a gruesome murder where a man from Hobart came to the Port Arthur Historical Site and killed 35 people. It's a truly upsetting story that continues to haunt residents of Port Arthur today.
After leaving Port Arthur, we went to see Tasmanian Devils. Although I originally thought they were cute, they now disgust me. Even though they look like huge rats, they're apparently marsupials which makes them closer to Kangaroos than rats. They are carnivorous. but they're too small to kill prey so they only eat their babies, each other, and road kill. And that's really all I can say about the Tasmanian Devils before I get grossed out again.
We ended out journey in Hobart where we waited for about 5 hours for a flight. All-in-all, Tasmania was a little bit creepy but definitely beautiful and worth the trip.
We began by flying into Launceston on Thursday night. The next morning we went to Cataract Gorge and just observed the scenery. Apparently the last Tasmanian Tiger was spotted there but we saw no evidence of him. We did however see evidence of a few peacocks!
We continued our journey until we arrived at the Bay of Fires which was beautiful. Some of the rocks there had a natural reddish tint to them which was very pretty. We embarked on a little rock climbing, making our way up to the highest rock we could climb. The beach was beautiful. The sand was snow white and the water is crystal blue. I think my picture from Bay of Fires might just win the photo competition. What do you think?
Next we made our way to Bicheno where we stayed for the night. When we got there, the sun was about to set so we climbed a small whale watching mountain and sat there as the sun set. The sky was a beautiful orange-purple-pink.
The next morning we woke early to make out way to Freycinet National Park. There, we climbed a large mountain (3 hour hike!) and then climbed back down the mountain to see Wineglass Bay. Both Wineglass Bay and the Bay of Fires were named two of the top 10 beaches in the world so it was great to see them! While Wineglass Bay was beautiful, I was so tired after the hike that I just wanted to collapse on the sand. But on vacation, there's no time for rest (at least not in Australia)! So we marched forward and drove to Port Arthur.
Port Arthur is a scary town. It used to be where England housed all of its criminals and as a result, the town has somewhat of a haunted atmosphere as many criminals were killed there. One sign read, "An English prison is a vast machine...move with it and all is well. Resist and you will be crushed." These were the words of Austin Bidwell, a prisoners in the 1870s. As if I weren't creeped out about Port Arthur enough, I decided to go on a ghost tour at night. All seemed well-- the tour wasn't that scary and then they broke the news to us: we'd have to walk back to our accommodation by flashlight. That might not seem scary if you're used to city lights but in Port Arthur, there are no city lights and the only lights that lit the way were our flashlights along the with occasional car. I was scared out of mind!
The next morning, we went to Port Arthur during the day time, which was much more tolerable. We learned of a gruesome murder where a man from Hobart came to the Port Arthur Historical Site and killed 35 people. It's a truly upsetting story that continues to haunt residents of Port Arthur today.
After leaving Port Arthur, we went to see Tasmanian Devils. Although I originally thought they were cute, they now disgust me. Even though they look like huge rats, they're apparently marsupials which makes them closer to Kangaroos than rats. They are carnivorous. but they're too small to kill prey so they only eat their babies, each other, and road kill. And that's really all I can say about the Tasmanian Devils before I get grossed out again.
We ended out journey in Hobart where we waited for about 5 hours for a flight. All-in-all, Tasmania was a little bit creepy but definitely beautiful and worth the trip.
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Harlem Gospel Choir
Today, by far, best day in Melbourne.
I spent the morning wandering around Melbourne trying to find souvenirs...but all I found was a bunch of stuffed kangaroos. I went to the Australian Center for the Moving Image and saw a really cool exhibit on digital culture. It started with silent film and moved through to the internet and "future."
Check out this video I made while I was there.
But the highlight of my day was tonight when I went to see the Harlem Gospel Choir at the Arts Center. The tour was called "The Concert of Hope Tour and Remembering Michael Jackson." And it was fantastic! The Gospel selection really reminded me of home and for the first time I felt home-sick? They performed Total Praise, Praise The Lord With Me (Bless The Lord With Me), O Happy Day, You Are Good, Man in the Mirror, I'll Be There and tons of other classics. While the music was amazing, one of the best parts was seeing the crowd. For starters, I've never (ever) seen white Australians so excited to see Black people. If that in itself wasn't surprising, it was so amazing to see so many different kinds of people together. I'm not sure if it was Michael Jackson or religion, but some greater force made all these people come together for praise, worship, and remembrance. This is a day I'll never forget and this concert truly did give me hope that there is a common humanity and once we put our differences aside, we can all enjoy life together.
I spent the morning wandering around Melbourne trying to find souvenirs...but all I found was a bunch of stuffed kangaroos. I went to the Australian Center for the Moving Image and saw a really cool exhibit on digital culture. It started with silent film and moved through to the internet and "future."
Check out this video I made while I was there.
But the highlight of my day was tonight when I went to see the Harlem Gospel Choir at the Arts Center. The tour was called "The Concert of Hope Tour and Remembering Michael Jackson." And it was fantastic! The Gospel selection really reminded me of home and for the first time I felt home-sick? They performed Total Praise, Praise The Lord With Me (Bless The Lord With Me), O Happy Day, You Are Good, Man in the Mirror, I'll Be There and tons of other classics. While the music was amazing, one of the best parts was seeing the crowd. For starters, I've never (ever) seen white Australians so excited to see Black people. If that in itself wasn't surprising, it was so amazing to see so many different kinds of people together. I'm not sure if it was Michael Jackson or religion, but some greater force made all these people come together for praise, worship, and remembrance. This is a day I'll never forget and this concert truly did give me hope that there is a common humanity and once we put our differences aside, we can all enjoy life together.
Friday, April 9, 2010
Rainforest- Cairns Day Four
Today was my last full day in Cairns. I began with another early morning, waking up at 7:00AM. We began the day at Lake Barrine Teahouse. I had a wonderful scone with strawberry jam. We then took a small cruise and saw turtles, 3 pythons, eels, and ducks. Next we worked out way to see a curtain fig tree which was beautiful. We also saw the most amazing spider there- she’s now my hero! She seduced her lovers and then after she gets pregnant, she eats them- talk about a man-eater. We then went to Milla Milla Falls and saw a spectacular waterfall. Next we got lunch which was fantastic tour food- fish and chips AND apple crumble with ice cream!! There we saw the Mungalli Falls. Next we went to the Mamu Rainforest Canopy Walkway where we could see almost everything around- I got some pretty good pictures. Finally, we went to Paronella Park which was beautiful. A Spanish immigrant built a Castle for his family and friends which sat right beside a huge waterfall. Most of the castle burned down or was washed away by floods. It was incredibly beautiful but also haunting. I LOVED my time in Cairns---and don’t want to go back to Melbourne
Thursday, April 8, 2010
White Water Rafting- Cairns Day Three
Today was amazing! Our hosts name was Ashley. Apparently A-S-H-L-E-Y is the boys spelling of Ashley. Additionally, I have only met male Ashley’s in Australia...I think I’m outnumbered. Anyway, rafting was sick! On the way out, it was raining lightly and we saw a huge rainbow over the mountains. At first I thought that fog was blocking the green mountains but I later realized that the clouds were so low that they concealed the mountains- truly beautiful. The sun came out, the clouds rose, and the mountains were full of amazing green trees. We saw the most beautiful cobalt blue and black butterflies and dragonflies. Honestly, I would’ve been happy sitting there and simply enjoying nature. But I am soo glad that I went rafting. The rapids were levels 2-4 (the highest if 6) and we rafted all day. We even got to swim down a rapid but I climbed back in when I found out about the freshwater alligators. So far- best day in Australia. Tomorrow I’m going to Panronella Park.
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