Goodbye Oz!

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

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!)

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!

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.

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.

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 

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.

Great Barrier Reef- Cairns Day Two

Today we awoke at 6:45 for our cruise on the Great Barrier Reef. I was supposed to go scuba diving and snorkelling but I got sea sick on the way out and I could only snorkel. But as the Australian’s say “no worries, Mate.” The water was beautiful and warm! The Reef itself was amazing. Just from snorkelling, I was right on top of it. The fish were so peaceful and paid us no attention, occasionally swimming right past us. I took some pictures with an underwater camera so I am praying they come out well! Tomorrow we awake at 6:00AM for white water rafting through the rainforest.

Cairns Day One

We arrived in Cairns late last night and it was incredibly humid! It rained all night and most of today but boy is it beautiful here! We stopped by an aboriginal art gallery and the artwork was truly spectacular. I saw a painting that I would love to have but it was $5000. Later we walked around Carins when the rain stopped. The shops are very nice—lots of hand made crafts. I already love it here. Tomorrow we go to the Great Barrier Reef- luckily we weren’t affected by the oil spill!

Travel Bug

I've only been on one big trip so far, but I am developing the travel bug. Too bad I have these things called classes. I'm thinking somewhere around early May I would like to travel again...but where!?

If you have any suggestions, please leave them in the comments box. I'm already going to Queensland next week so I'd like to go somewhere else. Tasmania sounds fun. So please leave suggestions or email me (ashleyby@sas.upenn.edu)!

Great Ocean Road and Phillip Island

This was by far, my best weekend in Australia.

Saturday night began by creeping out at 7am for our tour bus to pick us up. Luckily, our driver (named Campbell- although everyone called him Camel) arrived on time. Beth, Lisa, Devin, Devin’s mom, and Bethany all came.

Our day began by driving to the coast of Victoria, and making our way to the Shipwreck Coast (Great Ocean Road). We started by seeing the 12 Apostles (only a few of which remain) and they were so beautiful. I’ve seen pictures of them but seeing them in person leaves you breathless. I didn’t realize just how tall they were. Next, we headed out to look at some more structures on Great Ocean Road. The view was spectacular. Finally, we went to see what remained of the London Bridge structure of Great Ocean Road.

Later that evening, we arrived at Apollo Bay, where we would stay in a small house for the night. We had an Australian BBQ (which consists of meat and bread—Camel was sweet enough to get potatoes and salad for me). We also stopped by the Apollo Bay Music festival that night, where we say a man strumming a guitar while his over-sized stuffed Kuala played the drum. Finally we retired for the night and got ready for our early morning wake up.

The next morning at 8 am, we left the house and began our long drive to Phillip Island. We stopped a few times along the way to take pictures. At our first stop, we fed the birds and they were so cute: one came and sat right on my hand as I fed him. We also saw some wild Kuala’s there. Apparently, it’s illegal to pet Kuala’s in Victoria but Camel said he would let us do it if we paid him $500 to keep silent (I decided I would just look at them). As the mini-bus rolled along, we came to an open-zoo range where we saw tazmanian devils, emus, kangaroos, and donkeys. They even had two albino Kangaroos. I got to feed the Roos and they are so sweet! One (that was taller than me) got a little upset when I took away the food. He grabbed onto my hand and as I moved away, he grabbed my purse...talk about pick pocketing!

We continued our drive to Great Ocean Road and stopped for Pizza. Shortly after feeding the wildlife, Camel surprised us with Crocaroo Pizza (Crocodile and Kangaroo). Needless to say, I went for the cheese pizza.

Our final destination was Phillip Island. We weren’t allowed to take pictures but the mini penguins were so cute. They are, I believe 20 cm or smaller and you could barely see them coming out of the water. When they finally came out, they waddled slowly ashore, making sure to travel in groups of at least four. If there weren’t enough penguins, they would wait until more arrived and slowly, in a group, they made their way into their homes.

On the drive back to Melbourne, everyone slept...except me. I sat listening to my iPod, reflecting, ‘it’s amazing to be in Australia.’

Can You Say Globalization?

It's amazing how much other countries know about the United States and how little we know about the rest of the world. Before we left Penn, we were given a quiz on how much we knew about Australia and I'm embarrassed to say that I couldn't name the capital nor the prime minister.

But yet, I come to Australia and people ask me where I'm from. I tell them I'm from the US and they respond, "what part?" I tell them that I'm from Pennsylvania...Philadelphia to be specific. They ask which "uni" I attend and when I say the University of Pennsylvania, they know exactly what I'm talking about. One student was telling me about how beautiful the football stadium is at Penn. How interesting that a student who has never been to Pennsylvania can tell me about the details of Franklin Field, a stadium which I certainly take for granted. If anything, this has taught me that I really need to brush up on my knowledge about the rest of the world.

I've also found that people around the world are enthralled with US politics. During my first week, I met a Chinese student with an Irish accent who was wearing a Barack Obama t-shirt. Today, I went to the bookstore and saw a Barack Obama bobble head. When I was ready to check out, I saw a paperdoll book of Michelle and Barack Obama. Later down the assembly line, I saw a Hilary Clinton voodoo doll with, "she's too liberal" inscribed on the back of the box.

Talk about Globalization!

Flying?

Tomorrow, I allegedly begin the first leg of my travels.

I am supposed to fly to LA tomorrow afternoon but we received 28.5 inches of snow this weekend! Needless to say, the airport is in...interesting condition and Southwest has decided not to fly.

So, I called Southwest and the lady told me that MY flight would be fine. Then I received a text message from a friend (who watches the news 24/7) who said that Southwest suspended flights for the next two days. THEN, I called Southwest again (who estimated a phone wait-time of 3 hours). Finally, they told me that I AM flying.

My flight is in 26 hours.
Am I flying?
I don't know.
But this has already been an interesting journey.

stay tuned