It has been a less than exciting past two weeks, so forgive me for not blogging. Finals week has arrived at UNSW, so I've been anti-social and stressed. A really fun combination. Now that I am DONE with 3 of my 4 classes I can stop to breathe.
-a few exciting events:
Last Friday I went to dinner in Bondi Beach with Alexa's dad, who was in town, and a group of friends. We ate at Pompeii's Italian Restaurant, which is supposedly the best Italian food in the area, and I would have to completely 100% agree. SUCH an amazing meal. And he was so fabulous and had us order whatever we wanted and bought us two bottles of wine and dessert and yeah...YUM. Bruschetta, spinach and ricotta ravioli, chocolate gelato, and sauvignon blanc semillon New Zealand wine. We ended the night with real tim tam slams back on Beach Street. My roommates and I have been doing them with hot water, so we splurged that night and did a real slam with hot chocolate. For those of you who don't know what a tim tam slam is: you bite off opposite corners of a tim tam cookie and dip it in a cup of hot chocolate and suck up the melted chocolate from the inside and then slam the melted chocolate delicious mess in your mouth. Heavenly. Can't wait to bring several boxes of them home. We reminisced about good times and looked at pictures from our trip and started making a slide show on our computers. Gotta love those nights-the ones we will truly miss.
Last Sunday I went for a lovely walk (half of the Coogee to Bondi walk-to my usual stopping point of the graveyard) with my roommate since the weather was so gorgeous. Kelsey and I went to St. Brigid's Church for mass, since we had made a deal to go at least one Sunday during our time abroad. The mass was the quickest mass I have ever been to (45 minutes, tops). No one held hands during the Our Father, and the words to the songs were on an overhead screen, not in books. A little different, but still a good experience nonetheless. My friend from my sorority at SMU is doing summer abroad in Sydney, so I met up with her afterwards. I told her to meet me in Coogee, and since my town is so small I just happened to literally walk into her on the road coming home from my walk. She had just gotten here and was a bit overwhelmed with life (as I once was) and really appreciated seeing a familiar face. I did as well! It was great getting all caught up on silly school drama and American news. We had dinner with some of my friends at five o's before she headed back to her place. My roommates and I rearranged our couches that night to snuggle to watch Mean Girls on someone's laptop. Going to miss those nights too....
This Wednesday (yesterday), I went on a harbor cruise with a friend and checked out the festival Vivid Sydney. I had a bit of a mental breakdown before we left, unfortunately. The grading system here is VERY difficult and the stress of not doing well and studying for finals just really caught up to me. Thankfully after getting a few tears out and chatting with my lovely parents I felt much better. We got stuck in traffic on the bus and the driver said we would probably miss our boat if we didn't get out and walk, sorry RUN, so we did. I took off my heels and sprinted a good 2 kilometers, minimum, with my friend. We were the last people on the boat, but we made it just in time! Thank god we both ran track in high school. We had a delicious pasta meal and free champagne and chatted with our table neighbors. We turned out to be the only fun table, because the dining room turned into a dance floor after dinner, and the 6 of us were literally the only ones dancing. But we had more than enough fun for the rest of the party poopers on the boat. We went up to the top deck for a while after dancing to cool off and check out the gorgeous views of the Harbor Bridge, Opera House, and Vivid lights. Vivid Sydney is a huge annual festival that takes over the city every year for about two weeks. It is supposed to celebrate the creativeness of the city and features art, music, and colorful light displays. After we got off the boat, we walked about 3 kilometers back to the city and my feet were killing me so we took a break and went to Pancakes on the Rocks and split a Bananarama pancake. Most entertaining moment was asking them to add chocolate chips to the top of the pancake. Chips are french fries in Australia... So they literally asked me if I wanted a basket of chocolate fries? We sorted out the confusion (gotta love cultural barriers) and enjoyed a delicious dessert. We mustered up the strength to continue on to walk around the Vivid displays. It was incredible. It is near impossible to describe... The Opera House had lights projecting images on it. There were random neon sculptures around the boardwalk. The MCA (Museum of Contemporary Art) was a screen with graphic design movies playing on its front wall to music. It was like I was in Alice and Wonderland. The city had turned into a strange neon carnival. But it was such a unique and fun experience. My friend took pictures, since I am without a camera, so I will post some later when I get them from him! So glad my stressful day ended on a great note.
Just took my History final this morning, so now I have finished my Sexuality, Indigenous Australia, and History classes! Only one more final to go (Psych), which is in 3 weeks. So I get to enjoy my time off and head to Fiji with the roomies in just 4 days. So excited to lay on a beach and explore yet another part of the world. Countdown of days left in Sydney: 23. WEIRD. See ya soon America. Even through all the ups and downs of my abroad experience, I will say I will truly miss it here.
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Mini Plunge
Last saturday I had my last social evening for a while, as the uni work load picked up way too fast for me to handle. I went to the Oxford Art Factory with my roommates to watch my Aussie friend Arthur's band play. I don't think I have seen more hipsters in one room in my entire life, but it was so much fun, nonetheless. If I had known, I may have dressed a bit differently, but whatever. The live music was great, and from there it was on to a super cool hidden bar called the Shady Pines. I met up with some friends I met in Cairns over Spring Break. The bar was in a sketchy random alley way and is apparently very unknown to visitors. My friend had read about it in a bar guide book and wanted to check it out, and I'm so glad we did. It was Australia's version of a country western bar and was near impossible to get into-the line was about an hour long wait outside. It was underground and had lots of dead deer heads and such on the walls. I had missed country music and it reminded me of good ol' Tejas. Tried their famous drink-a whiskey apple-a green apple was put through a machine and crushed into apple juice, which was then mixed with whiskey. Surprisingly delicious (probably because it tasted like apple juice). It made me think of Halloween and fall and pumpkin patches. Aka started to get a little homesick...
SMU had their graduation (sad... wow I will miss all you seniors so much, it's not even funny) and everyone is back home in summer mode. I, on the other hand, am in stress mode at school. I have been having so much fun here I think I forgot how hard school is. So having to write three 3,000 essays all due within 2 days was a bit of a shock to my system. Naturally, the stress and lack of sleep got me sick. After a terrifying claustrophobic overwhelming experience at a discount chemist and attempting to find medicine, I finally found some at a real pharmacy. Since Dayquil does not exist in Australia, I found that Sudafed also works wonders. I almost forget I'm sick (until it wears off). But I am still milking it and allowing myself to be as lazy as possible for the next few days-I figure I deserve it after working my butt off last week. Feels SO good to have those papers turned in!! Only two more weeks of school-one easy week followed by hell week round 2. Then a solid three week break until my one and only final. So I will be traveling to Fiji during that time and possibly Bali. So yes, I miss home, and I miss my friends and family and wish I was in summer mode with y'all, but it's not too hard to remind myself how incredible it is here and how lucky I am. I decided these are the top 3 things I miss the most though (besides all of you guys-duh!): 1) My mom's cooking. Pasta is starting to get real old... but don't worry. I learned how to cook chicken-expanding my horizons!!! 2) My car. I can't wait to just be able to hop in and go where I need to go instead of waiting for the bus. 3) Real internet. The internet is so terrible in Australia.. I don't understand it. Skyping is almost a waste of time because you can hardly hear or see them. So yes, I look forward to those three ridiculous things when I get back to Oregon-funny the things you miss while abroad!!
I went to an AFL (Aussie Rules Football) game with my study abroad program yesterday-Sydney Swans v. Melbourne-and we won by about 100 points? So clearly I didn't understand the rules all that well, but it was so much fun. Great weather, atmosphere, and company. We went out to a club, Soho, for a friend's 21st birthday in King's Cross that night. A pretty fancy club with house music blasting-perfect for dancing into the wee hours. A terrific day all around. Lazed around all day today, watching movies with friends while snuggling on the couch and ordering in Thai since it was raining (boooo!). It is truly bizarre how it changed seasons here all the sudden. I have definitely noticed Fall is in full swing-the trees are changing colors, its getting dark out super early, and it has definitely gotten much colder. Strange that I will be going home to summer. My roommates and I wanted to get in to Australian television, so we watched the premiere of a new Aussie drama called Tricky Business last Monday and decided to make it a regular thing. So can't wait for our show tomorrow night... Keepin up my local status as much as I can-what can I say?! Finally bought my flight home-June 23rd it is! Absolutely unbelievable that I only have one month left here. Time flew by... A truly life-changing experience thus far. Best decision of my life to study abroad here in beautiful Sydney, Australia.
SMU had their graduation (sad... wow I will miss all you seniors so much, it's not even funny) and everyone is back home in summer mode. I, on the other hand, am in stress mode at school. I have been having so much fun here I think I forgot how hard school is. So having to write three 3,000 essays all due within 2 days was a bit of a shock to my system. Naturally, the stress and lack of sleep got me sick. After a terrifying claustrophobic overwhelming experience at a discount chemist and attempting to find medicine, I finally found some at a real pharmacy. Since Dayquil does not exist in Australia, I found that Sudafed also works wonders. I almost forget I'm sick (until it wears off). But I am still milking it and allowing myself to be as lazy as possible for the next few days-I figure I deserve it after working my butt off last week. Feels SO good to have those papers turned in!! Only two more weeks of school-one easy week followed by hell week round 2. Then a solid three week break until my one and only final. So I will be traveling to Fiji during that time and possibly Bali. So yes, I miss home, and I miss my friends and family and wish I was in summer mode with y'all, but it's not too hard to remind myself how incredible it is here and how lucky I am. I decided these are the top 3 things I miss the most though (besides all of you guys-duh!): 1) My mom's cooking. Pasta is starting to get real old... but don't worry. I learned how to cook chicken-expanding my horizons!!! 2) My car. I can't wait to just be able to hop in and go where I need to go instead of waiting for the bus. 3) Real internet. The internet is so terrible in Australia.. I don't understand it. Skyping is almost a waste of time because you can hardly hear or see them. So yes, I look forward to those three ridiculous things when I get back to Oregon-funny the things you miss while abroad!!
I went to an AFL (Aussie Rules Football) game with my study abroad program yesterday-Sydney Swans v. Melbourne-and we won by about 100 points? So clearly I didn't understand the rules all that well, but it was so much fun. Great weather, atmosphere, and company. We went out to a club, Soho, for a friend's 21st birthday in King's Cross that night. A pretty fancy club with house music blasting-perfect for dancing into the wee hours. A terrific day all around. Lazed around all day today, watching movies with friends while snuggling on the couch and ordering in Thai since it was raining (boooo!). It is truly bizarre how it changed seasons here all the sudden. I have definitely noticed Fall is in full swing-the trees are changing colors, its getting dark out super early, and it has definitely gotten much colder. Strange that I will be going home to summer. My roommates and I wanted to get in to Australian television, so we watched the premiere of a new Aussie drama called Tricky Business last Monday and decided to make it a regular thing. So can't wait for our show tomorrow night... Keepin up my local status as much as I can-what can I say?! Finally bought my flight home-June 23rd it is! Absolutely unbelievable that I only have one month left here. Time flew by... A truly life-changing experience thus far. Best decision of my life to study abroad here in beautiful Sydney, Australia.
Friday, May 11, 2012
I'm a local.
When I returned from the outback, it was back to the grind. Ughhh you mean I actually have to go to class again?! I joined a gym for the next two months, and it is feeling so good to work out again. Traveling sure is fun, but of course I miss my routine a little bit. School was pretty uneventful for the most part that week. Went to the Beach Palace for $5 steak dinner on Wednesday and watched 500 Days of Summer with a group, enjoyed a night out at CBH on Thursday, saw American Reunion at the cinema with some friends and laughed my ass off on Friday, and had a great Cinco de Mayo picnic at that park by the beach Saturday afternoon-complete with sombreros, margaritas, and burgers, and perfect weather. Also-the supermoon that week made for an absolutely incredible view on our porch every night. And my parents sent me a great package that made me smile-thanks mom and dad!
Now that uni is winding down, professors are piling on the assignments. I have three 3000 word papers due next week (Psych and Law report, U.S. History research essay, and History of Sexuality research essay)... So I have essentially been locked in the library for a majority of this week. I made friends with an Australian in my U.S. History class, and he and his band are having a gig at the Oxford Act Factory in the city tomorrow night, so I am expanding his fan base and going to check out the show (if I can crank out the rest of paper number 2!). I am in love with their music-you should seriously check them out: The Driffs. Notice it is not DrifTs... This is because he explained Australians cannot pronounce the letter T very well. So it just sounds like Driffs. Hence, the name. Love it. I rewarded myself on Wednesday with a night out with the girls at the Golden Sheaf. After I finished classes for the week, I went to the Opera House Thursday night with a friend to see the ballet Onegin, performed by the Australian Ballet Theatre. Oh my god.. It was to die for. Such an incredible experience to watch a show at the actual Sydney Opera House. And the prima ballerina was arguably the best dancer I have ever seen in my life. We capped the night off with pizza and the Double Yum drink to share at the Opera Bar, overlooking the Harbor Bridge and Opera House. A truly perfect evening. After working on one of my papers all day on Friday, my roommates and I rewarded ourselves by booking a trip to Fiji!! Yes, Fiji. Thanks heaps to our travel agent Barry-such a gem. I never in my wildest dreams thought I would be traveling to Fiji (especially at the mere age of 21). We are going to an all inclusive resort for our study break in June as one last hurrah for the four of us. I am so incredibly excited. As I continue to say, this life is not real. I essentially feel like a local now: I went to a show at the Opera House, worked out at the park, listened to a local Australian band, actually walk on the left side of the sidewalk now... It's weird how lost I was only three months ago. We decided to begin a "fit for Fiji" workout plan, so we embraced the beautiful day and went for a run along the coast. We regrouped at the park and set up my speaker and did a circuit training workout. It was hilarious and a great workout. It was just getting dark as we finished, so we concluded by laying in the grass, listening to relaxing music, looking at the stars, and wondering how in the hell we got so lucky to be here. One of life's biggest tragedies is getting so caught up in the mundane activities of life itself (such as writing my papers) that you forget to appreciate all that you have. I love having those moments where you can completely let go and just be in the moment and thank God for the incredible things you have. Life is good!! Only 6 weeks left in this magical place... can't time just slow down for a little bit please?!
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| Happy Cinco de Mayo! |
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
The Australian Outback
Wednesday: Anzac Day-Australia and New Zealand Army Corps celebration day-a HUGE deal in Australia. Unfortunately, I spend the day in the library working on a project and then throwing up all night with the stomach flu. Memorable Anzac Day for sure. Everyone else enjoyed playing the traditional gambling game 2-Up all over Sydney and honoring the soldiers. Gotta love the Aussie spirit.
Thursday: Woke up at 6:00 am to begin our adventure to the Australian Outback! I spend the night in the bathroom throwing up the little I could eat, so I was absolutely exhausted and a little nervous for how my stomach was going to handle the trip. I literally only packed a backpack this time-I managed to only take 3 pairs of shoes-now tell me that isn't impressive? Took the bus to the airport and met up with our crew-11 Americans (okay, 1 Canadian)-we quickly were named Team America on our tour group of 24. The flight to Alice Springs was a lovely treat-I forgot how nice Qantas was. Lunch, personal tv screens, comfy seats... a real upgrade from the cheap airlines I've been using to travel throughout Australia. I still felt really sick, but I managed to not puke on the plane, which I took as a large accomplishment for the day. We spend the rest of the day at the Alice Lodge Backpackers hostel, where I slept off my illness. We walked around town for a bit (I think seeing the entire town took all of a half hour) and bought spaghetti to cook for dinner. Watched American Pie and Pulp Fiction with the crew and then passed out early.
Friday: Bec-our amazing tour guide-met us at 5:45 am to begin our journey to the outback! She informed us we would be driving about 1,000 miles throughout the weekend, so make sure to pick a good seat on the bus. We threw our backpacks in the trailer and headed off to no man's land. First stop-a camel farm. Best $6 I've ever spent. A bit of history: the camels in Australia only have one hump, and they were imported years ago to help carry goods throughout the outback. I personally absolutely loved riding it around like a pony, and I didn't even seem to have allergies #winning. Next stop-the side of the road to gather fire wood for our camp fire. Bec secured the wood to the top of the trailer, and off we went to our next stop: a random campsite for lunch. Bec divided the tour group into two, and had one team make lunch and one team make dinner. I was on lunch duty that day, and I don't think I had actually eaten real food since lunch Wednesday morning. AKA I was going to pass out and die. So I somehow managed to eat a sandwich. But the flies were disgusting and wouldn't leave you or your food alone throughout the whole weekend. After lunch, it was back on the bus to head to King's Canyon. We went on a 3 hour hike through King's Canyon, and man, was it gorgeous. Started off with Heart-attack Hill, wound our way around the canyon, into the watering hole, and finished in perfect timing for sunset. We were all absolutely exhausted and sweaty and smelly by the time we arrived at our camp site. Team 2 cooked a pasta dinner while Team 1 made the campfire. Slash showered. Man was that needed. We sat around the fire, ate our dinner, and then hit the sack early. And by sack, I mean SWAG. We set our sleeping bags up in a circle around the campfire, and you put you sleeping bag inside a swag. A swag is like a hot pocket that you slip your sleeping bag into and zip up to keep you extra warm. And it has a built-in mattress and cover to go over your face in case it rains. I loved that swag. The swag jokes were endless during the trip. We had a lot of swag, what can I say? Bec slept in her delux swag on top of the trailer... The stars were absolutely incredible. It was so cool to be camping in the outback-what a unique experience. City, beach, camping-gotta do it all!
Saturday: We woke up nice and early (6:00 am, yet again...) and got back on the road. I read the third Hunger Games book (and LOVED it!!) on the bus and slept several hours before arriving at the infamous Uluru! Also known as Ayer's Rock to us Americans. I felt like crap again unfortunately... Managed to eat a piece a bread for lunch (stomach flu go awayyyy!!) but it was still an amazing day nonetheless. We started off by looking at the cultural center, then proceeded to go on a hike of choice. I opted for the 10 km base walk around the entire rock. I almost went for the 5 km walk, but I ain't that weak! A few chose to climb Uluru. The Aboriginals hate this because they don't want people disrespecting their cultural landmark. It is strongly discouraged, but for some reason still allowed. 40 people have actually died trying to climb it... So yeah, not feelin that option. The base walk was super flat and easy and beautiful. Bec pointed out lots of cool artwork drawn in the rock and different geological formations. What a wealth of knowledge, that one. My brand new sneakers became dyed with the bright red sand... Oh well. After our hike, we all gathered to watch the sunset. Driving home, the sunset got even brighter. Actual orange and pink across the sky. It was the never ending most beautiful sunset I had ever seen. This life truly is unreal. Headed to a new camp site, cooked a barbeque dinner of camel sausages, kangaroo meat, and steak. I actually tried the camel (although it felt so weird seeing how I just rode one the day before), and it wasn't awful. Showered, sat around the fire, then got my swag on. 2 pairs of pants, long sleeve shirt, sweatshirt, socks-it was sooo cozy in that swag.
Sunday: Woke up to Bec screaming GOOD MORNING at 5 am. Worth it-we watched the sunrise over Uluru/Kata Tjuta. It's like, could this trip get any cooler? We then proceeded to go on the earliest hike of my life-a 4 hour trek through Kata Tjuta. Without a doubt, the prettiest views, but definitely the toughest hike of the trip. You couldn't keep your eyes off the ground because it was so rocky. I wish I could have spent more time taking in the view because it was incredible. Kata Tjuta means 'many heads,' so the rocks appeared to be beautiful rolling hills... We speed-hiked because half our group had to get to the airport to catch a flight home that afternoon. I spent the 6 hour bus ride back to Alice Springs OUT like a baby. Only to be occasionally woken up by Bec, such as when she stopped the bus in the middle of the road because she 'spotted something really cool.' She ran across the road to pick up a thorny devil, aka a little lizard with spikes all over its body and brought it on board. I was less than thrilled to be woken up for that, I'll be honest. But Bec was stoked. She made sure to put it back on the road facing the same direction so as not to confuse him. How thoughtful. Honestly one of the funniest people I have met in my entire life. Such a bogan (yes, I did use appropriate Aussie lingo there-go me!). The remaining half of the group went to Annie's for dinner that night before some of Team America crashed at the hostel again. Learned that a napkin is called a serviet, and that sprite is called lemonade (lemonade is therefore called lemon squash). Learn something new every day... Watched Good Will Hunting and then passed out. The immense amount I slept (at times not during actual bed time) and the little amount I ate during the weekend is honestly concerning haha.
Monday: Slept in... Woke up at 8 am. Got on our flight that afternoon to head back to Sydney. After an insane month of traveling through Australia (Cairns, Sydney, Melbourne, Outback), it felt so damn good to be back in Coogee. Grabbed dinner at Samui Thai with my friends I had missed oh-so-much, took the best shower of my life, did laundry, and slept in my warm BED. I think I've had enough of hostel life for the time being...
What an amazing weekend!! Such a perfect group of travel companions, great weather, gorgeous views, fun hikes and adventures... A definitely unique Australian experience. I can only take so much of the city life-that Oregon side to me comes out every now and then and craves a different scene. This was probably the coolest trip I have been on so far-it is also one I feel lucky to have gone on. Not many people (not even local Aussies) get to go to the Outback. It was exhausting, but sooo worth it. My body is finally starting to feel normal again and is thanking me for returning to a routine/schedule. Unfortunately, May (holy hell-how is it May?!) is devoted to school work, but then off to do some more traveling throughout June-hopefully to New Zealand! Can't believe I'll be home in a month and a half... Can't time just slow down a little bit?! Cheers to all my fellow Mustangs that are graduating in 2 weeks!! And let the good times roll...
Thursday: Woke up at 6:00 am to begin our adventure to the Australian Outback! I spend the night in the bathroom throwing up the little I could eat, so I was absolutely exhausted and a little nervous for how my stomach was going to handle the trip. I literally only packed a backpack this time-I managed to only take 3 pairs of shoes-now tell me that isn't impressive? Took the bus to the airport and met up with our crew-11 Americans (okay, 1 Canadian)-we quickly were named Team America on our tour group of 24. The flight to Alice Springs was a lovely treat-I forgot how nice Qantas was. Lunch, personal tv screens, comfy seats... a real upgrade from the cheap airlines I've been using to travel throughout Australia. I still felt really sick, but I managed to not puke on the plane, which I took as a large accomplishment for the day. We spend the rest of the day at the Alice Lodge Backpackers hostel, where I slept off my illness. We walked around town for a bit (I think seeing the entire town took all of a half hour) and bought spaghetti to cook for dinner. Watched American Pie and Pulp Fiction with the crew and then passed out early.
Friday: Bec-our amazing tour guide-met us at 5:45 am to begin our journey to the outback! She informed us we would be driving about 1,000 miles throughout the weekend, so make sure to pick a good seat on the bus. We threw our backpacks in the trailer and headed off to no man's land. First stop-a camel farm. Best $6 I've ever spent. A bit of history: the camels in Australia only have one hump, and they were imported years ago to help carry goods throughout the outback. I personally absolutely loved riding it around like a pony, and I didn't even seem to have allergies #winning. Next stop-the side of the road to gather fire wood for our camp fire. Bec secured the wood to the top of the trailer, and off we went to our next stop: a random campsite for lunch. Bec divided the tour group into two, and had one team make lunch and one team make dinner. I was on lunch duty that day, and I don't think I had actually eaten real food since lunch Wednesday morning. AKA I was going to pass out and die. So I somehow managed to eat a sandwich. But the flies were disgusting and wouldn't leave you or your food alone throughout the whole weekend. After lunch, it was back on the bus to head to King's Canyon. We went on a 3 hour hike through King's Canyon, and man, was it gorgeous. Started off with Heart-attack Hill, wound our way around the canyon, into the watering hole, and finished in perfect timing for sunset. We were all absolutely exhausted and sweaty and smelly by the time we arrived at our camp site. Team 2 cooked a pasta dinner while Team 1 made the campfire. Slash showered. Man was that needed. We sat around the fire, ate our dinner, and then hit the sack early. And by sack, I mean SWAG. We set our sleeping bags up in a circle around the campfire, and you put you sleeping bag inside a swag. A swag is like a hot pocket that you slip your sleeping bag into and zip up to keep you extra warm. And it has a built-in mattress and cover to go over your face in case it rains. I loved that swag. The swag jokes were endless during the trip. We had a lot of swag, what can I say? Bec slept in her delux swag on top of the trailer... The stars were absolutely incredible. It was so cool to be camping in the outback-what a unique experience. City, beach, camping-gotta do it all!
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| Can you see me? I'm on a camel. |
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| Heart-attack Hill |
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| Bec in a nutshell |
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| King's Canyon |
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| I've got mad swag |
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| Aboriginal art at Uluru |
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| On our hike around Uluru |
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| infamous Uluru! |
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| unreal sunset |
Sunday: Woke up to Bec screaming GOOD MORNING at 5 am. Worth it-we watched the sunrise over Uluru/Kata Tjuta. It's like, could this trip get any cooler? We then proceeded to go on the earliest hike of my life-a 4 hour trek through Kata Tjuta. Without a doubt, the prettiest views, but definitely the toughest hike of the trip. You couldn't keep your eyes off the ground because it was so rocky. I wish I could have spent more time taking in the view because it was incredible. Kata Tjuta means 'many heads,' so the rocks appeared to be beautiful rolling hills... We speed-hiked because half our group had to get to the airport to catch a flight home that afternoon. I spent the 6 hour bus ride back to Alice Springs OUT like a baby. Only to be occasionally woken up by Bec, such as when she stopped the bus in the middle of the road because she 'spotted something really cool.' She ran across the road to pick up a thorny devil, aka a little lizard with spikes all over its body and brought it on board. I was less than thrilled to be woken up for that, I'll be honest. But Bec was stoked. She made sure to put it back on the road facing the same direction so as not to confuse him. How thoughtful. Honestly one of the funniest people I have met in my entire life. Such a bogan (yes, I did use appropriate Aussie lingo there-go me!). The remaining half of the group went to Annie's for dinner that night before some of Team America crashed at the hostel again. Learned that a napkin is called a serviet, and that sprite is called lemonade (lemonade is therefore called lemon squash). Learn something new every day... Watched Good Will Hunting and then passed out. The immense amount I slept (at times not during actual bed time) and the little amount I ate during the weekend is honestly concerning haha.
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| sunrise |
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| Lookout on the Kata Tjuta hike |
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| Group shot |
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| thorny devil |
Monday: Slept in... Woke up at 8 am. Got on our flight that afternoon to head back to Sydney. After an insane month of traveling through Australia (Cairns, Sydney, Melbourne, Outback), it felt so damn good to be back in Coogee. Grabbed dinner at Samui Thai with my friends I had missed oh-so-much, took the best shower of my life, did laundry, and slept in my warm BED. I think I've had enough of hostel life for the time being...
What an amazing weekend!! Such a perfect group of travel companions, great weather, gorgeous views, fun hikes and adventures... A definitely unique Australian experience. I can only take so much of the city life-that Oregon side to me comes out every now and then and craves a different scene. This was probably the coolest trip I have been on so far-it is also one I feel lucky to have gone on. Not many people (not even local Aussies) get to go to the Outback. It was exhausting, but sooo worth it. My body is finally starting to feel normal again and is thanking me for returning to a routine/schedule. Unfortunately, May (holy hell-how is it May?!) is devoted to school work, but then off to do some more traveling throughout June-hopefully to New Zealand! Can't believe I'll be home in a month and a half... Can't time just slow down a little bit?! Cheers to all my fellow Mustangs that are graduating in 2 weeks!! And let the good times roll...
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