Australia-Sydney and the Harbor Bridge Climb

Well it only took me 6 months to finish writing about this trip.  And in another 6 months I'll be going back to Australia, this time for much longer.  Anyway, here is the last installment of the Australia trip:

"'Jetstar is a fucking useless airline...with Jetstar you could end up anywhere, we could end up in bloody Perth!"-disgruntled Jetstar passenger on my flight.

Run Katrina Run could be the name of a movie about my life today.  I'm supposed to be flying to Sydney today and I'm a bit more optimistic than my fellow flyer I overheard on the phone.

I woke up at 6:30 and rushed out of Rachel and Jon's apartment.  I walked up to the tram stop.  I missed the earlier tram but I caught the 7:00 one.  I got off at the transfer area and ended up waiting on the wrong side of the road so I had to run across the tracks and ended up tripping on the curb and falling on the ground, but luckily the driver waited for me.

The rest of the commute to the airport was uneventful and then the fun starts! I go the Jetstar domestic counter and try to check in but I can't.  I'm informed that I must check in at international and hurry because the flight closes in 20 mins.  I wasn't aware that NSW was its own country now.

I wait in a long, slow line and check in, then go through customs (I was moved to a quick line since I was domestic)  There's less than 20 mins til the plane is supposed to leave so I'm nervous.  The gate is all the way at the end of a seemingly never-ending hallway and my throat's dry and my arms hurt and I finally round the corner and see people still at the gate and I smile because I've made it and--the flight's delayed indefinitely.

Update- supposedly we'll board at 10, depart at 10:20.  A 1:20 delay sucks but I guess it's better than ending up in bloody Perth!

I didnt end up getting to the Sydney CBD until 2:30.  I had to get out of the airport then catch a cab to my hotel.  The cab broke down so I had to walk a bit but it was close.  The hotel was pretty nice.  I had a queen size bed, a/c and a shower/bathtub combo!  I'll get back to that later.

I took a 10 min train ride to Circular Quay Stn which literally dumps you out in the middle of the Opera House and the Harbor Bridge.  Since I was climbing the bridge at 4:50, I started my afternoon at the Opera House.  It's a stunning building in pictures and even more beautiful in real life.  I had planned to do a tour of the inside but got in too late to do one.  Next time!

I hadn't eaten yet and it was really hot (38 celcius) I thougth I'd find a place to eat only I didn't.  4:00 came fast and I had to get to the Bridge Climb by 4:50.  That place is probably the hardest place to find in all of Sydney!  I got lost for a bit then found a map and finally got to the Bridge.  The sign for the climb looked like it ws pointing at the bridge (I guess it was, just further down the bridge!)  So I walked up a ton of stairs and got to the pedestrian walkway on the Bridge.  I walked about halfway across before I realized I was not in the right place so I ran all the way back and hauled ass down the street and finally found the place 5 mins before the climb started.

We had to change into these ugly jumpsuits with a belt and clips attached to it.  We had to clip into a rope that we followed the whole way up the bridge.  There were a ton of stairs and we had to stop a lot for breaks, but surprisingly I had no trouble with the stairs and wasn't winded at all.

Once we got to the top of the bridge we stayed up for about 15 mins looking around.  You aren't allowed to bring cameras but they have people up there who take a group pic and then individual ones.

After the climb I took a cab to Chinatown ($30 for about 10 blocks!) I got a large taro bubble tea and then found a Thai place and got Pad Thai and Thai Iced Tea.  I shouldn't have drank the bubble tea so fast because I was about to burst halfway through dinner so I couldnt finish.

At first I was going to go back to the hotel for a bath but at the last minute decided to walk about 2 miles back to the harbor to see it at night.  I had massive blisters and felt like I was going to vomit but it was so worth it.  The Harbor is amazing at night!

There was some sort of Peruvian flute band playing so I sat on a bench listening to them, staring at the Opera House.  It was a perfect ending to the perfect trip.  I never wanted to leave, but the bath was calling.

I got back to the hotel at 10 and filled the tub with water and bath gel (bath gel makes a better bubble bath than real bb mix does, fyi) and read my book while soaking in the tub.  It was a real treat, I've missed my nightly bubble baths so much.  Sadly I had to be up at 6:30 so I could only take a 45 minute bath then it was off to the amazingly comfy bed for my last sleep in Australia.

See you in six months, Aus!

Australia-Phillip Island and Dandenong

I didn't actually write a journal entry about this day, so it's all from memory.  Here we go:

On my last day in Melbourne Rachel, Jon and I rented a car and drove down to Phillip Island on the southern coast of Victoria.  It's famous because they have a giant penguin colony that comes onto shore every evening.  They have bleachers and sell tickets to it everyday.  We didn't do that though since we saw penguins in St. Kilda already.

Rachel was really nervous to drive on the left side of the road but she did really well!  It was about a 2 hour drive down and we got out at this really nice beach full of black rock.  They said it reminded them of Jeju Island in Korea, so now I don't really feel like I HAVE to see it before I leave.

After the beach, we piled back in the car and went to the main town on the island, Cowes, for lunch.  We ended up at a burger/fish and chip place.  It was good, although I'm sure it was overpriced as most food is in Australia.

After lunch, we drove to the Koala Conservation Center.  There were koalas everywhere.  It wasn't quite wild, but it wasn't quite a zoo either.  They're just kind of there in the park.

I thought I would die from cuteness overload.

Then we drove down to The Knobbies, which is a bunch of rocks just off shore and a big colony of Australian Fur Seals lives there.  I had just swum with a bunch of them a few days earlier, so I wasn't freaking out over them.  It was also crazy hot that day and there were lots of dead seagulls and we even got to see one panting.  It was sad.

We were excited because there was a cute little penguin under the boardwalk just trying to escape the heat.  I got a good picture of it, but not before suffering from burns from lying down on the insanely hot boardwalk which was covered with a metal grate.

As we were leaving The Knobbies, we saw one of those kangaroo crossing signs and then lo and behold, there was a wallaby crossng the street!

We drove for about 2 hours and finally found the place called Dandenong.  It's supposed to be one of the most reliable places in Victoria to see kangaroos.  We drove around for a while.  It was a big place and we were wondering how we'd know which area to go to to see the kangaroos?  But we didn't wonder for long as we saw a big herd of them in a clearing.  Oh exciting!  We got out of the car and went over.  We were a little nervous to get close since they can disembowel you, but we got close enough to take some good pictures.

After that we returned home and I packed up once again, getting ready for my last day of my Australian Odyssey.

Australia-Melbourne

1/7/2010
I love Melbourne!  Of course I say that about everywhere in Australia, but it's true.

Last night I met Rachel at the bus station then took the tram to her apartment and met up with her boyfriend Jon.  Then we went to St. Kilda Beach and ate burgers then walked out to the rocks to see penguins.  They were adorable!

The pictures are shitty because you're not allowed to use flash.  They seriously have people standing there who will yell at you if you use it.

After we had our fill of penguins, we met up with Rachel's friends at a British pub where we stayed until 12.

Today we left the house around 11 and went to the Melbourne CBD.  We tried to take the free tram around the city but it kicked us off after a few stops so we gave up and ate lunch instead.  We found a great Thai place whose Thai iced tea and Pad Thai tasted just like back at home.

While eating at a sidewalk table I noticed lots of people walking around with bubble tea!  Bubble tea is nowhere to be found in Korea (until last weekend!) so I had to get some.  We walked through Chinatown trying to find it and took a Target detour.  Target in Australia isn't like American Target.  It's more like Walmart.  I still found a pair of sandals, 2 pairs of earrings, and hand sanitizer.  Then we found bubble tea and I got a large taro and it was orgasmic.  I never wanted to finish.

We took a walk along the river and ended up going to the National Gallery of Victoria, which is a big free art museum.  You can't beat a free museum!

We were pretty knackered after that so we went back and booked the rental car for tomorrow's road trip, then the 3 of us went out for dinner and had bbq chicken pizza, then went back to the CBD to go to the Australian souvenir stores.  I really wanted to see Rod Laver Arena so we took the tram there.  It's deserted at 10pm and the guy working security seemed pretty perplexed about why we were there but he was a good sport and took a picture of us in front of it.

I'm so sad I'm missing the Open by 1 week, I would have loved to go.  Maybe next year!

Australia-Coffin Bay

1/5/10

The last night on the boat, Ben asked me when I was flying out of Port Lincoln and I said 8pm and I had no idea what I was going to do all day.  Port Lincoln is not very exciting.  Then he invited me to spend the day with him and his family and I happily accepted the invitation.

His mom and stepdad showed up around 9am so we said our goodbyes to everyone on the boat then drove off. We took a 30 minute drive to a beautiful place called Coffin Bay.  We found a beach and waded in the water and Ben filled a bag with clams that they'd eat later.

We drove along the Bay for a while until we could drive no further (the road ended).  Ben's stepdad wanted to go back into town to confirm something online so we had some time to explore the beach.  Ben and I ventured across an almost deserted beach until we reached this massive mountain of a sand dune.  And of course we had to climb it.

It was a lot harder to climb than I expected.  The sand was hot and it was hard to walk without sliding but we made it to the top and were treated to a breathtaking view of the beach and the Bay and the islands around it.  I stood there for a few moments taking everything in-the sand between my toes, the pain of the massive sunburn I was getting, the warm wind, the crystal clear water below.  God I was so content and that's when I realized that life doesn't get any better than this.

We eventually came down.  Ben back flipped down but I stuck to running.  It was fun!  If it hadn't been so high I would've gone again.

We walked back to the parking lot and sat in the shade with Ben's mum while we waited for his stepdad to come back.  When he did get back he came with exciting news.  Rodney Fox was in town!  Ben's family has a little beach house and the Foxes have the house next door so they're actually friends.  We drove over to this campground about 5 mins away and found Rodney's wife sitting in the car.  Ben's mom and stepdad said hello and chatted and then Rodney arrived!  He said hi to everyone and as he shook my hand I told him what an honor it was to actually meet him.  We all talked about the sharks and diving and then just normal everyday stuff.  The whole time I was in shock.  Here I was standing next to the man himself, the most famous shark attack survivor ever.  

Ben had mentioned to his mom that I've slept with a stuffed great white shark since I was 6 and I had it with me.  I don't ever sleep without him.  She then had the great idea to get a picture of me, Rodney and Sharky. 

 

I will cherish that picture as long as I live!  And to top it off, Rodney held Sharky and even stroked his back.  This probably sounds so lame, but it was so awesome!  We probably could have talked to the Foxes for hours but sadly we had to get back to Port Lincoln so I could catch my flight.  We said goodbye and I assured him I'd be back on the boat later this year (it will probably be in 2011 though.  I'm aiming for June, the best month for great white action).  

We went back into town and Ben's family treated us to a beautiful dinner of pizza, prawns, calamari, mussles, oysters and fish at a restaurant with a view of the water.  It couldn't have been more perfect.  I was completely knackered by the time I got back to Adelaide so I took a long hot shower, watched a bit of telly then went to bed, dreaming of sharks and beaches.

Great White Shark Dive Day 3

I feel bad for neglecting this blog for so long.  I'm going to Hong Kong next week so I need to work OT to finish blogging about my Australian adventure.  So, here it goes...

We woke up around 10am and the great white appeared right away.  The Canadian family hadn't seen a great white in the cage yet so they got in first.  It stuck around for just a few seconds and then the bronze whalers moved in.  At first there were just a few of them but by the time I entered the cage there were at least 13-15.  There were 2 surface cages going so 8 of us were lucky enough to see the insane feeding frenzy.

The sharks were coming from all directions and you couldn't look anywhere and not see a few.  They were attacking the bait and slamming up against the cages.  I could have stayed in forever because it was so fascinating but my hands were numb and cold water kept rushing into my wetsuit so I finally climbed out and ate some lunch and watched the bronzie action from my perch on the second deck.  

I went in the cage once more.  The great white came back but he was long gone by the time I got in, though there were now over 20 bronzies.  I was alone in the cage and the sharks kept slamming up against the cage.  I'll be honest, it was a little scary being alone in the cage so I came back up and laid out for a few hours.

Earlier in the day, we took a vote to see whether we wanted to dive with sharks for a few extra hours or swim with the seals.  Since the great whites weren't around, we decided on the seals.  It was a 2 hour boat ride to these islands where a lot of seals live.  We took the dinghy up all the way to shore.  There were seals everywhere!!  They were on the beach, on the rocks, in the water just inches away!

I got my fins on and went snorkeling with them.  It was unreal to be swimming along side cute little seals.

While it was awesome, I was a bit nervous to be swimming-at sunset-with the great white's favorite food.  The water was getting darker and the sun was sinking behind the islands and I was pretty relieved when the dinghy came over to get us.  I was the first one back on.  I'm not a fan of dark, shark infested water!

We watched the sunset as we drove back to the boat.  It was a beautiful end to the adventure of a lifetime.  Back on the boat we had a delicious dinner of ribs and then watched a video from a past trip.  I got the honor of writing on the bathroom wall so a little part of me will always be on board.

Most people went to bed as we got back to port but Matt and I stayed up late chatting with Andrew, Jen and Ian.  Andrew popped open a bottle of red wine and the 5 of us toasted to a great trip.

Great White Shark Dive Day 2

We all woke up at 5am when the boat engines started for the 4 hour trip out to the Neptune Islands.  Most of us managed to get back to sleep, although the ride out was a bit...rough in the open ocean.  I took 3 seasick tablets before 10am!  By the time the anchor dropped, everything in our room was in the middle of the floor because the waves had knocked it off the shelves or out of the closet.

After anchoring, the chumming began and almost immediately, the great white appeared!  It was so exciting and we all rushed to get our wet suits on.  There was only 1 surface cage going at that time, 4 people to a cage.  I got in the cage with the second group.  The cage is in the water off the back of the boat and you have to sit down on the platform and drop yourself in.  I was freaking out while sitting on the platform because the waves were big and coming up to my stomach and I kept thinking that the great white shark could come up in a wave and grab me so I got in the frigid water as fast as possible.

We were in the cage just scanning the depths, seeing nothing but schools of fish.  And then, out of the deep blue came a large shape.  And there it was, in real life-a great white!  Rodney Fox told Ben and me that we need to write 1 or 2 sentences to describe how it felt at that moment so we'll always be able to go back and read them and feel those feelings again.  I'm not sure I'll ever be able to put those feelings into words, but I'll try my best.  It was surreal to be just inches away from the greatest predator on earth.  I felt no fear at all, only a sense of awe and wonder as I watched the 15 foot shark slowly glide past the cage.  I couldn't move or even think.  I was transfixed.  It was and always will be the most beautiful creature I've ever seen and I will never forget how it looked up close.

The shark disappeared into the depths and stayed away for a while.  A few curious bronze whalers came in to chase the bait:

As suddenly as the bronzies had appeared, they vanished.  The great white was back! (We learned that great whites eat bronze whalers so they don't stick around of a great white is nearby).  It was just as exciting to see the second time around.  It swam near the cage, then turned and swam past the way it came.  There was a big tuna head in the water and he wanted it.  He chased it as they pulled the rope in and he came at it with his jaws open.  Amazing!  And those teeth are MUCH bigger in real life than on the Discovery Channel.  His white belly took up my entire view, it was so massive!  After the bait was gone, the shark flipped around and swam off.

We all got out of the cage smiling and cheering.  I think we can all agree that seeing the great white shark is one of the top moments of our lives, if not the top (it is for me!).  Seeing that shark changed everything.  I've seen all the Discovery Channel shows about them (many, many times.  If there's a great white, I'll watch it, even if I've seen the same show 9 times).  I know that they aren't just mindless killing machines, but there was still a little part of me that thought they'd be aggressive and trying to eat us through the cage.  But it seemed more curious than anything, just swimming around, eying us as we did the same to him.  He moved so slowly, every movement controlled, very efficient.  The bronzies are much quicker, less calculating and more impulsive.  They're hyper sharks while the great white seemed very relaxed.  But I guess when you're at the top of the food chain you probably don't move too fast if you don't have to.  Although, we also learned that June-October are the best months for seeing great whites because that's their mating season.  While the males tend to be passive, the females can get very up close and personal and are extremely aggressive.  That's why I'm planning to go back, I have to see the girls!

After the shark dive, I had some lunch then went upstairs to the back of the boat-my favorite place.  There's a little wicker couch at the edge and the rubber dinghy was behind that.  The Canadian family was up there so I laid out in the dinghy and we had a nice chat until it was time for their submersible dive. 

For dinner we had steak, potatoes, and carrots.  After dinner, Andrew gave a talk about the sharks they've encountered and then did a scientific talk about great whites and when that was finished we all headed off to bed.

Great White Shark Dive-Day 1

Okay, it's official.  My life is so awesome I'm jealous of myself.  Seriously!  The past 4 days have been like a dream and I'm still not truly convinced it happened.  In short: I met amazing friends, came face to face with a 4 meter great white shark, witnessed a bronze whaler feeding frenzy, got deliciously sunburned, swam with Australian fur seals at sunset, got adopted for the day by a friend's family, went to the breathtakingly gorgeous Coffin Bay, climbed a giant sand dune, and to top it all off, I randomly met Rodney Fox.  Rodney freaking Fox!  I have never been so in love with life.  I wish I could put these past few days in a bottle and keep them forever.  There is SO MUCH to talk about so I will break it into days.

Day 1-I arrived in Port Lincoln at 2PM, 5 hours before check-in.  I took a $40 cab ride to the Marina Hotel which is where all of us on the Rodney Fox Shark Expedition were supposed to meet.  Because I was so early, I was going to check my bags at the hotel and explore the town a bit.  Another guy on the shark tour got in at the same time so we introduced ourselves and had some drinks at the hotel bar and sat on the patio overlooking the marina.  His name is Ben and he's an Australian teaching English in Colombia.  There is a 12 person maximum on the boat, so it's crazy that I met someone else doing the same thing as me!  We got on really well and took a walk to a beach then went back to the hotel for happy hour.  As we were finishing our first drink we saw a seal right at the boat ramp so we ran over to see it.

He was so close people were touching it and feeding it fish.  He was so cute and playful!

We went back to the hotel and met up with some of the other people doing the shark dive with us.  There was a Canadian family, a father and son from Russia, two guys from Germany, and then us solo divers: Ben, Matt from Texas and John from Australia.  It was a really eclectic bunch but it couldn't have been better!  We got picked up by Andrew Fox, Rodney's son, and we went to the boat to drop our bags off before dinner.  We were met on board by Jennifer and Ian who are the most delightful people to be around.  As I was stepping off the boat, I missed the deck and was hanging off the railing and Andrew had to rescue me.  It was extremely embarassing and hilarious.  We had dinner and got to know each other and got back to the boat around 10.  Andrew gave us a quick briefing about the days to come then it was off to bed!

My Australian Odyssey! 1/2

I'm killing time before my Port Lincoln flight.  I got a Coke Icee and now I'm sitting at the beach.  I had a rough night last night.  My ear is clogged and was throbbing when I went to bed.  I had to take 3 pain pills.  It doesn't hurt now but it's still clogged.  I am proud of myself for not freaking out last night.  I was worried it was infected and would impact the shark dive but I went to bed and told myself I'd deal with it in the morning.  I went to the pharmacy and got ear drops, ear plugs for the water and these plugs to wear on the plane to deal with pressure changes.  The pharmacist said my ear is probably not infected because it didn't hurt when I pulled on it but said to give it a few days.  I was worried about seeing a doctor because I don't have travel insurance but he said it would only be $30-40.  I feel much better knowing that.

I really can't believe I'm flying out to swim with sharks today.  It doesn't seem real.  And while I'm extremely excited, the emotion I'm feeling most is sadness.  I never though I would do this without Dad.  He should be here too.  I'm glad I'm doing it alone instead of with a friend because it wouldn't seem right to do it with anyone but Dad.

My Australian Odyssey! 1/1

I still can't believe I'm swimming with great whites this weekend.  I'll be boarding the boat tomorrow.  Right now I'm at the gate waiting for hours to board the plane to Adelaide.  I feel bad for whoever sits next to me.  I have a nasty sinus infection that will never go away and I haven't showered in 2 days (tmi?)  I am disgusting!  I can't wait to get to my  hotel and shower!  And change clothes for that matter.

.....

Adelaide is a lovely little city situated on the coast in South Australia.  After getting to my hostel, I went across the street and picked up Subway then walked 2 blocks to the beach and ate on a park bench.  It was windy as hell so it wasn't the most pleasant evening at the beach but I reminded myself that getting blasted by sand on an Australian beach is still much better than getting blasted by Arctic temperatures 24/7 in Korea. After eating, I took off my shoes and walked in the surf until the sun set.  A few times I felt a little freaked out because the beach was so much like home.  Everything looked the same-the sand, the water, the sunset, the fishing pier.  It was a very comforting feeling.  And I realized how much I miss the beach.

After dark, I set out on a fruitless search for a store selling alarm clocks.  My Korean phone is all out of sorts.  It says it's January 6, 1980 and the time is all wrong and I really need an alarm.  I had to guess the time and set the alarm for 7:45 PM when I'm hoping to wake up at 9:30 AM.  So we'll see what happens tomorrow morning.

My Australian Odyssey! 12/28-1/1

I actually wrote quite the trip diary down in Australia and I'll re-type it all here for all of you fine folks at home.  I will break it up by day so here's my first entry from 1/1/10:

Before I left for Australia I said I was going to write everyday.  Of course I haven't but I'm determined to start off 2010 on the right foot.  I'm sitting in a beautiful country home in Buladelah, Australia (pop just a little over 1,000) listening to frogs, crickets and cicadas.  It's the closest I've been to nature in a long while.  The air is humid and still and the grass is still damp from the afternoon rain (my muddy sandals can attest to that!).  It's so peaceful-a far cry from spending New Year's Eve in Sydney but exactly what I needed.

I've never met an Australian I didn't like and that holds true here as well.  Everyone is so friendly and laid back.  I spent the day with Jen's friends and her friend's parents and it was wonderful.  We did nothing but eat and drink and gab.  It was so fun to spend so much time with a new family.  After being in Korea for so long, I've realized how much I miss families.  It's felt so good to feel like I belong again.  I haven't stopped smiling since the plane landed.  Tonight I was sitting and listening and soaking it all in.  I can be in a situation where I can understand the conversations, have a conversation without using small basic words and I don't struggle to understand what people are saying (unless they're using Auslish!) 

And the food.  OMG the food!  Every meal is so amazing and it's funny because if I was back in the US it wouldn't be exciting at all.  But after 4 months in Korea it's like gourmet food.  I've had roast chicken and potatoes, a bunch of tacos, sausages and steak and onions.  I'm in heaven.  I love bulgogi but it doesn't compare to El Paso taco shells and beef!

It's also amazingly green here.  I couldn't stop gasping the first day just seeing green grass and trees.  Winter is tough in Korea, but for a Florida girl, it's probably tough anywhere.

Also-animals!  Australia has loads of them.  I get woken up at dawn everyday by the assortment of cockatoos and kookaburras in the yard.  It's rare to hear birds in Korea and if you're woken up at dawn it's probably from a truck coming down your street advertising something with a megaphone.

We went to Featherdale Wildlife Park on Tuesday and I got to pet kangaroos, koalas and emus and yesterday we went on a bushwalk in Katoomba Nat'l Park.  The trees in the bush smell amazing and fresh and the air is clean.

I'm flying down to Adelaide tomorrow and then onto Port Lincoln on the 2nd.  I'm hoping to explore both cities a bit in between my shark dive.  I'm really excited to see the Australian ocean!