Tearful Thursday

Last day before my flight and with that a last post. It has been a wonderful adventure and I got to see and experience so much in this last month. From going diving to bungee jumping to white water rafting I really feel like I didn't miss much. Looking back at the first post from this blog I pretty much got everything done that I wanted to in the "Land of Oz". Most importantly though was the month that I got to spend with my dad.

To quote the Wizard of Oz, I guess its time to tap my red heels three times and head back to Kansas

It has been absolutely great seeing so much of him and with it being a month I've already gotten used to his presense. From the coffee that he made me every morning to the "good night" that I got at the end of everyday and everything in between will be missed. It'll be hard (and very sleepy) early morning tomorrow saying good bye to the guy who was understanding enough to spend a huge part of one day driving around 10 hair salons helping me find just the "right" one. Then spending twenty minutes on another day contemplating hair products with me at the supermarket.

Australia wouldn't have been half as much fun without my dad being here so with that I dedicate this blog to him and a huge THANK YOU to him as well for making this vacation possible!

And to all you readers thanks for coming along with me on this little adventure. I hope you have enjoyed it as much as I have!

Wild Wednesday

Short but sweet post today, my mac is acting up with all the rain and wind outside. The internet isn't the only thing that got affected by the rain today. This wednesday being one of my last two days we finally decided to take the plunge and head to the nearby reef to spearfish. The weather was already a bit sour when we headed out but we had no real problems getting to King Reef. I was a little hesitant about getting into the cold water with the speargun that was half my size so I let my dad go out first.







Gearing up, grey skies!









He came back 15 minutes later by which point the wind was getting a little wilder, the waves a little bigger and the rain beginning to drizzle. When he got in the boat it finally began to really pour down!! Not only had the weather collapsed on us completely but we also had some problems starting the little 25 horsepower engine back up! Thankfully after some whispered prayers and a few frustrated "please start" screams aimed at the engine it got going. It was one heck of a journey back. Some of the waves were bigger than our little boat and the scariest point came when the engine stalled right amongst some of them. Thankfully the boat stood perpendicular to the waves the whole time that it took for my dad to start up the engine again and we continued on.






A rendition of our day at sea!





We finally reached the boat jetty with water drenching our faces, some of it from the ocean and some of it being tears, some from joy, some from fear. Boy what a day and what a heck of a way to finish off my oz adventure! Ill be logging in tomorrow for one last post so til then!

Tranquil Tuesday

Last Tuesday here, can't believe my visit here is almost over. I also can't believe I'm starting off this post with so much foreboding! So let's do a complete one-eighty and focus on the fun of the past few days instead.







Beautiful weather for my last week here!









Yesterday and today were dominated by the hospital but it's been a bit different there too with less my work focusing on the patients and more on other tasks. Today I did actually manage to get in a few hours of patient interaction when some locals came in to entertain again. This time it was two eldery women, one with an accordion and one with a voice that matched my grandmothers.





Some patients and me in my colorful volunteering shirt







It was a pleasure for me to hear them since it reminded me of the singing duo that my own grandparents form.







Woman on the accordion and my grandpa share the same stance when playing :-)








After coming back from the hospital today, my dad had an itching to go back to his roots and he decided to climb some coconut trees like the little monkey that he really is.







Dad went coconuts!









He brought down two coconuts and after butchering them up I got to try some fresh coconut milk.












One more thing that's sprung up since Sunday, and by that I mean literally, is our little herb garden. The little guys have decided to germinate a few weeks earlier than they should have. My theory being that they wanted to tell me a quick hello before I leave, either that or Australian soil has become radioactive due to the ozone hole :-)














Alright well I will leave you all with this for now. Til (hopefully!) tomorrow!

Seemingly Sleepy Sunday

Today didn't begin for me until eleven due to a late night yesterday. The night was centered around Freedom of Sound an event held at AJ Hacketts' bungee.







AJ Hackett Bungee, same place where I did my jump last week!









I was pretty excited since the event was hosting Sam La More. He is an Australian DJ who does a fairly popular remix of Empire of the Sun's "Walking on a Dream", a favorite song of mine.

















Also the AJ Hackett bungee location was pristine and it was great spending the night dancing in the middle of a rain forest setting.





AJ Hacketts party mode






We arrived back home pretty late and today was spent recuperating and doing the few odd chores around the house. Back to the hospital tomorrow this being my last week there! Here's to making an unforgettable last week in the land of Oz!

Sky-High Saturday

Hello, hello!

This Thursday had me volunteering at the hospital again but it was a little bit different from my usual talks or walks with the patients in the wards. This time we had a singer come in an sing for the patients out in the garden. It was great seeing how a small boombox and a local singing mom could bring so much joy to the patients. Thursday night we attempted to watch a classic James Bond but it was a little too cheesy for my liking so I headed off to bed pretty early.

Yesterday we were planning on getting up with the sun and heading out to the ocean for some spearfishing. Sadly we woke up to a very windy day and that left us with little to do. Thankfully towards the afternoon we managed to borrow some camping gear from my dad's friend and we headed out to Wallaman Falls campsite for the night. The drive there took quite a while and by the time we got there it was pitch dark.





Sunset






Thankfully our tent didn't take too long to set up but getting the fire going was a different story! The branches for the fire were all pretty soaked through so we had to work our way up to the bigger branches before we had a decent fire going.





2 grueling hours later!






Thankfully in the end it all worked out and we even managed to cook up a fairly scrumptious dinner on it.





The taste of campfire cooked food, yum!






We were able to camp in comfort and slept pretty cozily throughout the night with the help of an air mattress and down sleeping bags. In the morning we finally found our way to the waterfall look out point.





Lookout point
Excuse the camping attire, it was cold :)





An interesting fact I learned about the Wallaman Falls is that it is the highest waterfall in Australia (268 meters), how cool to have visited that while I was here!








Wallaman Falls!

Wicked Wednesday

Long day today and with that a long post! This morning started off beautifully with the sun finally peeking through the clouds. This meant it was a go on the diving I had scheduled for today! We headed out to Eddy's reef, a part of the Outer Great Barrier Reef, to finish off the last two dives that I needed to become a certified open water diver. The first dive we mainly focused on getting the necessary activities completed that I needed to pass the course but we did get to explore the reef quite a bit too.








Dive three done!








On the first dive we actually ran into quite a few little critters that live out on the reef.






Christmas tree worms













Giant clam













Lionfish






We also ran into two little nurse sharks hiding beneath some corals but sadly they didn't want to come out and play. We surfaced back up to refill the air tank and to refill our energy reserves with lunch then headed back down for the second dive.


The second dive was mainly us exploring the reef and I have to admit that it really was breathtaking, not literally since something like that happening with scuba gear on could turn the trip rotten quick! But in all "sea"riousness (here I go again!) the reef had such a wide range of fish and corals and in such vibrant colors that it truly was something I won't ever forget.









Certified diver!







The day was apparently not done with me after getting dropped off by the scuba bus and towards the end of the night I found my dad and I joining in the beach bonfire hosted by some of the skydiving crew. We stayed til the tide came up and threatened to kill the fire. I reckon that I need to work on my imagery a bit in future posts since that last sentence was just ridiculous! I also reckon that if Im back to saying I reckon that Im getting a bit tired so Im off to bed! Til next time everyone!

Typical Tuesday

I reckon I've picked up on some Australian slang while I've been here. I also reckon that "I reckon" has been said a few to many times lately! I also reckon that I've picked up on "mate", "good on ya", and "no worries". The mate one I'm not so fond of as I heard it being used in a derogatory way at the hospital yesterday. The one I'm hoping to bring back with me to California is no worries along with a bit of the carefree attitude attached with it. I reckon I should move on to more exciting tellings of my adventures in Oz, the bad news being is that there really aren't any. Friday left us all pretty tired out and so Saturday we didn't do very much. Towards the evening we scrounged up enough energy to do one productive thing that whole day which was plant some herb seeds.






Dill, coriander, and chives







Sadly I won't be here to see them germinate or grow but its inspired me to finally take up some gardening once I get back home.

Sunday the weather was terrible and so we headed to do one of the few things possible to do under rainy circumstances in Mission Beach, bowling! We just played two games both of which I got beat at by my dad.





My game face in bowling






Monday and today were pretty typical in the sense of the mornings and afternoons being filled volunteering at the hospital and the evenings with yoga and soccer. Although today I didn't get to join in the game since my arch on my left foot has been bothering me. Nothing that some proper arch supports can't fix as my dad keeps telling me so I reckon Ill be back on my feet in no time! I also reckon its about bedtime for me as I have an exciting day lined up for tomorrow so til then, or so I reckon :)