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 :)

Fearless Friday

What an exciting day it has been!! Today being the last day of our house guest's vacation we headed out to Cairns bright and early to get some stuff done out there before she had to catch her flight. In Cairns our first stop was at the Cairns mall where our house guest said goodbye to an old friend of hers. Being the children that we all really are we couldn't resist playing the toy machine there. It must have been a lucky morning and I managed to win three toys in one go! Two were given away to random kids and the Buzz Lightyear one was kept by us appropriately fitting our Toy Story infatuation.













Afterward we rushed off to do our bungee jumps! Dad played tourist there and captured the whole event for myself and our house guest!








Bright red back pack and hat with "Russia" on both, all that was missing was a fanny pack!









Before shakily jumping off the 165 ft tower we left a reminder of our visit there on the table located at the top.






Proof of our bravery :)








The jump itself was a pretty thrilling experience and I'm proud of being able to say I've been crazy enough to do it twice now!









Why live on the edge when you can jump off?








After that we headed to the nearby beach, Palm Cove. It was a really cute, quaint little town with some beautiful scenery where we couldn't resist but pose for a few cheesy, tourist photos.






Peacock?











Palm Cove beach











With our house guest






After dropping off our house guest at the airport it was still a little early to head back to Mission Beach so instead we went to the Cairns Casino.







Cairns Casino








It was my first casino experience and although I didn't really get beginners luck we did win a little bit playing poker after which we finally headed home. My eyes are closing up on me as I write this so I must leave you all with this for today!

Trecking Thursday

Hello friends! I know I haven't posted in forever and I promise there is a semi-good reason. The land of Oz has since the last post been experiencing a bit of a downpour and gray skies. This resulted in Sunday being spent watching movies with my dad and not doing much else! The rest of the week til today has kept me pretty busy volunteering at the hospital. Its a pretty interesting experience, a little challenging at times, but definitely worthwhile. Besides the hospital my time has been spent interacting with our new house guest, an employee of the Brisbane skydiving company, who is vacationing here for the week. She has provided us for some interesting after dinner conversations and filled up another spot on the couch on our nightly movie selections!








Dad making Russian dumplings, vareniki









But we weren't kept completely indoors due to the weather either. We headed to yoga on Monday and to soccer on Tuesday where I am proud to say I scored my first goal!









Soccer super star









Wednesday was also a day of accomplishments, the main one being me getting the key stuck in the car door!



















Thankfully the key is absolutely unnecessary for the car to start or to open but it was funny nevertheless.

Today was a little different in that this morning we headed out to do an aboriginal tour in the rain forest! The tour was lead by an Aboriginal woman who shared her culture's stories and ways as we walked through to Echo Creek Falls. The scenery as we walked the trail was absolutely stunning!






Echo Creek







Our final destination was the waterfall. I'll let the picture speak for itself since the magnificence of it is indescribable.






I'm in the bottom right corner







On the way back I got pretty thirsty and at the lake I got the chance to drink some crystal clear mountain water to quench it.















I then got really hungry and decided to try some mushrooms growing on the nearby log.















I don't really remember what happened after that.................



Nah, I'm just kidding, the day has finished off wonderfully and I am planning on watching Its Complicated then to bed for a well deserved sleep. Til next time which I promise will be sooner than later.

Showery Saturday

Hey everyone!! Right now its Saturday night and I'm ready to have a long restful Sunday after the excitement of this Friday and Saturday. Friday was my dad's day off and we headed out to Cairns once again. There we went to the sauna and with some eucalyptus oil created our own little banya. The Cairns trip ended with us at the Night Market where I found some interesting souvenirs.








Cuddly kangaroo claw









Yes, yes, I couldn't believe it either but once again yes that is a real kangaroo claw back scratcher! If anyone wants one let me know and I will pick one up for you!


Today was spent battling the raging waters of the Tully River! Here is an outline of our "xtreme"rafting experience.





Five hours of rapids, waterfalls and rock jumps tired me out!






It was a little scary and cold at times but definitely fun.






In the back with our guide, Johnny






I also met some other travelers, shared some stories, heard some stories, and got to see some gorgeous rain forest scenery.






Xtreme Team!






The night ended off with us running a few maintenance errands on the car I will be taking to the Innisfail Hospital on Monday.








My awesome Oz ride









Here's to a restful, peaceful Sunday!

Theuraputic Thursday

One thing I learned over the past two days is that you can't stay mad in paradise, even at yourself. The worst is being your own disappointment and waiting to hear what you deserve but it never coming. That's when you realize that its not actually what you deserve its just what you're used to. So then you take a deep breath and just let it go.








Only Hector can stay grumpy









So with that said I move on to what was actually being done during the past two days. Yesterday wasn't all too exciting with me dealing with some household chores in the morning and just heading to the beach and hanging out there for a bit waiting for my dad to finish his jumps during the afternoon. Got a wonderful shot of the beach while I was there.







Back cloud rising out of the ground looks a bit like a nuclear explosion.










Later on that night we headed back out to the beach for a bonfire.


















Where we cooked some bananas and watched the moon rise over the ocean.





Bananas, the Australian equivalent of a potato!







Today was my first day volunteering at the Innisfail Hospital. I absolutely loved it! I spent the day chatting, reading to, and playing card games with the long term patients. Some of the stories I heard let me tell ya! When I'm getting back home I'm going to definitely sign myself up as a volunteer at a nursing home or an elderly care facility. It is said that the young know the rules but the old know the exceptions.








Innisfail Hospital garden

















Historical cabinet










So that's about it for now! Til next time!