Saturday, April 26, 2008

Anzac Day


Anzac Day was this past Friday the 25th. For those who don't know, Anzac stands for Australia and New Zealand Army Corps. The day, which is similar to America's Memorial Day or Veteran's Day, commemorates the Anzacs who fought at Gallipoli in Turkey during World War I. Over 10,000 Anzacs died during that battle.

Australia makes a huge deal out of this holiday. There were parades, dawn services, lively traditions (such as 2-up, a gambling game that's legal to play only on Anzac Day), special sporting matches, people even bake Anzac biscuits (they're similar to oatmeal cookies). But what I was most blown away by was that thousands of Aussies and Kiwis actually go to Gallipoli to pay their respects. Seriously, they go all the way to Turkey.

The reverence that Australia gives to their fallen war heroes puts Americans to shame. Here's the deal, there are plenty of Americans who say they support the troops and the war, but what do they do for Memorial Day or Veteran's Day? Some families have picnics or go to parades, but would thousands of Americans go to overseas to where the soliders actually fought to honour them? I sincerely doubt it. And I'm not saying I'd do it either. Frankly, I wouldn't.

Every Australian I've talked to is anti-war, but that doesn't deter them from supporting their army. This country steps up when they're called on. I think that's extremely cool.

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

Flight plan

After scouring the Internet for a somewhat reasonable flight back to the States, I finally found one. Most of the prices ranged between $1,200-1,900--and that's just Sydney to L.A. Thankfully, I accrued enough frequent flier miles on United to get my L.A. to Omaha portion for free.

For $900, I get to fly in four planes and make stops in three countries. By the time I arrive into Omaha, I'll have been in transit for approximately 27 hours. I already feel bad for the poor bastard who has to pick me up from the airport.

Here's the breakdown:
I fly out of Sydney on November 17th at 11:30 am on Air New Zealand.
I make a pit stop in Auckland, New Zealand for a few hours. At 7:15 pm we fly onto L.A.
I arrive into L.A. at 10:25 am on the 17th (Yes, I get to live November 17, 2008, twice. And I'm pretty sure they're both going to equally suck).
Then I switch to United and fly to Denver at 1:30 pm, arriving at 5:50 pm local time.
I then drag myself onto United Airlines flight 448, which arrives into Omaha at 9:19 pm.

So there you have it. Now, I have definite plans to return to the States. But whether I actually get on that plane remains to be seen (only joking, of course...).

Saturday, April 5, 2008

Surfers/Shoppers Paradise



The final leg of our trip was in Surfers Paradise. While it was nice to finally have a few days of sheer nothingness, I think we could've left a day earlier. The shopping was incredible, but you can really get through it all pretty easily in a day or two. The beaches were nice during peak sun hours, but once 4 pm struck the shadows from all the tall buildings nearby would cut the party short. We'd have to pack up all our stuff to move to a sunny square a few meters away, only to have to move again 20 minutes later because the shadows would follow us! I guess I'd describe Surfers as an American city that somehow took a wrong turn and wound up in Australia. While it was borderline tacky, it did have something that I desperately needed and that many Australian cities lacked--A Starbucks. I guess it wasn't all that bad.

Friday, April 4, 2008

Australia Zoo!




I never imagined I would ever have the chance to actually visit this place. It was a lot smaller than I expected--the last zoo I visited before this was Chicago's Brookfield Zoo and it blew this place out of the water in terms of size--but Australia Zoo really was a clean and very cared for place. Definitely worth the trip.

I heart Brisbane



And here are some images of Brisbane. The first is of it's skyline at night and the second is Andrea and I at Ahmet's Turkish Restaurant--I had the grilled chicken kebabs (SO GOOD).

Photos from Airlie and the Whitsundays




Here are a few shots from my stay in Airlie Beach. The top is from the lagoon in Airlie. The middle is another shot of Whitehaven Beach, and the bottom is a shot of the islands I took from the sailing boat.

Thursday, April 3, 2008

The rest of the recap



After my sunburn and turtle debacle, the last thing I wanted to do was spend another second on a boat. But of course, a nice, long sailing trip was next on our to-do list in Airlie Beach.

But unlike my Reef trip, sailing the Whitsundays was a really great time. We bonded on the boat with a bunch of boxed wine-loving Irish and English folks who really liked to sing.

My favourite part of the trip was when the boat stopped off on Whithaven Beach on the second day of our trip. It was absolutely unbelievable. Close your eyes and think of paradise--and this beach is it. Absolutely incredibly white sand, perfectly peaceful and the weather only enhanced the experience. The sun was gleaming white hot and there wasn't a single cloud to disturb the perfectly blue sky. My pictures simply can't do it justice, and my words certainly can't.

From Airlie Beach we flew straight to Brisbane, which is a really cool city. Located inland, Brisbane almost reminded me a bit of Boston--I think it was the river that tipped me off to that. It doesn't have the flair of Sydney or Melbourne, but Brisbane's eclectic culture make it a good time.

I enjoyed my time in Brissy because we had ample time to explore the city. Our hostel was located only right in the heart of city, so we really got a feel for the place. We visited the popular night markets and dined at a lively Turkish restaurant (complete with a belly dancer) on our first night.

The next day we drove out to nearby Beerwah to visit Steve Irwin's Australia Zoo. The place really had a spirit to it--it was almost as if Steve was still alive because his presence is still very much apart of that place. I was very much impressed by the extent that the zookeepers interacted with the public. They talked a lot about conservation and habitat protection--the whole place really put an emphasis on the importance of taking action in animal protection. It was clear that Steve's passion was infectious. I thought it was a very cool place.

The final stop in our trip was in Surfers Paradise. It was finally time to relax, which is really all that Surfers can offer. That and a ridiculous amount of shopping. Surfers was okay, but it was very much like a mixture of Fort Lauderdale and Las Vegas. Very commercial and consumer driven. Sure, the beaches were nice, but a beach is a beach. Except of course, if it's Whitehaven beach in the Whitsundays!

**Note: The above photos are of my Whitsundays sailing trip, with Whitehaven being the top. I'll add more photos from the rest of my holiday in separate posts.

I'm a threat to marine life everywhere




Jenny, Andrea and I returned two days ago from our whirlwind tour of all Queensland has to offer. We were gone for about 10 days, and here's the breakdown of our trip:

1. We flew from Sydney to Cairns where we snorkled the Great Barrier Reef and toured the Daintree Rainforest.

2. We took a bus to Airlie Beach, a much more laid back beach town south of Cairns. There we went on a two-day sailing trip of the Whitsunday Islands.

3. From there we flew to Brisbane, Australia's third largest city. We explored the city for a bit before renting a car and driving about an hour outside the city to visit Steve Irwin's Australia Zoo.

4. After Brisbane, we caught a train to Surfers Paradise. For our three-day stay, our itinerary consisted of little more than lying on the beach. It was AWESOME.

Looking back, we really accomplished a hell of a lot in less than two weeks. I personally get a kick out of all the modes of transportation we used during our holiday--planes, trains, buses, cars, boats--we really should have stolen some kids' bikes and we really would be set.

Anyway, here's a more detailed account of my trip. We began in Cairns, which is located in tropical north Queensland, so the weather is crazy muggy. Its close proximity to the Great Barrier Reef and Daintree Rainforest (in addition to its crazy amounts of nightlife) make it a real hit with the tourists, particularly Americans.

Anyway, I have a bit of a jaded impression of Cairns for two reasons. First, I developed the worst sunburn known to humankind while on the Great Barrier Reef. We were on this boat for 10 hours and the weather was scorching. I thought I put enough sunscreen on, but it was obviously no match for the Queensland sun, which is known to be the worst on the planet. Seriously, that fact is written on the paper bags you get from the pharmacy (and I would know because I found myself there buying the largest bottle of SPF 30 they sold...). Apparently two out of every three Australians develop some form of skin cancer at some point in their lives. I wonder if that statistic includes stupid foreign students who also happen to live in the country.

The second reason I didn't get the best impression from Cairns is also from that same snorkeling trip on the Reef. Turns out, I'm from Iowa and not the biggest boat person. So for a fair portion of the trip, I was pretty seasick. Also, I have never been in an ocean before, so basically the Great Barrier Reef was my introduction to it. When it came time for me to get in the water, I was scared to death. Seriously, I can safely say that as they lowered Jenny and I in, it was the scariest moment of my life.

Once I was in the water, I floated motionless for a bit. I was grasping Jenny's hand and she kindly reminded me that I was wearing fins and that I could, in fact, swim. It took me a good 3-4 minutes to actually put my head under water because I just knew there would be a smiling Great White waiting casually below waiting to gobble me up for lunch (because, you know, they only eat you when you look at them). But when I eventually did take my first glimpse under water, it was absolutely breathtaking. The reef was a mix of beautiful green, blue and purple hues and fish jolted in and out of its countless cracks and crevices. It was amazing. I let go of Jenny's hand and was perfectly fine on my own. Well, until Jenny told me to look down.

Once Jenny got my attention and suggested I put my head under the water, I noticed everyone around me looking my way. Jenny didn't seem alarmed or anything, in fact, she was really excited, but I suddenly got really freaked out. I heard someone yell that there was a sea turtle and I almost simultaneously felt a light nip at my ankle. Instictively, I kicked my fin as hard as I could and felt something hard.

"You kicked it!" yelled a guy swimming right in front of me.

Yep, I did. But I swear, it was only an accident and I feel terrible about it looking back. After I kicked the poor turtle, I practically jumped into Jenny's arms and demanded that she take me back to the boat. Poor turtle. In retrospect, maybe my sunburn in a bit of karma for potentially harming a poor, defenseless (did I mention nearly extinct?) animal. Something to think about, I guess....

After the snorkeling trip, we went on a tour through the Daintree Rainforest. There we got a few close-up looks at some native Australian fauna--namely koalas, kangaroos and crocs and went on a boat tour of the croc-infested Daintree River. The rainforest was really beautiful, though the weather was really rainy and muggy. I guess I can't complain too much, considering where we were and the wonderful weather we had throughout the rest of our trip.