Virgin Blue, Yes!

First I would like to personally thank Richard Branson for providing Jordan and I a free night in Brisbane, in a hotel far nicer than the two of us would have ever stayed in. To further explain, Virgin Blue airlines experienced a major computer malfunction a day before our return flight. For over a week Virgin Blue flights were delayed, postponed, and even canceled. For many this sounds worse than coming home from the trip to find your car stolen, but for Jordan and I it was the perfect way to top off our trip. Can you say vacation extended? Because our flight from Mckay to Brisbane was an hour late, we missed our connection to Sydney and got a free night in Brisbane! Our throne in the heart of downtown Brisbane made us feel like kings (if only Virgin would cover our late night room service too). Luckily, Brisbane it turns out is a very small city, with not a whole much to do, so one day was perfect for us. The sun was shining and we were in no hurry to do anything in specific. After wandering around for awhile we were caught in a monsoon like storm that came out of nowhere. We took shelter at a local bar and experienced Fat Yak beer.. mmmm... in a search for food we crossed the river and stumbled upon an art gallery, since we were in no rush we figured if its free why not? While admiring the Australian art in the gallery another storm was brewing. In desperation we swam back to the hotel, where we changed out of our scuba gear and put on a fresh set of clothes to weather the storm yet again. Eventually we made it to the airport only to hear that due to some circumstances we would be able to get our flight fully refunded if we so chose. I was pulling for ditching the flight and catching the train to the Gold Coast, why I could not rally for this one I'm not sure, so I guess we will have to go on another trip up north to check it out.

Whitehaven beach a.k.a. heaven

Almost a month later, I am finally getting to the best part of my spring break trip... Whitehaven beach is the most pure sand beach in the world. The sand is 98% silica and NASA used 5 tons of it to make the mirrors inside the Hubble telescope! Although our time at Whitehaven was brief, it was well memorable. After a whole morning of overcast skies, rain, and rough water, our boat pulled out of the clouds and an aura of sun shined down on Whitehaven beach. The crystal clear blue water and white sand was not something that people actually go to. It was something you see on a screen saver or a postcard or a Sports Illustrated swimsuit photo shoot, and you say wow that place looks amazing! Well you're right, because it is. The warm water was perfect for lounging in, waist deep for at least 200 feet out, probably farther. The sand was like flour, or like that super soft artificial sand, it was unreal how soft this stuff was. It seemed like it could wash away any impurities. I can't believe how lucky we are to have experienced such an amazing place, if the boat had left me there I would not have minded because I never wanted to leave, none of us did.

Sidetrack: Durian

I know I have been keeping this in chronological order (although usually inconsistent and untimely), I feel compelled to write about this right now. What human thought it would be a good idea to break open the spiky shell that resembles a mace or some other medieval torture device, power through the rotten egg smell, and muster up the strength to eat the pulpy, custardy innards of a durian fruit is beyond my knowledge. But today at work we were selling the stuff and I, being an adventurous eater and food connoisseur in training, had to buy it. Durian is an Indonesian "delicacy" which as I said looks like a mace, smells like death, and tastes like a mix between mangoes and sulfur. The best word I can use to describe the fruit is raunchy. The fruit usually falls in the realm of "I love this stuff!" or "I absolutely will never consider eating that again - ever!" But for me I'm not so sure where it fell, but it was definitely closer to the ladder response. Once you crack the unusual shell, the smell becomes even stronger, I just stepped out of the shower, only to notice that my room has a sulfery funk to it and I didnt even bring the stuff into my room. The fruit itself, which resembles scrambled eggs, has a mildly sweet taste at first then abruptly leaves you with a gasoline-ish after taste. I wouldn't go as far as to say steer clear all together, because supposedly some people find it to be truly amazing and you never know how your taste buds will respond, and if it still tastes like crap at least you have a funny story.

Cedar Creek Falls

So to catch up where I left off like two weeks ago... The second day of the Whitsunday trip we went to cedar creek falls, a waterfall about 30 minutes from Airle beach. The cab ride was.. interesting (thanks Sonya), and we were all a little worried when all of us lost cell phone reception and we had to trust that the cab driver would send another driver to pick us up in the evening. The first sight of the waterfall made me feel like I had found some sort of paradise. The fall is about 60 or 70 feet tall , flowing into a very calm pond. The pond is surrounded by tropical vegetation and splits into two streams. After a relaxing swim in the pond and waterfall the crews short attention span was shining and people were starting to wonder why we had planned to stay so long. Luckily we found a trail. As we walked up we had to idea where we were heading, but when we got there we were quite satisfied. The trail led us to the top of the waterfall with a spectacular view of the surroundings. Because of all the vegetation it seemed like we were in some sort of dome made of trees. There was a young local up there too, and he led Jordan and I up further. We climbed past the second and third terrace of waterfalls to another pond. It stays stagnant in the dry season and the water is crystal clear. At the far end of that pond was another waterfall terrace with a thick vegetation backdrop. This truly is one of the most calming places I have ever been. The rest of the day was spent at the top of the waterfall just relaxing and reflecting. We even got to see someone jump from the falls (something that we were warned by locals to be very dangerous at this particular spot). It was an amazing day, but the best was yet to come.

Airle Beach

After a short week of work Thursday rolled around. A week of mid-semester break had gone by and it was finally time for our vacation to the Whitsunday Islands on the northern east coast. This place is a small backpacker town on the mainland, a stones throw away from the islands which are basically paradise. The arrival at the Beach Court Villas (Thanks Lauren) was celebrated with a quick bottle of champagne. The small, main road is full of great bars, clubs, hostels, restaurants, and beach shopping. During the first full day the eight of us (Me, Jordan, Lauren, Jen, Aids, Allie, Sonya, and MJ) took the 40 minute beach walk from our villa to Airle beach. The beach was shallow and semi clear for a good distance out, and the first time we saw it we were pretty excited. There is also a cool lagoon area just before the beach, these things seem to be pretty popular in Australia. My meal of the trip would soon become calamari and I would end up sampling three different restaurants worth. All in all the small beach town feel combined with the casual nightlife was perfect for a spring break adventure. After the first day in Airle we were very satisfied with the trip, but we had no idea how much more satisfying it would become.

The Day of Conception

At Macquarie Uni we welcome the start of the mid-semester break with a hazy tribute to the foundation of our school. Conception day began with a 7 am wake up call, followed by an early morning rallying of fellow village residents. The green right out my backdoor was the location of the village pre game (the best pre game before the concert) and was accompanied by a bright, blue day. By 8:30 breakfast was set up, and by 9 the dj in a pop up Red Bull truck had arrived. The rest is history. Mobs in the green, people shuffling in and out of apartments and just general shenanigans (including MJ stuck in a tree, girls pretending to be animals, and many falling victim to "the horn"). Somehow made it downtown that night to continue well into the early hours of the morning, and still made it to work at 9am! never again. Oh and yes I have job at Pannetta Fruits, a local produce market in the Macquarie Centre. Its a pretty chilled out job at the cash register, and I get to learn about all kinds of fruits and vegetables go ag business!

Olympians and Barbarians

September 11th was the date set for the final international rugby match of the season. The huge rivalry of the Australia Wallabies and New Zealand All Blacks would once again be ignited for a massive finale of the rugby season. Of course we had to go. The event was held at the ANZ Stadium, a site of the 2000 summer Olympics in Sydney. The stadium itself is brilliant, with a futuristic design and lined with fountains and trees. Although we copped nosebleed seats at the last minute the game was still had an intense vibration as thousands of fans bellowed for their beloved team. Despite our late arrival, I managed to catch the famous Haka performed by the All Blacks before every match. The rugby hooligans were in full force and we of course did not hesitate to join in the clamor of rivalry. Jordan and surrounding All Black fans were taunting as they took the lead in the final two minutes of the match. The match was easily one of the most fun sporting events I have ever been to, with the adrenaline of American football mixed with the fast paced excitement of basketball or soccer.