Cairns & The Great Barrier Reef

Part 1 of my two-week Australian adventure took place in Cairns (on the northeast coast of Australia). I traveled with my friend, Cait. We lucked out because the weather was beautiful! It was hot and sunny, perfect weather to be on a boat... which is exactly what we did. Cait and I spent two days living on the Kangaroo Explorer--a boat that resides on the Great Barrier Reef. We went snorkelling and scuba diving on the reef, which was absolutely spectacular. Every part was intricately decorated with different types of corals, shells and colors. When we were in the water, we literally swam within schools of brightly-colored fish. The most exciting sea creature that I swam with was a sea turtle! I was scuba diving at the time, and we came across the turtle. We approached it and scratched its shell. That must have felt like a massage for the little fellow, because he stayed by us and wiggled back and forth while we were scratching him. Scuba diving was a scary, but exhilarating experience. It is a very uncanny feeling to stay under water for a long period of time without surfacing for natural air. Descending into the water was my least favorite part of scuba-ing because I did not like the pressure in my ears. The pressure was very strong, so you needed to continually equalize (or pop) your ears during the slow descent. Once I was at the bottom though, it was great! We came across giant clams, equivalent to the size of large coffee tables. Like many parts of the reef, the clams would snap shut if you got too close or touched it! It is truly remarkable how the Reef is alive!

To give you an idea of how wonderful my experience at the Great Barrier Reef was, click HERE!

My Arrival Home

I would like to inform everyone of my safe arrival home on July 2 @ 6:00am. It took me 3 plane rides, 22 hours of flying time, and 14 hours of layover. I have taken these last couple of days battling the jetlag... and I am almost back to normal. It feels good to be home, and I can't wait to see everyone!

For a couple weeks in the last month of my trip, I traveled around Australia. I saw Cairns, the Great Barrier Reef, Cape Tribulation, Alice Springs, the Outback, Adelaide, Kangaroo Island, and Byron Bay. I had an absolutely amazing time, and, to bring my memories to life, I have been making short movies that document my adventures. These movies will supplement my blog excerpts, so stay tuned for details of my travels!

Canberra

I had a lot of work to do last week and for next week. I've been very busy and stressed. So, my two friends, Howe & Matt, and I decided that we would make an impromptu trip to Australia's capital city, Canberra to clear our heads and rejuvenate for another week of work. We only live about 3 hours from the capital city, and we felt that we should see it before leaving.

Canberra was quiet and very clean. It was designed by an American architect. We took a tour of Parliament and saw the House of Representatives in a session. We walked around the entire city! Our feet and legs were numb from fatigue by the end of the day. The weather was brisk and refreshing; it felt like a beautiful October day.

I thoroughly enjoyed my day in Canberra. It was just what I needed to refocus on my schoolwork.

Check out the pictures, click here.

Cadbury Commercial

Lately, I have been very busy with schoolwork: final projects and papers. For my Advertising class, our project is to research a company, find a marketing problem, and figure out a way to solve that problem with advertising. My team chose Cadbury chocolate (it is the leading confectionery brand in Australia). We are promoting Cadbury's Dark chocolate. I was in charge are making our TV spot. I thought you all might be interested in seeing it.

Disclaimer: The advertisement would ideally have Australian actors & a picture of the chocolate at the end when "Cadbury Dark" appears... however, with limited resources and technology, I was not able to accomplish that.

Enjoy the ad! Click here.

My Television Debut

This morning I made my debut as a model on national Australian television! No, I’m not kidding! How you ask? I have a friend who interns for Channel 7. “The Morning Show” on Channel 7 was airing a segment on the perfect pose for different body types, but they didn’t have any models available to do it. So, my friend asked me and my roommate, Cait, to do it. After a lot of persuasion (and a little begging), we finally agreed to help her out.

The studio was much smaller than I had imagined it to be. They had three sets: one with a desk & green screen, one with couches, and another to stand by the windows. Cait and I sat in the green room, watching The Morning Show, until our makeup artists came to get us. We drank mochas while getting our hair and makeup done. I felt so glamorous! After we were done in hair and makeup, we went upstairs to meet the “pose specialist.” Her name was Mink, and she was BEAUTIFUL! She was extremely tall and skinny, and super nice! She manages a local modeling agency in Sydney. For the segment, we needed to pick something about our bodies that we want to hide in pictures. Cait chose her chin, and I chose my thighs. Mink taught us how to pose to get the most flattering angle.

In between commercials, we were rushed on set to take “before” pictures of us. I felt so uncomfortable. There were about 5 cameras on me and I had to hold my smile for way too long. Then we were brought upstairs to do a “teaser,” this was a segment that they would show in their “what’s coming up next” segment before the commercial break. Cait and I were told to strike really ridiculous poses, and then Mink would fix our poses to look normal and elegant. It was so cheesy!

Finally we were brought to set for the segment. They said that I was going on first. I started to panic because I wasn’t given any direction and I didn’t know what to do. They quickly briefed me, that I’d walk down a red carpet runway and strike a pose at the end of it while Mink and the hosts chatted about the pose. They told me which camera to look at and to always smile! Next thing I knew they were counting down from five, and we were live! At that moment, I started to walk the red carpet when the producer quickly grabbed me! I had to wait for my cue to go on (something important that they forgot to tell me)!

Half way through the segment, I was cued on camera. I walked down the run way and struck my pose. My heart was pounding. I smiled at the camera, but I had to smile for too long and I felt like I was starting to look ridiculous. Then Cait came on camera and I was to stand next to Mink. They talked about Cait and ended the segment. It was very quick, about 3 minutes total, I think. All in all, I had a great morning and a lot of fun!

To watch the TV segment, click here.

Tasmania

As you all may know, Tina & Emily came to visit me in Australia! I had a great time with them! They spent a couple of days in Sydney and we traveled to Tasmania together. I have been SUPER busy with final projects and papers with my classes at Sydney Uni, so I have not had the time to write a detailed blog entry about our trip. Really quickly though, my favorite aspect of Tasmania was the wildlife! We saw real Tasmanian Devils and other interesting creatures, both in nature and at a Wildlife Center. The national parks that we visited (Frecinet National Park & Cradle Mountain National Park) were breathtaking. The hikes were challenging and long, but we completed them all. The weather was mostly cold and rainy, but I still enoyed the hiking, the views, and the trip overall. We ate delicious, fresh seafood (especially salmon). I also absolutely loved going to the Cadbury Chocolate Factory. We got a bunch of free chocolate and also bought a bag full of chocolate each! Everyone there was so friendly and happy. We walked out of the factory in such a good mood.



Thank you both for coming to visit me. I know that it wasn't a long stay, but it made me very happy. I can't wait to come home and see everyone again!



I posted pictures and put captions on them to give you some reference about our adventures in Tasmania. Tina and Emily should be able to recount their experiences on the trip as well! I'm really sorry for not being able to provide more details... perhaps when things settle down I can conjure up an entry.



To see pictures, click here.

My Trip to NEW ZEALAND!

New Zealand
I have been in a constant debate with myself about whether or not to write this blog entry. Ultimately, I really want you tell everyone about my New Zealand trip in person. Therefore, I have come to a compromise: I will provide mostly general information about my trip, but save really good details for when I come home. I hope that works for everyone!

DAY 1: (April 9, 2009)

We took a night flight to Auckland via Air New Zealand. The airline service was extremely accommodating and friendly, I HIGHLY recommend Air New Zealand to anyone traveling in the area! We arrived at the Crowne Plaza very late at night and didn’t get to bed until 2:15am.

DAY 2: (April 10, 2009)
I woke up early with Cait, Frank and Matt. We took a taxi to the car rental place (Thrifty—highly recommend). Frank and I were the drivers in the north island. Matt and Cait were our navigators for the time being. I was nervous to drive on the left side of the road, but I embraced challenge. Before I knew it, I was used to turning on the opposite side of the road, looking to the left for the rear view mirror, turning over my left shoulder to reverse and turning on the turn-signals with my right hand. I drove back to the hotel and picked up the rest of the crew. We were on our way to The Waitomo Glow Worm Caves!

Waitomo Caves:
It was a 4 hour drive to the caves. There was heavy traffic because it was Easter weekend (Good Friday to be exact). It looked like we were driving in the shire…we kept our eyes open for Frodo Baggins.
You won’t believe what I did in the caves! I still can’t believe it! More details will be disclosed in person, but here is a general list of what I accomplished:

• Abseil into a hole in the ground that turned into a huge cave (it was pitch black, we had lights on the top of our helmets).
• Zip-lined in sheer darkness down the cave.
• Jump into black, freezing water on an inner tube.
• Black water rafting!
• See THOUSANDS of real glow worms! (They looked like stars in the night sky).
• Swim through the black cave water (There were eels in the water!)
• Crawl through spaces that I didn’t think I could fit through…even ones with rushing water forcing me the other way.
• Climbed two waterfalls in the cave (so intense! We were not strapped into anything, we had to pull our bodies up with our own strength and avoid the forceful water).

I can’t wait to share the full story. The Waitomo Caves were my favorite thing to do in New Zealand. I did things that I never knew that I could do. Furthermore, I have a fear of small spaces (mainly ones that I have to crawl through)…but I did it, and I survived. I felt empowered after doing something so challenging for myself.

DAY 3: (April 11, 2009)
Our day in Auckland did not go exactly how we planned. Cait, Jackie and I drove to the Otara Markets (Frommors described this to be a huge market, famous for its cloth and bone carvings). The market was a weekend market for locals. It was small and piddly. We felt out of place and not very safe. We left after about fifteen minutes.

We walked around Auckland for a little while. In my opinion, the city was unimpressive and anti-climactic. We then walked along Ponsonby Road, where Jackie got her hair cut while Cait and I went to the Museum. At the museum, we saw Sue, the world’s largest and most complete T-Rex! It was phenomenal! We also saw Maori (New Zealand’s indigenous people) art and artifacts.

We ended the night with one of the most delicious meals at Mecca on the Viaduct (down by the harbor).

DAY 4: (April 12, 2009)
Today we drove 4 hours to Rotorua. The scenery on the way to Rotorua is enchanting! The rolling, green hills are so inviting that all I wanted to do was stop the car and run down them! As soon as we entered the town of Rotorua, the pungent scent of sulfur surrounded us. Rotorua is home of sulfuric springs. After a couple of minutes, you got used to the rotten egg smell. Jackie, Steph and I spent the day at the Polynesian Spa. We sat in hot sulfuric springs and got massages. It was very relaxing.

DAY 5: (April 13, 2009)
We drove 30 minutes to Waimangu Volcanic Valley Thermal Attraction. On the way to the volcanic valley, we saw the most magnificent rolling hills. I couldn’t resist them. I pulled over the car, hopped a fence and ran through the hills with Cait, Jackie, Steph and ALL OF THE SHEEP! The air was so fresh and the grass: springy and green.

The thermal attraction was unlike anything I have ever seen. There was sulfuric steam rising from the lake and rocks. The water was so hot that you could hear the hissing and gurgling of the bubbles. We trekked for two hours, mostly uphill, around the valley. We finished at a bird watching site, where I saw black swans gracefully glide through the water.

We returned back to Rotorua, shopped around the town, ate dinner (Tunisian food = delicious!) and hung out in the lounge of the hostel. It was a very nice facility.

DAY 6: (April 14, 2009)
It was the day to leave beloved Rotorua and head to New Zealand’s capitol city, Wellington… but not before we experienced an activity that is ONLY done in Rotorua: ZORBING! In order to Zorb, you ride up a steep hill with a zigzag path carved into it, get into a huge rubber ball that is filled about a quarter of the way with water, and roll down the hill! You slosh around the ball as you go down! It is exhilarating and hilarious! I had a ton of fun Zorbing! So glad that I did it!

After Zorbing, we continued on our 6 hour drive to Wellington. Once again, the scenery during the drive was out of this world! If I had a dollar for every time someone in the car said “wow” I’d be rich…well, maybe I’d have about 50 bucks. At one point in the drive we saw the most peculiar attraction: a Segway riding farm! It was a big open field with people riding SEGWAYS! We thought it was so funny, that we just had to do it! I pulled over and rode a Segway for ten minutes.

Also along the way we saw our first snow-capped mountain! We had to stop and take pictures of it! We also stopped to make peanut butter sandwiches on the curb of a small town. We arrived in Wellington around 5pm and ate at the Flying Burrito Brothers for dinner (highly recommend!).

DAY 7: (April 15, 2009)
I spent the first half of the day at the Te Papa Museum, where there was an Impressionist exhibit featuring Monet. The pieces were exquisite!

Then Cait and I explored the great city! We went to the top of Mount Victoria for a 360 degree view of Wellington, which was surrounded by prominent mountains. We saw Town hall, the Library, Parliament, and the Royal Botanic Gardens. My favorite part of the gardens was the Herb garden, where you could touch the herbs then smell your fingers! It was a lot of fun. We also walked in and out of really cute shops.

That evening we caught the last flight out to Christchurch. It was a bit turbulent, but not too bad. We walked around the city for a little and ate dinner at a café.

DAY 8: (April 16, 2009)
We got up early and braced ourselves for a full day of driving to Fox Glacier. Fortunately, the longevity of the drive is pardoned due to the beauty of the landscape…UNFORTUNATELY, it was raining and foggy for most of the drive, so we didn’t get to see too much. What we did see of the mountains was breathtaking, however. There were waterfalls all around us… some even went over the road in a metal tube! After about seven hours of driving, we reached an area where the road was flooded. The road attendant told us that there was no way we could drive on this road and that we would need to turn around and go back to wherever we came from. Our accommodation for the night was in Fox Glacier. We had nowhere to stay and limited cell phone service. Apparently the road had been closed sinced the afternoon, and because of that, all of the hotels in the surrounding towns were at capacity. After about an hour of desperately calling random hotels, we found a cabin lodge in Hokitika (a small town about 40 minutes away) that could accommodate us. We drove there and slept for the night.

DAY 9 (April 17, 2009)
We woke up and called the police station to see if the road was open, it was not. Because New Zealand only has about two main roads, our only other option to Fox Glacier was a 14 hour drive. We decided that we were not supposed to go to the glaciers. Instead, we walked around Hokitika (the town is know for its Jade art, so we shopped for jade), then headed for our next destination: QUEENSTOWN.

DAY 10 : (April 18, 2009)
Queenstown was awesome. It was like a big sky town, except for extreme activities. There were stores dedicated to ONE activity. For example, you could walk down the street and see a store just for Bungie Jumping or another one just for White Water Rafting.

For my first day in Queenstown, I shopped around the morning market. Then I ventured to the Kiwi Birdlife Park (naturally, no one else in the program wanted to come with me, but I had an amazing time by my lonesome). I saw some spectacular birds, especially the Kiwi bird (which is nearing extinction—there are only 300 birds left in New Zealand). The Kiwi bird has no wings, and is the only bird with nostrils on the end of its beak.

After the birdlife park, I met up with Jackie and Steph to go Hang Gliding! Hang Gliding is my second favorite activity that I did in New Zealand! It basically simulated flying like a bird! I thought it was amazing! (More details about this experience to be shared in person).

DAY 11: (April 19, 2009)
Cait, Jackie, Lauren, Jesse and I got up early to go horseback riding through the Lord of the Rings landscape. We rode through the spots where they actually filmed the Lord of the Rings (as well as Narnia and Xmen). The view was unbelievable. I cannot begin to describe the beauty of the place! Our tour guide would stop and tell us which scenes were done at which destinations. It was very interesting. My horse’s name was Dooby. He used to be an award-winning jumping horse. Now he’s angry and bitter to be reduced to giving walking tours. Dooby had a big attitude and didn’t like when I’d tell him to walk or stop eating. Ultimately, we bonded and had a good time though.

After horseback riding, we ate lunch in Queenstown, then Frank, Jesse, Lauren, Tyler, Matt and I headed to Lake Wannaka to … … … SKYDIVE! Yes, I jumped out of a plane. Details about this experience will also be shared in person. Let’s just say that after skydiving, I bought a t-shirt that summed up my feelings exactly à Adrenaline is legal. J I thought that was clever.

Then we drove an hour or so to Milford Sound.

DAY 12: (April 20, 2009)
Milford Sound is an extremely small town with LITERALLY only one thing to do in it…. Boat Cruise. So that is exactly what we did. We took a boat cruise around Milford Sound where a glacier carved out the mountains. There were seals on the rocks! And the view was gorgeous, which made up for the cold weather! The boat stopped under a waterfall too. It was cool, but too cold to go out there and get wet.

After the cruise, we drove back to Queenstown to have a last celebratory dinner.

DAY 13: (April 21, 2009)
We had the morning to ourselves. I walked around the little shops in Queenstown, until we needed to head to the airport for our flight back to Sydney. I was sad that our amazing time in New Zealand had come to an end, but excited because I knew that Tina and Emily would be in Sydney the next day!

CHECK OUT THE PICTURES!

Aunt Rose and Uncle Alfredo’s Visit to Australia

Hello everyone. Sorry that it has been a long time since I have updated my blog, but I have been quite busy with Aunt Rose and Uncle Alfredo. They experienced a relatively nice flight into Sydney, with little turbulence. On the afternoon of their arrival (Sunday, March 15), we ate a late lunch at The Flying Fish—a restaurant that overlooks the water by Darling Harbour. It was delicious. We proceeded to walk through Darling Harbour and explore the city. We saw the Queen Victoria Building, Town Hall, and of course, Circular Quay. We walked to Sydney’s iconic Opera House and checked out what shows were playing.

On Tuesday we got our day’s exercise by doing the cliffwalk from Coogee Beach to Bondi Beach. A wonderful day for the cliffwalk: the weather was gorgeous, the beaches were sparkling and the sun was shining. We ate dinner at Bondi Beach.

On Thursday, March 19, we met at a restaurant on Circular Quay. We had a lovely dinner before attending the opera! We saw The Magic Flute. It was a modern, German opera. The staging, setting and costumes were extremely elaborate! It was fascinating to watch! While I found the plot anticlimactic, I thoroughly enjoyed my first experience at the opera. My favorite part was the dragon; it was big and creatively executed. I definitely want to see more operas.

Friday marks the beginning of our weekend getaway to The Blue Mountains. We rented a car and Aunt Rose drove. On the way, we stopped at Featherdale Wildlife Park where wallabies walk around with us! We could bend down and pet/feed them! There were hundreds of birds of all different species, some of which were free to roam around the grounds with us, as well. We even got to pet a koala! This wildlife park was simple and intimate, allowing you to get close to the animals. I rubbed the heads of multiple Cockatoos and played with Rainbow Lorikeets, which I have newly added to my list of favorite birds! After over four hours of never-ending fun and amusement at Featherdale, we got back on the road headed for Moments Accommodation at Echo Point in The Blue Mountains.

Our accommodation was great! We had a house equipped with a sun room, television, fireplace, dining room, kitchen, two bedrooms, bathroom, deck, grill and backyard to ourselves! We went to the supermarket and cooked dinner (chicken cutlets, potatoes, green beans, and salad).
On Saturday we woke up early, and drove to the Jenolan Caves. The road to the caves wound around the mountains. The view was beautiful (as long as you didn’t look down over the edge of the cliff). I found the caves to be spectacular! We took two tours of them. I cannot begin to describe the phenomenon of the structures inside the caves. My favorite part of the tours was the “cave fantasies”—when parts of the cave remind us of other people, places or things. For example, one structure looked like a bride and another looked like a groom, or there was a mark on the wall that looked like Harry Potter’s scar, etc.

We drove back to town, where we made dinner (pork, steak, grilled eggplant and zucchini, and salad), then walked to The Three Sisters, a small range of three mountains side by side. They are lit up at night. That’s when I saw the most spectacular view of the Milky Way! We stared at the stars until our necks hurt! Then we went back to our cottage for dessert (apple cake with fresh, warm apples in cinnamon and sugar). We also played a card game, 99 (I lost almost every game).

Sunday morning we visited Scenic World, where we rode on the world’s steepest cableway, walked through the rainforest, rode a train that went up a mountain at a 52 degree angle (it was scary), and rode on the skyway. We saw vibrant red and green birds and intricately twisted vines in the rainforest. We visited the Three Sisters in the daylight. Then we went to Leuralla—a toy, train, and plane museum. We also walked in and out of a bunch of shops in a quaint town, Leura. On the way home we stopped to see the Wentworth Falls.

It was a wonderful weekend in The Blue Mountains!

On Tuesday, we took the ferry from Circular Quay to Manly Beach. We had a relaxing afternoon at Shelley beach—where there is no wind.

For Aunt Rose and Uncle Alfredo’s last day in Australia, we began by eating lunch in Sydney, and then we took a tour of the Royal Botanical Gardens. The Gardens are immense in size and beauty. We traveled to Bondi Junction (a large shopping mall), ate dinner and saw Duplicity in the cinema (I do not recommend seeing it). We ended the night in Darling Harbour.

I had a great time! Thank you so much, Aunt Rose and Uncle Alfredo, for your generosity and for visiting me. It was great to have a piece of home with me for a while.

CLICK HERE FOR PICTURES!

Coffs Harbour

This weekend I traveled with five friends from my program to Coffs Harbour where we volunteered to help coordinate the Ella 7s Tournament. The Ella 7s Tournament is a big rugby tournament for Aboriginal Australians (both men and women).

On the seven hour drive to our destination we were surrounded by nothing but grazing cows. Coffs Harbour was a small beach town, secluded from the hustle-and-bustle of city-life and tourism. The beach was across the street from our hotel--a nice treat for us since most beaches in Sydney are approximately a forty minute busride away. We laid on the beach Friday afternoon, then ate a nice seafood meal in town.

On Saturday we woke up very early and arrived at the rugby grounds at 7am. The tournament was hectic and extremely disorganized. For the first five hours we were running around helping very stressed people register the teams. 24 Aboriginal men's teams participated and 6 Aboriginal women's teams competed as well. This was my first rugby experience. The sport is fastpaced, aggressive, and exciting. I enjoyed watching the players and cheering for the players. The Sydney Skin Dogs won the tournament. The company running this event gave me two competing team jerseys: Redfern-Waterloo Storm and the Brisbane Rebels.

After the tournament (at 9pm) we were rewarded with a staff BBQ. The food was delicious.

Despite our extreme exhaustion from a very long day, the six of us decided to wake up early and watch the sun rise on the beach before heading back to Sydney. My words cannot do this celestial phenomenon justice. The clouds sat on the horizon like mountains in the distance. By 6:30am, the sun began to stretch its majestic rays and kiss the clouds, staining them fiery red and yellow hues. The certainty of the sun's daily journey from the horizon fills me with security knowing that no matter what events play out, the sun will always announce a new day, a fresh start. Above, I posted one of my favourite pictures from this sunrise. To view more pictures of the sunrise, click here (make sure to view the images at the end of the album, as they show the progression of the sun rising from the horizon).

NOTE: Pictures from the Rugby tournament and Coffs Harbour attractions will be added as soon as possible.

Cute Koala Pic

On a less depressing level, here is a cute picture of a Koala from when Melbourne was experiencing over 100 degree weather during the Australian Open. Click here.

Victoria Bushfires

From the moment that we stepped off of the airplane, we could smell the stale scent of smoke lingering in the air. During our stay in Melbourne, the sky had a filmy haze blanketing the horizon. We have not experienced the aftermath of the bushfires in New South Wales (where we reside), but while in Melbourne, the bushfires became real. The effects are tragic. Click here for a video of a koala bear after the bushfires.

My Melbourne Trip

Melbourne is an amazing city bursting with art and culture. The city utilizes every inch of space for self-expression and entertainment. Its alleyways (known as Laneways) are populated by little cafes and shops, and the walls are riddled with graffiti and art installments. One particular art installment that I found intriguing was a breathing brick wall. The artist created what looks like a brick wall, but slowly the wall pulsates outward into a bubble then equally as slowly deflates. When I first saw the wall, I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me, until other people confirmed that the wall was indeed pulsating. All artists (including graffiti artists) are required to obtain a license for these magnificent public displays.

The shops, cafes, and bars are equally as artistic and intriguing as the artwork. Shops and bars, especially, are very subtle. It is rare to find one with a big sign advertising the entrance. Many of the popular bars are hidden in the Laneways, amongst the graffiti and dumpsters; and most are extremely hard to find unless brought by someone who knows how to get there. My professor has always wanted to check out a popular bar called Murmur, but it is so difficult to find that in all of his years travelling to Melbourne, he found it just last year! Similarly, one night my friends and I were looking for New Golden Mountain Bar. We asked many Melbourians, but they did not know how to direct us. We walked up and down the street where the bar was supposed to be located three times, until finally a person on the street pointed behind us into a small laneway and said, “It’s right there.” While this experience was frustrating, I admire Melbourne for its subtleties because it makes Melbourne a city of surprises and hidden treasures waiting to be discovered.

Because we were in the city for Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday night, the nightlife was very slow and somewhat non-existent, meaning there were no lines or crowds. My friends and I used this to our benefit, however, and visited as many highlighted bars as possible. One bar, The Croft Institute, had a 1950s Mad Scientist theme. It was very creepy. There were lab tables with sinks and stools, beakers and test tubes will fluorescent liquids in them. Upstairs was haunting and slightly disturbing. There was a wheelchair stuck to the ceiling and the bathroom was a hospital room. Creeped out, we left that bar very quickly. Another really cool bar was Section 8. It is an outdoor venue that looks like a junkyard. Packing crates and barrels are used for tables and chairs.

While the bars were uniquely amusing, the highlight of my trip was The Great Ocean Road Tour. From 7:30am to 10:30pm, I climbed aboard a bus that drove down The Great Ocean Road, stopping at specific destinations. We saw beautiful coastlines with glistening waters whose crashing waves sang a relaxing hushing song that I could listen to all day. We walked down a street where the surrounding trees inhabited sleeping koala bears! We hiked through a transitional rainforest, home to the largest ferns I have ever seen! The splendor of the rainforest cannot be illustrated by my words. My favorite stop on the tour was at The Twelve Apostles—an array of natural limestone jutting out of the ocean on the shore of Port Campbell National Park. These breathtaking pillars embraced by the sparkling water remain as one of the most celestial sites I have ever seen. We stopped at other beautiful and enchanting sites, as well as two small towns for lunch and dinner breaks. It was a wonderful day!

One of my academic tours that I took was a photography tour. On this tour we met a famous Melbourian photographer, Matt Irwin. He spoke to us about his work, which was brilliant.

I loved Melbourne so much that four days was simply not enough for me to enjoy all of its splendors. I tried to change my flight to allow me to stay behind for a couple extra days; however, the airline could not change my flight.

Check out my Melbourne Trip photos, click here!

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The Dawn Chorus

We woke up at 3:30am and arrived at the beach at 4:20am. Tired, cranky, and cold, we waited impatiently on the damp sand, apprehensive about whether we made a great mistake by going to this Sydney Festival event. At 5:30am, the Philharmonia Choir processed onto the beach. At the moment they projected the first note of the first song, our sleepiness and discomfort faded, and we were entranced by their voices. By the third song, the clouds were on fire illuminating the dark sky. Red, yellow, purple and blue hues stained the morning sky. The beauty of the beach during the sunrise was perfectly complimented by the melodious voices of the choir. It was an event well worth waking up for!

The Taronga Zoo II

PEACOCK

AUSTRALIAN KING PARROT

MEERKAT

PELICAN

The Taronga Zoo

Hi Everyone,

I went to The Taronga Zoo about a week ago. I saw some really cool animals and got some fantastic pictures. Here are a couple:

SUPERB FRUIT-DOVE

ME & THE WALLABIES

SLEEPING KOALA

THIRSTY GIRAFFE

PEACOCK

Mailing Address:

Boston University Sydney
BOX 946
Broadway NSW 2007
AUSTRALIA

The Tell-Tale Heart

On Wednesday, my boss, Jill, had an extra ticket to go see a Sydney Festival performance of Edgar Allen Poe’s The Tell-Tale Heart, and she invited me to go with her. I was super excited mainly because The Tell-Tale Heart is my favorite Poe story and also because the reviews for it were really good! The play was eerily FANTASTIC!

Here is a recount of the experience:

Upon entering the theater, an irritatingly bright blood-red curtain glares back at you. Then very slowly, the lights dim to total blackness. For six minutes, the audience sits in the type of silent darkness that doesn’t allow light to penetrate its solemn blanket. You couldn’t see the hand in front of your face. Ironically, the six minutes passed quickly and a single, dim ray of light lands upon a figure. Your eyes strain to see what it is. The light brightens and grows bigger at a painfully slow pace. Finally, you make out that it is a man’s face.

The light hits him as such that he looks like a floating face somewhere above the stage. Joyous music blasts, which startles the audience, and juxtaposes the unmistakably disturbed face. Slowly his body materializes and we see that he is sitting on a daunting narrow staircase illuminated in an unsettling orange-red light that runs from the bottom of the stage to the ceiling.

In a chilling voice, the man brings to life Poe’s prose. He makes the audience uneasy as he climbs the steep stairs. At one point, he seems to channel Hannibal Lector, slithering his tongue around and making slurping noises. For 50 minutes the audience is tensely engulfed in his narrative, watching as he slowly drives himself insane with his nervosa. His body quakes; he violently stakes his head; he screams; he spits.

Unlike any rendition of The Tell-Tale Heart that I have heard in school, this one wove in two songs for the actor to sing and excluded the sound of a heart beating. At first I did not like how the play steered away from Poe’s original work as I know it, but after some thought, I realized that the songs were appropriate and developed a new dimension of the character. Additionally, leaving out the sound of the beating heart left room for the imagination to take over (which is sometimes more effective), but also created a less literal presentation of the work. All in all, I thought that the show was fantastically executed, and I feel privileged to have seen a new interpretation of The Tell-Tale Heart.

Get a glimpse of the show! Click here.

G'day Mates!

Hi all, Greetings from Sydney!

I've decided that I'd post some Australia updates and pictures on my blog for all to see at their viewing pleasure. Hope this is an easy way to see what I am up to!

Feel free to send me emails: cdelgado@bu.edu

Cat