An Abundance of Flora

I had hoped to venture out today, but with rain poring down, as if I were back home in Portland, I stayed inside for the majority of the day. With me recovering from a mini cold (which ended up with me loosing my voice over the weekend) I thought it was best to avoid getting drenched and relax.

view of the reserve off the back of Susan's in Gold Coast

One thing that has stood out along my travels here in Oz has been the flora.

Having spent quite a bit of time in the tropical north in Queensland, I was exposed to a vast variety of tropical plants that I could not take my eye off.  They made each view beautiful and offered amazing fragrances.

A White Flower

The tip of the leaves were a brilliant fire red in the sun

I couldn't help but want to squish the white bulbs

with freshly fallen rain drops still present

Fern or a Palm? Can't remember.

I love red plants!

These leaves felt like soft leather

My love of plants may be why I have enjoyed going to the Botanical Gardens in each city I have visited...my next search for plants will be in Byron Bay...

The Gold Rush

Arriving in the Gold Coast, I was reunited with my friend Susan, whom I had met 6 years ago, at good old Camp Shady Brook!

Susan, who is actually from Sweden, is studying Marketing at Bond University in the Gold Coast. Bond, one of the top private schools in Australia offers an accelerated degree program and a beautiful campus.

Bond University

Bond University campus at night

Mesha hanging out at Bond

Susan lived very close to campus, and her place offered a pool to cool off, ping pong, and was in proximity of a bottle shop, small shopping complex and the beach! (ok, well the beach was about 6km away, but thats close, right?)

Shelley another friend from camp, who lives in NZ flew out and hung out with us as well, which was an added bonus. Together the three of us reminisced about camp and spent time poolside, at the beach, shopping, and enjoying each other's company. It was great to see the girls again, and I look forward to visiting Shelley while I am in NZ.

Highlights with the girls included:

1. Our trips to the beach - the walk there may have tired us out, but to layout in the sun, splash in the waves and watch the locals boogie board, surf, and paddle surf was worth it.

Beginning of our "short" walk to the beach

Burleigh Waters Beach

We walked thru a national park to get to a secluded spot on the beach

Shelley & I resting at a lookout over the beach

L to R: Susan, Shelley, Mesha

2. Varsity Tavern - a local establishment that offered us the chance to play pool, dance, and have a good night out.

3. Shelley's and mine trip to the Cararra Markets - between getting lost and meeting Henk, the friendliest bus driver EVER, it was a fun adventure.

The Pool

4. The pool - lets just say everything is more fun at the pool when you have a underwater camera at your disposal.

Camera Fun

Trying to take underwater photos...I wasn't so good at it.

Apparently it has bene a while since I have uploaded my pictures to my computer. So here are a few more from my AMAZING time with Susan the Swedish one and Shelley the Kiwi.

At the Beach!

Okay - clearly not one of us, BUT it was SO GOOD!

We stopped at a fruit stand by the beach for smoothies and fresh juice blends!

Sussan isn't really this creepy (back right) nor am I this self centered - I hope

We ALL met in Colorado, USA 6 years ago! - So I forced them to take a picture here!

Basking in Brisbane

It has been weeks since I was actually in Brisbane I have to admit...I will do my best to recall what I did there for 6 days, but it may be hard. (Which to your delight may make this a short post.)

I arrived in Brisbane from Rainbow Beach via bus to the Roma Street Transit Center. After walking around I made my way to the ground floor and waited for Libi, a family friend of The Stucky's to find me. (Krystle Stucky McCallin's dad, Mark, grew up in PNG with Libi) We eventually met up and then headed back to her place.

Libi was a great host. She offered me great food, the opportunity to do a proper washing of my clothes, internet, and  a bedroom and bathroom all to myself. After spending quality time in hostels, I was happy to stay with her. It was like I was royalty.

Am I in Australia or Arizona???

We had tea in the West End, strolled through Southbank, and then visited the Royal Botanical Gardens (which had a lovely display of cacti, which reminded me of Jeff in AZ). After that we headed to Mt. Coot-tha, for amazing views of the city, we returned home.

Mesha with Brisbane in the background

The Great Dividing Range

Brisbane

At Mt. Coot-tha  I could truly see just how big Brisbane was. It is considered the 3rd largest city in the world, when measuring landmass. The city is quite spread out with the river winding through it. In the distance I could see the Great Dividing Range.

Wheel if Brisbane, at Southbank

City Skyline

State Library - free internet, air conditioning, and great coffee

The CityCat, river ferry - public transport up/down the river

The rest of time I spent in Brisbane I spent at a friend of Libi's who was also very welcoming and friendly. I took the train into the city and went to the art museums, library, and on the city cat ferry down the river, and to the city markets. And then packed my bags to head south to the Gold Coast.

Rainbow Beach

We arrived at Rainbow Beach at 9:30am after a long, over-night bus. However, with having slept a majority of the trip, (you know me, I was out in 5-minutes and slept for all but 30-minutes of the drive) I felt quite rested and eager to get to the beach. Check-in wasn’t until 11am, which meant I had some time to kill.

A mural on the wall at one of our food breaks on the Greyhound.

I sat along with many others in the lounge, and attempted to catch up on my journal. Two girls I had met on the bus came and sat down and we chatted a bit. They weren’t going on a trip to Fraser Island until Tuesday, and thus were available to hang out in the afternoon, while everyone else had to attend an informational meeting for their tour. So, after checking in we planned to meet up and finally head to the beach.

The beach, which was just a 2-minute walk, offered the comfort of stinger free waters and on duty lifesavers, so when we saw everyone else boogie boarding, we didn’t hesitate to join in. I had never boogie boarded, but after watching some of the locals, I entered the water and tried it out. An easy sport to pick up, I quickly felt in love with it, and couldn’t be separated from my board.

Mentally preparing to attempt my first go at Boogie Boarding

Returning from the beach, I relaxed a bit before we met up again to go on a hike to the Carlo Sand Blow lookout. Named by Captain Cook, its unique moonscape sand mass covers over 15 hectares and overlooks the towering colored sands. The 360-degree views are spectacular. All this buildup however to tell you, we didn’t make it to the vantage point.

Sunset from the trees

I think there were a number of reasons why we missed on the amazing views of the Carlo Sand Blow lookout including: 1. We didn’t leave early enough before sunset, 2. we didn’t exactly know where the trailhead was, and 3.  one of us got scared (which wasn’t actually me.) I had timed our “hike” into the woods, and with only 30 minutes left of sunlight, and us 30 minutes into deep woods, we decided to turn around. It was unfortunate, but we preferred to be safe, rather than sorry. With us without jumpers, a torch, proper hiking shoes (we foolishly were wearing flip flops), a cell phone, or any knowledge of our whereabouts, we headed back to the hostel. Perhaps next time I will be better prepared… However, along our hike we did see the sunset through the trees and it was amazing how the sun lit up the woods.

Reflection of the setting sun on the trees

Colorful and Amazing...as the sunsets are here in Oz!

With it being Halloween I expected something to be happening at the hostel, however nothing special was on schedule, except the showing of Halloween. What a different way to celebrate Halloween. I loved spending it in the sun at the beach, but yet kind of missed the twix and butterfingers, sadly. 

I'm on a (sail)boat!

Tuesday:

Today I went to the lagoon and read a little before realizing I had forgot to put sunscreen on, an essential part of one’s daily routine in Oz, so I left to get it since it was hot and I felt as if I was being slowly roasted.

On my way back to the lagoon two people asked if I would join them and play volleyball with them. I had wanted to play beach volleyball in Cairns and had missed out, so this was perfect. As we played it turned out that I fit right in and helped to score heaps of points. As people walked by they started to join us, and soon enough we had a 5 on 5 game, girls vs. boys. The people to start the game were from YWAM, Youth With A Mission, an organization that I was familiar with back home.  (We take our summer campers to an YWAM ropes course location in Salem.) After the game (which unfortunately the boys lost) they invited me and another girl to come over later to their house to hang out. They said they lived just outside the city and that they would even pick us up/drop us back home after. With the chance to hang out with other like-minded folks I decided I would go and said I would see them later, as I headed to the lagoon for a swim.

I met Lara, a nice German girl from the volleyball game, near the taxi station where we were to be picked up. Within minutes our ride had arrived and took us back to their house, which was beautiful even in the night. Looking back down the road from the porch, it looked as if we were in the middle of a thick tropical jungle.  We hung out talking and then ended the night by playing a Mafia, oddly enough, a card game I play with our summer campers.

Then home to pack for my sailing trip!

Wednesday:

Even though my boat didn’t leave until 1pm today, I got up bright and early. I wanted to make sure my bag was all packed and that I had a chance to eat brekki before checking out of the hostel. After eating I headed up the street for coffee with a girl and then I went to PeterPan’s to Skype with a friend. After talking for a bit, e said our goodbyes, and then I headed to the boat!

The walk meandered along the waterfront, passed the lagoon. It was hot, walking in the mid-day heat, and not too long into the walk I wondered, just how far away the marina was. I arrived at the marina and checked in with my crew.  Upon checking in we were assigned a Stinger Suit number, and given our suit to carry on board. Because it was stinger season, we were required to wear the suits while in the water.  (which would protect us from the deadly “bluies” otherwise known as the Box Jellyfish.)

Our boat, the "broomstick" powered by our skipper, Pete & his crew, Linda & John

I was a little intimidated by the group boarding the boat, Everyone seemed to have company with them. I knew however in time I would meet them all and that the trip was going to be amazing…little did I know just how AMAZING it would be.

The first day we pushed out of the marina and then put up the sails and sailed into the great blue. With the breeze in our faces and the smell of the ocean, we were all in a heavenly bliss.

Quite the close up, but you didn't actually expect me to pose in my stinger suit, did you?

Not too long into the trip were we before stopping to go snorkeling at our first site. Apprehensive, even after going in Cairns, I slowly put on my stinger suit 9nicknamed our “sexy suits”, flippers and snorkel. Pete our skipper took us in the Dingy, from the boat closer to the shore to snorkel.  Jumping in the water it was quite brisk at first, but as I moved around it warmed up.

Below us lurked the southern area of the Great Barrier Reef, which was rich with colorful coral, fish, and heaps of other sea life. We snorkeled around for a good hour before rejoining the boat to dry off and warm up with some tea.

Sunset from the boat

Happy Sailor

My minds chasing pirates...or they are chasing us perhaps.

As our stomachs started to cry for food, the crew brought out some nibbles for us to snack on while we watched the sunset. After dinner (which was a lovely dinner of mashed potatoes, salad, bread, and chicken) we sat around on the boat talking and getting to know each other better. Al of a sudden life appeared at the back of the boat, dolphins. Most people have seen dolphins in the wild, and maybe swam with them, but this was the first time I had seen them, and thus, it was quite special.

Thursday:

The second day, I awoke early to sit up on the main level of the boat in solitude for some peace and quiet before the day began. It was a great feeling to be sitting on a boat, surrounded by the ocean, as the sun rose. There wasn’t much that could make me upset today, as today was my 27^th birthday! The day was surely to be a blast with snorkeling, a trip to Whitehaven Beach and Tongue Bay all planned.

After brekki we pulled the sails up, and sailed off to our first destination. I was part of the team of people that volunteered to help out the sails up this time, not knowing what I was getting into. Being deemed #1, on my sail, I started pulling the sail up first. People who had previously done it had struggled and made it look hard, and that was the same in my case.  I huffed and puffed and was practically hanging with my entire body weight on the line before we got the sail up in its entirety.

Whitehaven Beach...one of the Top 10 beaches in the WORLD

Then we traveled to Whitehaven Beach and to do a short hike to a lookout of the beach. Along our way, we spotted more sea turtles in the water that were coming up to the surface for air from time to time. However, they were so quick it was impossible to get a picture.

Now if you haven’t heard, Whitehaven Beach is a pretty big deal. It is a world heritage listed site, and has been named over and over again as one of the Top 10 Beaches in the World.

It is described as “7 Kilometers of cleanest white sand beach in one of the most isolated coast in the world” where sunglasses are a necessity…because the sand is truly white.”

We were taken aboard to the beach, and then hiked to the other side of the island.

And that is the truth. The sand is so fine, it has a tendency to get EVERYWHERE, so tourist are advised to zip away their cameras when they are not in use. The white color of the sand makes it nice and cool, while to water is warm enough to swim around and relax in. Pete told us that the sand was naturally exfoliating and that if the silica sand polished jewelry, making rings shine like never before, and that was the truth as well. Whitehaven Beach was hard to leave. It was that nice! We attempted to brush ALL sand off us before leaving the island, as it was illegal to bring any sand back with you from Whitehaven Beach with the saying, take only pictures, and leave only footprints…

Whitehaven Beach

Heaven on Earth?

The view from the lookout

Wading in the crystal clear water...stringer suit free

Leaving the island we ate lunch and then just like that were back in the water for another chance to snorkel. The clouds had covered the sun and I was tempted not to get in the water, but then I realized how many people would be dying to go and jumped in along with everyone else. I was in fact one of the last people to get out of the water this time, as I zoomed around cashing fish and snorkeling around, happy as ever.

Contemplative as we sailed the great ocean waters...

Another fantastic sunset from the boat...

Passonfruit Drink. On a Boat. At Sunset. Happy 27th!

Back on the boat we dried off and had tea, and then came a favorite, nachos for the sunset! It was a perfect ending to a great birthday…with a cake, the crew and fellow travels sang to me and then we had an Aussie BBQ for dinner with steak, veggies, salad, and rolls.

We sat around talking (and some drinking), and huddled together as the winds picked up. Everyone seemed to be getting along great and I was once again reassured that this had been a great idea, and well worth the splurge. Before bed, Pete showed me a few constellations that had appeared out of the clouds, including Scorpio, and Orion, the only constellation visible in both the northern and the southern hemisphere. I was truly a lucky girl today. Then it was bedtime.

Maori Wrasse Fish...on deception here, it is HUGE

We saw lots of these fish and a million others...

Friday:

We all rose up early this morning, despite the late night. Pete wanted to get a head start on the day spot that we would have plenty of time to snorkel at our last spot. So after brekki, some of us, still half asleep, pried on our stinger suits for the last time.  Pete told us that there was a 100% chance of us seeing a large Maori Wrasse Fish in the water that while harmless, was in fact VERY LARGE.  And again as the story goes, this was the truth. He was in the water alright, and he was HUGE alright. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw it. It was bigger than me in girth and pretty long as well. Once everyone was in the water, Pete stirred up the fish, by ding a feeding, which meant the fish circled the dingy. Within second ALL you could see where fish after fish around you in EVERY direction you looked. It was so neat. As I swam around, I found it impressed that even with fish everywhere that I never seemed to touch one. The coral was alive and brilliantly colored as before and the countless array of fishes passed by, one school at a time. This the BEST snorkeling I had ever done!

We returned to the boat, most of us against our wishes and then prepared to sail back to land. Dry and out of our swimmers for the first time in days, we all laid out on the boat soaking up the sun, and catching a little nap on our way home.  Back in the marina, we were sad to go, but said our goodbyes after thanking our skipper, and his crew (Linda, from Sweden, and John, from the UK.)

Luckily, the Aussie way to do things is to party with your crew after a multi-day tour, and thus we would all be meeting up later that evening for a fun evening.

At Beaches, we talked, and hung out, dancing, playing a game, against other groups just off a boat too.

Out at Beaches for the Broomstick After Party

Saturday:

Saturday I had all day to hang out and relax before loading an overnight bus to Rainbow Beach with Annette, from the Whitsundays Tour. We met up mid-day at the lagoon with a few others, including Cornélie Goedhart, from the trip! And then by nightfall, were on our way down the coast.