2 Crazy Sheilas

                Last night Claire and stayed at our hostel’s bar and entered a pool tournament.  The reason we risked looking like fools was solely to win the $25 bar tab.  No, we didn’t win.  But free bar tab or not we stayed and took turns taste testing the $5 cocktails J 

                These late nights and early mornings are beginning to catch up with us.  Our tour to Port Douglas and Cape Tribulation this morning came early and we slept the majority of the time on our bus even with our tour guide talking constantly.  We saw some crocodiles, snakes, and frogs on the Daintree River Cruise and checked out some beaches that we couldn’t swim in due to the cold and jellyfish.  We went for walks near a stream with crystal clear water but all in all today was a bit cloudy and dull.  Our final stop was in Port Douglas where we were only allowed 40 minutes to shop (way too short for Claire and I).

 We’re back at the hostel and getting our things together .  One of our Dutch friends from our Red Center tour has told us he’s in town and already Claire is looking at Pub Crawl brochures.  Looks like sleep won’t be happening tonight either but hey, you only live once right?

Miranda

So today was another day of getting up very early, which proved to be a little difficult as Miranda went to the hostel bar last night and took advantage of their $5 cocktails! No no no it wasn’t that bad, but I tell you the loss of sleep is really catching up to me!

Anyway we woke to another cloudy day and hopped on our day-tour bus and headed north to the Daintree River where we sampled some special daintree tea before going on a crocodile boat tour. It was anice ride on the Daintree river up and down it, but the crocodiles we not as exciting as the last we had seen in Darwin. After our croc cruise we headed to a boardwalk trail names the Marrdja boardwalk (maardja meaning rainforest in an aboriginal language) in the Daintree National Forest, it took us through thick canopies of many different types of trees, palms and ferns. After we headed to Cape Tribulation for lunch and a quick stroll on the beach. We were pushing for time so Miranda and I dissapointedly snaps a few quick pictures of the beautiful Cape Trib beach and collected some sand and headed back to the bus. Our next stop took us to the Mossman Gorge where we viewed a rocky river that weaved in and out of the rainforest. The last stop of the day was at a small wealthy town named Port Douglas with numerous shops lining the street. We were only given a half hour in the city so Miranda and I grabbed a quick ice cream cone and oggled at the many shops we wished we had time to stop at. We both decided that we could spend the whole day window shopping in the quaint little town. After our stop in Port Douglas we were taken back to Cairns.

Tonight, being our last night in Cairns and also being that our friend from the Red Center tour is in town, we are planning to go out and have a few drinks and head to bed to wake early and head south, where I still don’t know. I maybe should look?

Anyway, I hope you are all still reading this as I am trying to get things updated immediately!

~Claire 

Today was AMAZING!  Claire and I did the Great Barrier Reef!  We boarded our large boat this morning a little sad that the sky was rainy and cloudy but even that didn’t dampen our excitement.  We were going to The Reef!!!!  We drove out and got into our gear.  One by one people dropped off the edge of the boat looking like another species with their fins, suits, and masks.  As I slid off the edge of the boat and hit the water my stomach flipped.  I felt like a fish out of water (I know, I know, corny joke J).

            It took only a moment to adjust my breathing before my face was looking down in amazement at the fish that had come up to check out our boat.  We swam further along until the sand at the bottom began to escalate into a giant reef.  All along were different fish forming their own communities in the reef and occasionally swimming past.  One was so close it pooped on Claire and sped off.  Luckily I was under water so no one heard me laugh. The water was so clear and blue we could see the bottom with no problems.  Definitely a change from the mighty Mississippi.  It was still cloudy out so everything seemed a bit dull.  We went aboard and our ship went to a new location. 

The clouds parted and the sun said hello as once again we dove into the water.  This time, things were even more amazing, not to mention colorful.  The fish were the brightest blues, greens, oranges, and yellows.  We saw butterfly fish, surgeons, parrotfish, and even Nemo hanging out in an anemone.  At one point I even saw a white tip reef shark.  Naturally I panicked and stuck my head out of water thinking Jaws must be behind me.  When I looked back I couldn’t see it so I thought maybe I had mistaken two fish swimming together.  Claire, who saw nothing, helped calm me down so I stayed in the water.  She even grabbed my legs once in a while, making me scream silently under waterJ.  I became at ease once again until there it was, a small shark at the bottom of the reef.  By the time I reached Claire it was gone but this time I knew.  He was a small one and the fish were too pretty to miss so I stayed in hoping he would just keep to himself which he did. I’m glad I stayed in because the sight was once in a life time.  The most beautiful fish came up to check us out and say hello.  Below us the scuba divers swam past and tried to open giant clams.  It went on and on forever, new beauties emerging constantly.  It was a great day.  Once again thanks for reading.

Miranda

Today Miranda and I woke early and headed to the city center of Cairns, hopped on a speedy catamaran and arrived at the Great Barrier Reef! Although it was a gloomy, cloudy morning, our moods could not be broken by the salty weather.

As we drank our tea and coffee and watched numerous people get seasick the anticipation built. I couldn’t believe that I was actually about to see one of the wonders of the world, something I have heard so much about but have only seen in pictures! We were among a group of about 60 snorkelers (which is what Miranda and I did), novice and expert divers. I was a little disappointed to find out that we were only able to snorkle, as divers required a certification, that takes three days at the least, which is not the amount of time that I have in Cairns, as Miranda and I have to head out of the beautiful city on Wednesday and start our journey down the coast! But I do plan, in time, to recieve my certification if I can while in Australia.

Anyway, we collected our wetsuits, goggles and flippers and headed to the back of the boat and suited up. I was first (between Miranda and I, as she struggled to squeeze into her wetsuit gracefully ) to jump into the warm water and catch my first glimpse of the reef. Even from far away I have never seen such life under water before, tropical fish of all colors and sizes swam in and out of the colorful coral. The color was amazing, even with with overcast day at hand. Miranda and I has purchased a faulty underwater camera that we had planned to capture the reffs beauty with, but as it worked horribly we are not quite sure what pictures we will come up with, if any at all! We swam around the reef and took in the underwater view for abuot and hour and a half before we were called back to the boat to grab lunch and head to a second location.

At lunch Miranda and I ate as if we were starving student travelers ( ) who got a lunch buffet that looked almost as beautiful as the reef below! We ate until we could not eat any more, where at which time we were told we had another hour at out new location. Miranda and I suited back up and hopped back into the ocean only to be amazed once more. This location, which we were told the low tide affected, gave us up close and personal views of the reef just 1 meter below in some spots. Even better was that the sun peeked through the clouds just in time for us to see the reef, which illuminated the colors of the underwater world ten fold compared to the last location! We swam with the fish (which included more than I care to mention or know and Miranda even spotted a shark, where at which point I had to step in and convince her that it was no harm and that she’d be okay) and enjoyed watching their habitat and lives for about an hour and then headed back to the boat and eventually back to Cairns.

After our amazing day Miranda and I had some time to spare before our shuttle came to take us back to the hostel, so we headed into a few shops and eventually a Mexican resturant where we celebrated our day with a margarita. I opted for a less traditional flavor, lychee, and Miranda traditional, but always good, lime. We then headed back to out hostel, enjoyed our free dinner and here we are, checking our email and bragging to you about our AMAZING day!

Tomorrow we head to Cape Tribulation and Port Douglas on a day trip. Wednesday we say goodbye to Cairns and hello to the coast of Australia, where at which point I can’t remember where we are headed! I will keep you all filled in on my travels, but until then…see ya!

~Claire     

We started our adventure in Alice Springs where we met up with our friend Danny whose warnings that the town would be barren and slightly dangerous proved true.   The town is surrounded by dessert and has a much higher population of Aborigines, definitely a change of scenery.

            The next morning we were picked up by our empty tour bus before the sun rose gathering fellow travelers as we went.  I fell asleep as usual and when I awoke we were rushing past red sand and small shrubs and plant life.  Our first stop of the day was at a camel farm where Claire and I rode a giant beige camel for a couple minutes.  Both of us were a little nervous that we’d either drop off the edge of the hump or get spit on but we had to try it out. 

            We drove on and arrived at our next destination, the Valley of the Winds in Kata Tjuta.  Our group climbed the rocky terrain in between the huge red brown rocks until we reached the perfect spot where the wind rushed past us and cooled us off.

            Our last stop of the day was by far the best . . . watching the sun set on Uluru (Ayer’s Rock).  We drank cheap champagne and struggled to get the best shots as the sun turned the massive red rock to a dark brown.  It was so surreal seeing something you’ve seen in pictures and on post cards and suddenly you find yourself standing right in front of it.  We got our second glimpse of the deserted giant the next morning after a chilly night under the stars.  After the sun came up we divided into two groups, Claire joining the group that climbed it and me taking the long walk around it.  I say that it was out of respect for the Aboriginals’ wishes that no one climb it but anyone who knows me must know its really just my GIANT fear of heights J

            The rest of our second day was filled mostly with a long drive to camp.  The driving must have affected our brains because before long our entire group was singing along to tunes from the movie Dirty Dancing.  Carrying this good mood along we decided to get drinks for the evening.  However fun this was at the time, maybe it wasn’t such a good idea because in the middle of the night as we layed beneath the stars in our swags we each suddenly found the urge to go to the bathroom.  The problem is we had visitors in our camp . . . dingoes who constantly howled, sometimes from within our small circle of tents.  I wasn’t going to move for anything.

            The next morning on our third and last day we climbed King’s Canyon for some great views and a long walk.  We arrived back in Alice Springs and decided to go out as a huge group.  Our two favorite people on the tour, two guys from Holland, Rody and Olaf, stayed out with Claire and I as we laughed, drank, and sang along to some oldies.

            You may think this sounds like a lot for three days but this was only the first half of our trip.  Our second portion of the tour kicked off yet again before sunrise.  As my Mom used to say when it came to me and mornings, “Miranda, you’ve got one speed and it ain’t fast.”  Luckily for me our group consisted of five people and one awesome tour guide, Virginia, (also known as “Ham”) so we were able to spread out and sleep.  I woke up and looked out to see the best sun rise of my life.  Virginia noticed me trying to take pics and decided we should stop.  So the six of us climbed on top of the trailer on the side of the road and snapped away at the sun, pausing only to wave at oncoming traffic J  It was a great start to an awesome tour.

            We made various stops like at a store that had injured animals such as a wedge tail eagle and dingoes, a shop that sold authentic Aboriginal art, and the weirdest . . . a café decorated with aliens and wallpapered with clippings about the unearthly beings.  As Virginia put it, “Sometimes when you’re in the outback and there’s nothing to do you have to find things to do.  I guess even if it means making your own paper mache aliens.”  After we made our wise cracks at the alien shop we went to the Devil’s Marbles which are huge round rocks made from lava that had cooled in pools beneath the earth.  Our final resting stop of the night was at a cattle station that had a curfew at 9:30 and an evil goat named Gertrude that suddenly turned on us.  The night was still fun and I even learned how to play the didgeridoo. 

            Our second day was filled mostly with driving with occasional stops at odd spots in the middle of no where to refuel.  We had fun stopping at these little places where the locals were friendly, once even having to jump our bus after it died.  Some housed animals like colorful birds and gators.  We went on to handle a black headed python who lazily wrapped himself around us and after that to the thermal springs.  Our overnight stay was in the middle of a field housing an older couple, a one-eyed dog, and a massive spider known as the Huntsman.

            The third day we enjoyed Katherine’s Gorge canoeing to a small beach where Aboriginal drawings on the rock could be seen.  I was slightly nervous as we were notified the Gorge housed the smaller freshwater crocodile and the occasional larger saltwater croc!  I paddled as fast as I could.

            Sadly our trip had to end so we headed off for Darwin along the way spotting bushfires and HUGE termite mounds, some twice as tall as me!  Our group had so much fun together we decided to keep it going and after everyone checked into their hostels we agreed to meet up and go to the market where we searched for the man who played four didgeridoos.  Although we never found him we did come across an Aboriginal man who was slightly drunk.  Virginia handled it really well and we left without confrontation but things could have gone worse.  From the moment we arrived in Alice Springs the increase in the Aboriginal population could be seen.  Until the 1950’s Aborigines were classified under flora and fauna and tension is still prevalent.  The way of life for them is natural, sleeping in the bush and getting everything they need from it.  But in today’s Australia, adaptation to today’s way of life is often demanded of them.

            Mine and Claire’s tour ended but our days in Darwin had just begun.  Our friend Sam became our tour guide for a couple days showing us around the place.  The warm weather and palm trees were a nice change.  Later we went to a bar where a band blasted tunes somewhere between AC/DC and Motley Crue.  It was fun but made the morning hard as Claire and I got up to take a tour to Lichfield National Park.

            The first stop was a Jumping Crocodile tour on the Adelaide River which houses thousands of saltwater crocodiles.  We watched as huge chunks of raw meat were dangled over the edge of the boat and the huge beasts (sometimes 9-12 ft. long) jumped out of the water for a morning snack.  We visited a couple of waterfalls even swimming in one until finally we headed back to Darwin for our last night.

            This morning at about 3:00 a.m. Claire and I got up to catch our flight feeling pretty sleepy.  However our adrenaline suddenly got going as a cockroach the size of Texas fell out of a towel I was about to fold and put away.  Claire performed some gymnastics doing the splits between the two bunk beds as I danced around the floor with a shoe as my weapon of choice looking for the monster who climbed from bag to bag.  Suddenly we were awake and on our way to Cairns where we are now about to go to sleep and wake up to check out the Great Barrier Reef.  I apologize for any errors because I’m pretty sleepy right now and my brain is about to shut down.  We’ve been traveling like gypsies lately and going on tomorrow.  Thanks for reading and I’ll write the next chance I get J

Miranda

HEY HEY!!!  As I have finally arrived in Cairns I suppose its time to tell you all about my trip from Alice Springs to Darwin before I forget!

We started out trip very early on Saturday the 28th of June, at approximately stupidly early o’clock, and packed out bags onto the trailer and hopped into the bus, which slowly became more and more full of passengers, where at the end resulted in a full bus!  We headed straight out of Alice towards Uluru National Park, which was our destination for the night. Uluru, being a fair distance from Alice, meant that we had a lot of driving to do for the day. Along our- drive we made a snack stop where we had the choice to ride camels. Because Miranda and I have never ridden a camel in our lives we decided to give it a try! We both got to ride on the same camel so we hopped on the saddle and braced ourselves for the roller coaster ride while the camel stood up and also the bumpy ride around the circle.  At first I felt as if I was riding a horse, except that the rocking motion was from front to back, and not side to side, that was until the trainer decided to have it gallop and then it felt like we were in the middle of an earthquake! After a snack and a very interesting camel ride we headed back to the bus and continued our journey to the national park.

Before we could make it to camp we stopped at Kata Juta, also known as the Olgas and took a hike known as the Valley of the Winds Hike, which took us through the middle of the rolling, swell-like, rock formations. After the short hike the sun was about to set so the group set out to a look-out point of the large red rock Uluru to watch the sun set of the rock itself and change the colors drastically as it happened. We arrived at the viewing point and popped open some cheap champagne to celebrate the sight we were about to see! The rock was a glowing gold color due to the rust, or iron oxide, eminating from the rock and reflecting the sun. As the sun got closer and closer to the horizon the rock changed from a glowing gold color to bright orange, deep red, and with the final set of the sun a dark copper brown.  It was a really amazing sight to see the colors change as the sun set, I have seen so many pictures of the random red rock in the middle of nowhere, but I never could have imagined the intensity of the color change. 

After the sun set it was time to go back to camp, have some dinner, and catch some shut eye under the glowing stars in our swags! I felt as though I didn’t catch a wink of sleep before we were woken and taken to the other side of Uluru to see the sunrise on the rock. The process was the same as the sun set, the exact colors and intensity, but just as cool as before! After we admired the color transformation of the rock as the sun rose we were given a choice to climb the rock or take a trail around the bottom.  This was a hard decision for me as it is taught in Aboriginal culture that climbing the rock is disrespectful to their ancestors, who climbed initially and made the part of the land mans business.  It was thought that a person who chooses to climb is trampling in their ancestors, and also there have been a handful of tourist deaths on the rock, the Aboriginal people are scared and sad that something will happen. I thought long and hard and I decided that as long as I was careful and respectful that I should be able to climb the rock with little worry, so that is what I did. It was must steeper and longer than it looked from the ground, as the route up was on the ridgeline of one of the large rolling shapes of the rock and all that was there fore stability was a chain drilled into the rock itself. Although scary and very exhausting the view from the top was amazing and I wouldn’t take my decision back for anything. 

While climbing the rock I learned that many people in the past have teken rocks and sand from Uluru and Kaya Juta National Park, only to be struck with bad fortune, ill health and even death within their families. Some 25% of people that take rocks and/or sand from the park return it with bad stories, or a guilty conscience, or maybe some are just too superstitious! Aboriginal people say that they are not aware of a curse or anything of the sort. Anyway, I was going to take a rock and some sand of my own, but after hearing of this I decided that I would leave the leave the land in its original spot and not chance anything. 

After our afternoon hikes the group headed off to a campsite near Kings Canyon, our next destination.  On our way back to camp a few new dutch friends, Olaf and Rody, and Miranda and I decided to grab a few beers and celebrate the trip so far. Celebrations back at camp were pretty fun as Miranda and I taught a few of the people on our trip a few drinking games popular in Wisconsin. Before we knew it time was passing and it was as late as can be so we headed off to bed, once again in our swags under the stars, only to be awoken early in the morning to make out was to Kings Canyon for a 6 kilometer hike.

The early hike took us through an area of rock formations known as Kings Canyon.  The red rock formations included huge walls, valleys and praries. After our hike it was back to camp for a quick lunch and back into the bus to make out way back to Alice Springs for the night. 

As the tour was made up of three different three day tours many people in our group were departing from Alice Springs that day, including Miranda and I’s crazy new dutch friends, so what a better was to say goodbye than over dinner with the group and a few beers ! 

The second half of the journey came too quickly as the start was another early one! This leg of the tour took us from Alice Springs up the middle of Australia, across the Tropic of Capricorn, and into the warm area of Darwin. We started the day before sunrise and the huge group of 5 of us hopped into the bus and headed north. We caught up on some lost sleep along the way, only to be awoken by our enthusiastic tour guide, Ham (who’s real name is Virginia, hence ham….virginia ham??? get it???) to stop and take a few photos of the amazing sunrise over the outback of the Australian desert.  After sunrise, the six of us got to know eachother a bit more, where we realized it was going to be a fun trip! Talking took us quickly to our first stop, a cafe in the middle of nowhere that plays home to some very original, and amazing Aboriginal art. We admired, while some purchased, the art over coffee before heading back into the bus. A few hours and a nap later led us to the most interesting stop of the day, and I’m still considering the word ‘interesting’ when it comes to this place. I wondered where our guide was taking us as we pulled up and were face to face with a family of paper mache aliens, and thousands of news paper clippings describing spaceship spottings in the area. It was the Alien capital of Australia, in the middle of nowhere, with a little more than cooky owner. After browsing the abduction evidencce and seeing pictures of spaceships we headed towards the highlight of the day, after lunch of course, the Devils Marbles.

The Devils Marbles were really a cool sight. For those of you who don’t know what I mean by Devils Marbles, they were literally rocks that were of close resemblence to marbles, or circles, strewn across the land piling on top of each other and balancing on end at other spots. They were absolutely mind boggling, how could a round rock neatly balance on top of another? I guess we will never know, as the creation of them was near the time of Uluru and the Olgas, nearly 5 million years ago! After climbing, talking goofy and picturesque photos it was off to our destination for the night, a place named Banka Banka.

Banka Banka was a cattle station and campground in the middle of the outback. This night the five of us hung around and had a few laughs, while our tour guide taught us to play the digeridoo. I had my fair share of tries and got better and better along the way, although I may be infertile now! Ha you all are probably thinking huh??? It is said, in Aboriginal culture, that if a woman plays the digeridoo, which represents a witch doctors castrated …….., will be infertile from that point onward.  Anyway I found myself to be pretty good and hope to play sometime again, although it was hard to get the hang of it.

Being the big, and motivated group of five of us we woke the next morning, almost an hour late, and headed north. Our first stop was at a petrol station along the highway where the five of us took turns holding blue tongue lizards and black headed pythons! And yes, you all are probably thinking ‘no way not Claire, holding a python!’ but I am proud to say that I did, and that once was enough. After holding reptiles we drove onward and stopped for lunch at a really coor bar.  This bar was one of those old towny bars where everyone that visits is welcome to leave a little bit of themselves, whether they choose to leave a signed note, picture, flag, t-shirt and underwear. It was cluttered with bits of people and trying to find an old friend in the bar would be impossible.

After lunch it was north to the Bitter Springs, which were an area of thermal springs where we were able to take a dip in the bath-water warmth of the spring. After a lounge in the springs it was back onto the bus and straight to our final destination for the night, a campground near the Katherine Gorge.

The Katherine Gorge, which is a series of gorges (gorge meaning it was carved out by water and time) were really an amazing sight to see. The next day all but one of us on the tour, a whole lot of 4 of us, canoed up the first gorge I admired the high rock walls and the green water.  The gorge is known to be a perfect habitat to fresh water crocodiles, although spotted regularly, I didn’t seething anything myself but a few closed beaches because of the agg laying sights of them. We arrived at the end of the first gorge, took a few pictures of rock drawings and a quick dip in the chilly water, and headed back down the gorge to meet the deadline and departure time. Back on the bus, heading to Darwin for the night, we made a few stops to take pictures of wild horses on the road, and ten foot termite mounds. We finally arrived in Darwin and headed off to out hostels, took much needed showers and met back up to go to the Meldl Beach Sunset Market in Darwin. The Market, which was full of artists, chefs, and just people looking to earn a buck was pretty cool. After the market and a beer with the group I decided it was time to hit the hay and headed back to my hostel in the city center of Darwin.

The next day Miranda and I did some laundry, caight up with emails, and later met up with a friend from Unviersity in Melbourne, Sam. Being that Sam was originally from the beautiful coastal beachy city he showed us some of the highlights of the city and acted as our tour guide for the day.  He took us through the town and showed us many places by car, where we deicded to take a walk along his high school and snap some photos of the city and the wharf. After Sam took us to a Mangrove swamp where we watched the tiny blue neon brabs come in and out of their muddy holes.  After which we headed to the Darwin Museum where we learned a little about the history of the city, including being bombed in WWII and flattened by Clyclone Tracy in the 70s. Atfer packing out heads with facts we walked across the street and went to the ski club. At the ski club we chilled and had a few beers while listening tothe live band and watching the sunset. The lazy evening led to a crazy night as Miranda and I went out on the town with Sam and his friends.

The next day Miranda and I headed to Lichfield National park, which is about an hour and a half south of Darwin and known for its eye catching waterfalls which cascade into rock pools and swimmable lagoons.  We spent the after noon swimming at Lichfield, and the morning on the Adelaide river, which is known for its prehistoric looking ravenous salt water crocodiles.  Along the river cruise we fed some crocs (where some were up to ten feet long!) chunks of meat and taunted them to jump out of the water to retireve their food, where if they did earned the meat and swam away content. After our day feeding crocs and swimming underneath waterfalls and in lagoons Miranda and I headed back to Darwin and had a last dinner with our friend Sam. The night was an early one as I still had to pack up my bag and be ready for out 6:30 am flight to Cairns!

Today Miranda and I arrived in Cairns and made it a duty to schedule our tavels down the east coast of Australia. We headed into the city, did some window shopping, had some dinner, and are back here to catch up on blog entries and catch some much meeded shut eye. Tomorrow we are heading to the Great Barrier Reef to do some snorkeling and the next day north on a day trip to Cape Tribulation and Port Douglas. After that we start our journey down the coast!      

So here we are, after a really long entry I am finally caught up, I hope you all stuck it out and lasted this long because you’re in luck, I’m finished! I will really try to keep in touch more often so my entries are not so long! Until then I hope you all continue to stick it out and read through my long travel descriptions!

Until next time

~Claire