I'm in AFRICA!

Dumelang from South Africa!! Arrived on the 21rst to be met at the gates by none other than Ms. Katy P herself - so much fun to be greeted at the gate as opposed to walking through all the mass of people to look for the local shuttle to the nearest city! We got to see a bit of Jo-burg and Pretoria as we made our way back to the hostel, so that was a great introduction to South African cities. I had the opportunity to meet some wonderful friends of Katy's, all of whom were other Peace Corps volunteers (PVCs). A group of us headed out to have a relaxed dinner and spend time catching up on the most recent happenings at each others' sites. It was the first taste I had of what life in South Africa was like for Katy - or at least what break time is like for some of the volunteers, so that was wonderful!

On Saturday, Katy and I headed to Brits, a small town that became our base camp for the next two days that lies halfway between Pretoria and Pilanesberg National Park. The hostel was beautiful, comfortable, and had lots of dogs running around which gave the place a much more "homey" feel. We ate dinner at this outside restaurant with thatched roofs covering each table which was mostly frequented by local Afrikaners. We ate the A-Mazing food while we listened to the in-house entertainment, a very talented one-man-band who played/sang some classic songs (and requests) all night long..in both English and Afrikaans, so the man knew every song ever sung in both languages, or so it seemed. The music, which prompted people to just get up and shake a leg, really made the atmosphere more comfortable! A fantastic night all-around.

The next morning, we headed out to the park bright and early, so we could get a jump on seeing the animals while the weather was still cool. Pilanesberg is a beautiful park - it was formed in volcano's crater, so there is the flat land inhabited by all the animals and hills of various height surrounding the central flatlands. As soon as we entered the park, a family of ELEPHANTS :) came marching past on our right - I believe it was two males, two females, and three adolescents (BABIES)! It is SO AMAZING to see these massive mammals in their natural habitat, up close and personal in the wild! Would not have been disappointed had they been the only animals we were going to see, but luckily, the day had only just begun. We saw rhinos (sleeping, eating, and walking about), giraffes (SO tall, seriously - and so interesting to see how they balance themselves when they walk), hippos (weighing up to 3 tons each!), zebra (everywhere - so cool that no pattern of stripes are ever the same), impala (whose three black markings on the backs of their thighs and tail for an M in the shape of the golden arches, so they are known as the "McDonalds of the wild," as they are the primary diet for many of the other land animals), springbok (slightly smaller than impala, but both male and female have horns, whereas only the male impalas have curvy horns), stonebok (very small animal that looks like a mini springbok, no horns, and can stop on a dime to confuse its hunters...thus, being as still as a stone), water bucks (quite impressive animals that, to me, look very similar to a water buffalo with more vertical horns as opposed to the buffalo's very wide Texas Longhorn-style horns), an ostrich (amazing to see how they walk and balance, as their legs are much further back on than I originally thought...so interesting to see how its head just bends down to scoop up food - very similar to how the snake in "The Jungle Book" moves), warthogs (the animation and drawings of Pumbaa in "The Lion King" are really dead on...neat to see how they get on their elbows to eat and look for food, so their tusks can be used at the best angle for digging up the ground), kudu (a type of antelope with white stripes), eland (another type of antelope that is quite rare to see in the park), red-heart beasts, Franklin birds (a little smaller in size than a chicken, with the body of a pigeon, that will most likely be seen walking/running/ scooting around because it rarely uses its wings - quite funny to watch), wildebeests (friends of the zebra who were seen often around many of the zebra clans), and various other types of birds!!! Needless to say, I spent the day being thoroughly mesmerized by these beautiful animals and intrigued by each one's natural behavior! Plus, I got to do that all with KATY!! Can't beat a day like that. We even got to go on a two hour safari (with a lovely family and cutest little girl), so we learned a lot about the various animals within the park.

Once the park closed, we headed to Sun City - a very large casino/resort/ entertainment complex that is quite famous in South Africa. We went to take in the culture of "the betting world" and try our luck with a few rands. The Australia v Figi rugby match was on the big screen, so that took up the majority of my attention for the night - it is so nice to be in countries that love the sport because I am now getting to see the mechanics and functioning the game itself. Katy also made a profit playing poker, so another great night all around.

Katy and I went to DeWitt Cheetah Sanctuary, a center dedicated to breeding various animals and spreading knowledge about the endangerment of certain species. This tour was out of this world - the tour guide was so knowledgeable and really made us feel like we were the only ones on the tour. I went in thinking we were only going to see cheetah, but the number of animals that they monitored and bred was surprising! We saw wild dogs (crazy animals), African cats, caracals (which are beautiful cats that have the scariest pointy ears you will ever see and generally have very short tails...but geez they are feisty), badgers (one was albino, so that was very interesting to see - their gait is actually quite smooth and very fun to watch - but again, quite vicious little creatures), brown hyenas, impala, kudu, ostriches, many species of vulture, and nyala. It was A-MAZING!!! The cheetah are such beautiful animals - their stride, their eyes, their movements! I'd never seen any of these animals before (aside from what we saw in the park), so it was a treat to have the opportunity! LOVED IT! They even have a program where they bring a cheetah out to village schools, educate the students on the animal, and then allow a certain number of students to pet the cheetah! How AWESOME - and Katy is going to try and set that up for her schools, so that would just be such a treat for the kids! Cross your fingers!

We headed back to Pretoria after lunch and spent the evening at the Brooklyn mall. Took in one of the best movies I've ever seen and had an amazing dinner to boot! Came back to the hostel to reunite with the PCVs from the first night, have a little Mexican party, and play some cards! Can't beat that. LOVING IT! Miss you all and much love to each and every one of you!

Anxious for Africa!

Just a quick update from the last few days. Saturday, my last day in Cairns, was not only my friend's birthday, but the last night of the month-long Cairns Festival which celebrated the community and its people. There were small events happening around the city throughout the day, but the best bit was the huge parade and fireworks display that took place after the sun went down. The entire city was there...families lined the streets with their beach chairs and coolers full of goodies to keep the kids tame, while teenagers milled about and couples shared a meal in the curbside cafes. Any company, school, club, or group of people that shared similar interests was in the parade - floats of extreme sport advertisers, the local high school band, the cast of the local theater's last teen production, frequenters of the skating rink, dance troupes, percussion groups, a neighborhood garage band, and - the most classic of all - pole dancers. That's right... a float with a flat-bed, four poles, and six ladies just hanging every which way on them. Let's just say we had a good laugh over that one. To top it off, the fireworks display was beautifully done and took place right in the harbour, so the vibrant colors that exploded in the sky were duplicated as their reflection was cast in the waters below.

Sunday I flew out early in the morning to Sydney and spent the day exploring the Kings Cross area, wandering around the harbour, and reading my book (so exciting to read for FUN and read material that doesn't involve bodily functions). Also, there were 2 weddings that took place on the harbour - one was a beautiful Asian couple that rented a huge ferry-style boat and had their reception party floating in the Sydney Harbour (not too bad); the other was a FABULOUS Indian couple that I saw walking near the botanical gardens with their entourage of family and friends following close behind, dressed in the most intricate, colorful ghagra choli and saris I've ever seen. Best wishes to the new couples : )

On Monday, I was able to visit the beautiful Blue Mountains that lie in the western outskirts of the Sydney suburbs. There was a group of 14 representing Britain, Ireland, Japan, Germany, and the Netherlands. For the most part, of all the backpackers I've met while traveling in Australia, they fall within one of these nationalities (the only exceptions being the two French, one Bulgarian, and one Canadian on the Kakadu tour). We first stopped at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Park, which was nice to compare from what I remember seeing on television. Next was the entrance to the Blue Mountain National Park, where we spotted 3 kangaroos and quite a few yellow-tailed cockatoos flying about - it is much more exciting to see them in the wild than it is in a zoo or sanctuary. We then came to our first lookout over the Jamison Valley - a vast land covered with ferns, eucalyptus, and other families of trees whose solid color was occasionally broken up by the auburn-tan sandstone masses that were scattered throughout the panorama. We were able to hike down to a lookout that had a better angle of Wentworth Falls, a waterfall that was quite spectacular even during a drought period. The Three Sisters, three huge sandstone rock masses that form three identifiable peaks in the distance, provided us with the longest stop and most time to explore - four of us decided to use the hour we had to climb down to the base of the valley, where one could then take the rail or cable car back up to the top. The rail was closed for maintenance work that day, but I've never seen a railway so STEEP in my life... it was on a 52-degree angle!! Even if it were working, I am pretty sure I would not go on it! The four of us decided we'd rather climb back up the way we came...back up the 1000+ stairs we had so much fun going down. Whoo, talk about a workout - you know those stair-steppers in the gyms... not the ones that just go up and down, but the ones that is actually, in essence, a revolving staircase... that is what it felt like - never-ending stairs. Just as we crested a huge set of stairs, another beautiful set would make its way into view. At least it kept us warm in the strong winds that contributed to the 11 degree temperature. We were also very lucky that the climb back up was through the most beautiful forestry, as we walked under overhanging ferns and through very cave-like stone structures...all to the calming sound of water rushing down onto smoothed stone from the nearby Katoomba Falls. A fantastic day all around!

Today, I was able to have lunch with Katy's aunt and her husband, a lovely and welcoming couple from the North Ryde area. They took me to their local "club" for lunch and we just had the best time catching up and sharing stories. I am always fortunate to meet such wonderful people, so thank you to couple who made this day great! And, to speak of more great people, I am so thankful to be staying with the lovely family of Ashley, my fellow Peruvian volunteer, traveler, and savior. Her family is so warm and welcoming, and it is great to see each personality shine through. I love seeing how different families operate, so it is an absolute blessing that I have been able to spend time with this beautiful family. That said, I do miss my own family a whole LOT!

I am sooooo excited for Friday, when I depart for South Africa to see my friend KATY!!! The countdowns are becoming smaller and smaller, while the excitement level does nothing but climb!! So the next update will hopefully be from South Africa! Much love to my family and to all friends and families out there :)

Sydney Once More

Just wanted to say that although wakeboarding is heaps of fun, it renders you absolutely useless for at least one week afterwards. Still unable to put my hair up in a ponytail because my arms just dont do that. Just an FYI.

Still in Cairns

Decided that it would be a very rushed if I tried to make my way down the coast back to Sydney by bus....like 10 hours+ per day in the bus, which is just no fun. So, executive decision, have fun around here until the 16th, when I fly back to Sydney. I realized in my last post I forgot to mention one of the best nights I've had in Australia, which was last Sunday when a band from Brisbane composed of all Latin Americans played Cuban music on the boardwalk for 3 straight hours. There were so many people that got up an danced, some just to feel the music, and others to feel and really move to the music. These were the people that did crazy spins, bends, twists, and fast feet with their partners - found out one couple was actually ranked in the Salsa and Latin American dances in the Australian Ballroom Dance circuit. NICE!! Anyways, it was such a blast to just watch others having a blast...I couldn't stop smiling. I eventually got up and danced a few songs with a man from Nepal, so I had a bit of embarrassment and fun as well.

The last few days, I've been hanging around town, until today when I decided to try my luck at WAKEBOARDING!! It has been on my to-do list for a while, so clearly I must put a check next to that one. There is this really great venue called Cable Ski that is exactly what it sounds like...instead of needing a boat to try your hand at it, this 300+ yard freshwater pool was created to pull boarders along by a cable-pulley system that had 4 primary switch points at each corner - just fabulous. First, we started out on kneeboards to get used to how the ropes pull you, and then it was time to graduate to the boards. :) Not going to lie, it took about an hour for me to even get up on the board from the starting point. I managed get up and do two runs down the length of the pool, which I was quite proud of, before completely wiping out - one time face-planting with a little whiplash action and one time smacking down backwards. SO MUCH FUN!!Would do it again in a heartbeat...and on the ride home Rachael and I saw a really nice go-karting track, so we will see what life has in store for tomorrow. Much love to you all!

Cairns & The Reef

What a beach-oriented place!! The whole town of Cairns looks like a postcard - green mountains in the background, sand and alternating shades of blue in the foreground, and wildlife somewhere in the middle there. The past two days have been pretty eventful and quite exciting, so I thought I would update. Well, that and I found an internet place that only charges $1AUD for 2 hours - granted the price compensates for the fact that these computers were originally going to be thrown out because they function so slowly, but still, only a buck. Fantastic.


As I was making a phone call (to KATY in South Africa) in the middle of center city, two friends from my Kakadu Tour group recognized me and scared the living daylights out of me as they ran up behind me - I thought I was going to get mugged to be completely honest. PS - my only problem with Australia is that they only put public phones RIGHT NEXT to very busy intersections (sometimes in between medians) so when you are having a conversation with someone, basically you are only talking to yourself. That said, we caught up over some DIPPIN DOTS - couldn't believe it when I saw it...like a beacon of light that sign. We ended up booking a Green Island/Great Barrier Reef Sail and Snorkel tour together.


With an early start, we boarded the moderately small sailboat with approximately 20 other and headed out of the bay towards the Great Barrier Reef. On the way to the reef, the waves were quite small so I got to enjoy moving about the ship without the fear of becoming sick (yea, not the best sailor). Our sailors, or skippers (but you have to say it with the thickest Scottish accent you can manage), made the trip very fun with their laid-back attitudes and incredibly sarcastic humor. It was great to just stand up at the back of the boat and catch the winds coming off the ocean (like a dog out of the window of a car going 60mph). Once the Green Island came into view after the 1.5 hour sail, the varying colors of the reef became quite noticeable - how BEAUTIFUL!! My Grandma's favorite color is turquoise and if you can imagine each individual color that could possibly be used to make some shade of turquoise, it was in the waters that we overlooked. The darker shades of color were thick collections of coral and sea plant life that were quite close to the surface of the water. Once the boat anchored some 500-600 meters from the Island's beach itself, it was on with the sexy snorkeling gear and into the somewhat frigid waters of the GREAT BARRIER REEF to get a closer look at all of the 5000+ species that live in these waters. After I got a hold of how to snorkel without breathing from your nose (sadly, something that took me about 10 minutes to master), I was completely enraptured by serenity of life underwater. It was AMAZING!! Literally it was as though I was swimming through the set of "Finding Nemo" - there were Dori's everywhere and some of the most colorful fish I've ever seen in my life. One was rainbow-colored with different colored lines separating the sections of rainbow progression....how cool is that?!?!? Another, clearly on vacation from Sweden, was a strong baby blue color and had a thick yellow sideways cross that covered each side! The endless number of coral species that covered the ocean floor like a shaggy multicolored rug from the 70's were SO impressive! Some appeared as little tubular cylinders, some as dreadlocks, some as an outline of the venous system (yes, yes I am a dork thank you), some as feathers, some as what your neighbor's shrubs look like, some as pom-poms, and some as Japanese fold-out fans - a much welcomed texture overload. Once I strapped on the good ole neon orange safety vest (you wouldn't believe how tiring it is to just tread water for 20 minutes), my focus turned solely on my surroundings (no longer on how not to drown) and I was able to truly appreciate the environment for what it was...UNREAL, BRILLIANT, FABULOUS, PHENOMENAL, ________(insert the enthusiastic adjective of your choice)!! Basically, if the water were a bit warmer, I could have stayed out there until sundown. When you completely submerge your head underwater, the rest of the outside world disappears... it didn't matter how far away the boat was, how many other snorkelers were in the area, and what anyone was saying on the surface. When I was in the water, I was IN the marine world.... I could HEAR the fish calling each other, HEAR one fish swim through its anemone, HEAR other fish try to find tidbits of food on a rock coral nearby - you do not normally associate the sense of hearing with water activities, but I must say, it is one of the best ones you can use! Reluctantly, I got back on the sailboat so we could head to Green Island and discover what it had to offer on land.


Ok, let's be serious...the land was awesome too. The three of us headed to the Marineland Melanesia, a zoo-like establishment that housed a series of aquariums showing the most common and rare species of coral and fish one might see in the reef, a lagoon of three huge sea turtles and a variety of colorful fish, and a crocodile park. The crocodile park is probably where we spent the majority of our time, as there was a whole room that contained stories, personal accounts, newspaper clippings, and pictures of shark attacks that have occurred on the Top End of Australia for the past 20 years. Quite a few, I'd say...enough to fill an entire room, anyways. The pictures were quite graphic as well....I will spare you most of the details, except the two pictures that have stuck with me: one was of a crocodile holding a forearm in its mouth, fingers dangling lifeless and the croc almost smiling while the other showed a picture of a croc on its back and a group of hunters pulling out human body extremities after cutting open the croc's stomach! AHHHHH!! Ok I'm done, I promise. Well, about those stories anyways. The crocodile park itself housed a number of saltwater crocs of different sizes - one croc's name was Colossus if that is any indication of how massive he was...his head alone must have been the size of a Volkswagon bug. Crocodiles scare me, I will admit it...it's not so much how dangerous they are, but more so of their creep-factor. They just SIT there, mouth agape and will not move until something comes close enough where it can strike....they look like painted ceramic lawn ornaments - soooo creepy. Their eyes don't even move to follow the person walking around them, as if they momentarily underwent cryogenic freezing....or taxidermy. We had the opportunity to watch a trainer come in and feed some of them (talk about worker's comp) so we would see what these reptiles are capable of doing. Basically, when they unfreeze from their temporary state, they almost immediately, and with great force and fury, just up out of the water at a 45-degree angle and about 5 feet in the air. Imagine an Evil Knievel-like stunt that propels a stretch limousine off an angled ramp...kinda like that. So, long story short, steer clear of saltwater crocodiles....they make freshies and alligators look like a batch of puppies.


After that show, we headed back to the boat and sailed some rough waters to return to the Cairns port. We all met up again to head down to the Casino for some cheap grub - did you know food in Casinos are generally cheaper than most restaurants in the city that the casino is in?? Me either... just a little known fact, at least in the Top End of Australia. As we were walking down to the Casino, I quickly became aware that there was a HUGE party that we were not invited to, as we soon became the only dressed-down bunch on the streets of Cairns. Girls were walking by in strappy heels, designer dresses, and either hats with diameters that rival golf umbrellas or with a pin in their hair that looked like something kids make it 1rst grade craft class, as they were just loaded with various sized beads, feathers, and pipe cleaners. Ok, maybe not pipe cleaners, but I am pretty on point with the rest of it! I had to ask what was going on....Cairns Horse Race. And why does that answer explain why you all are dressed this way? Did anyone else know you were supposed to dress up for horse races at the track, because I sure didn't! I don't really get it, but hey, they were all having a great time (apparently it is normal to drink ALL DAY LONG when you are at the tracks as well, because everyone that was dressed nicely walked in haphazard patterns and tended to slur obscenities at their friends). The best outfit I saw all night was a man in his mid twenties, black bowler hat and tie, and a HOT PINK suit...classic. Had to take a picture - ps another thing I learned that night, security guards in casinos really don't appreciate people taking pictures in the casino. Whoops, my bad! After taking in some food and the first game of the Rugby World Cup (Go Argentina, SA, and NZ), we called it a night. What a FANTASTIC DAY - and a big thanks to Andy and Ri for letting me tag along all day, your company really made all the difference!


On Sunday, I took a tour to Cape Tribulation, the Daintree Rainforest, and Port Douglas. The tour guide was fabulous (I am really lucking out) and very knowledgeable, so the tour was even better than I could have imagined. Left Cairns at 8am and headed north along the Rt 1, a very scenic coastal highway that provided fantastic views of the greater Cairns area and port. We first stopped to take a little circuit hike through part of the Daintree Rainforest. When you walk into such a lush forest, the beauty of all the natural surroundings is OVERWHELMING! I've never seen so many flowers, such intricate tree roots, or heard so many animals at one time. Senses overload once again. The walk was just beautiful and took us to an overlook of the beautiful Mossman Gorge, which is quite mystic as the fog comes off the water running over the rounded stones that cover the gorge floor. Usually when you walk through nature paths, you look down so you don't trip..here, you literally CANNOT look down because you are fixated on the beautiful canopy above. What a fantastic start to the day...and it only got better!!


We then headed to the Daintree Mangroves Wildlife Sanctuary, a cute little place owned by a husband-wife team who wanted to provide a safe environment for some local native species. There was a fantastic collection of various cockatoos, another crocodile farm, cassowaries (really strange birds that have the body of an ostrich, a blue and red neck that looked like the gobble of a turkey, and a little conehead at the top that was made out of the same cells that form human finger/toenails), wallaroos, egrets, pythons, and bettongs - the smallest and CUTEST of the kangaroo family. Quite a collection of native Australian wildlife - we even got to hold a bettong and cockatoo, which I thought was pretty cool. There was a wallaby that was roaming free in the park and loved to follow us around and, like an obedient pup, waited for us outside the encaged bird sanctuary until we returned. How adorable!!!


Heading over the Daintree River, we stopped at Alexandra Range Lookout, which provided us with a panoramic view of the Daintree River, Port Douglas, and other capes south of Cairns. I love lookouts because they remind you how small you are...and, of course, they allow you to visually map out where you have traveled and walked that day!! Always a good thing. After that, we took a walk on the Marrdja Boarwalk through a mangrove swamp in the beautiful Daintree. Mangroves are AMAZING...they are trees whose roots need enough air and certain environmental specifics that a swamp does not always provide...so instead of die, the tree can grow another system of roots in a more suitable environment further away, while the old roots begin to emerge from the ground and stop growing when they hit the open air. It is amazing to look out over a swamp and just see heaps of roots - rounded, sharp, or knotted - all emerging from the mud surface of the swamp. Wonderful, absolutely wonderful!

We ate lunch near the lovely beach of Cape Tribulation, which provides a 360 of ocean, mountains, and rainforest - can you really go wrong with that combination. The tide comes onto the beach in a certain way, creating these tiny mountain ranges that are quite hard to the touch of your feet...and it is pretty difficult to "squish" these mini-mountain ranges, which when you look out over a group of them, look like the details of a fingerprint. The sound of the ocean coming, the whisper and hiss, is truly calming - and when you sit and close your eyes, you find yourself swaying to the rhythm of the tide without even knowing it - quite cool. After lunch, we headed to the Daintree Ice Cream Company for a little dessert of tropical fruit ice creams. The combination I tried consisted of four flavors: wattleseed (really good, tastes like coffee, probably because the seed is roasted before it undergoes the ice cream process), jackfruit (a humongous fruit that tastes like a subtle banana bread), yellow sapote (could very arguably be a vegetable...so the taste took some getting used to - it tasted like really cold vegetable, so it would probably be very good if someone came in with no idea what ice cream is "supposed" to taste like), and passionfruit (a favorite of the Aussies', not of mine). Once we were completely stuffed, we headed out on a river cruise of the Daintree River, where we spotted crocs, snakes, and various species of fish-eating birds. It was a beautiful ride as we got to see the sun slowly make its way behind the horizon, casting an amazing amber glow on the rainforest ahead of us!!! THANK YOU!!! A-MAZING! Coolest bit of information of the day - the blackbean tree seed, which is poisonous to humans, was ground and then boiled by the Aboriginals, ridding it of the poison, and then used as an antidote for some illnesses...TODAY, it is a component of AZT, a drug commonly used in the pharmaceutical treatment of AIDS patients and is used in some chemo treatments as well!!!

The beauty of this area keeps showing itself to me....this time in the people. On Monday, I headed to the Rainforestation Nature Park in Kuranda, a nearby town over the hill that has immense character and appeals to most everyone that travels there. At the park, I had a one-on-one tour from an Aboriginal man of the Panagirri tribe, where I learned their practices of hunting (how to use and throw a spear, and how they used boomarangs to hunt birds perched high in trees). He let me throw a few....and theirs actually come back to you after traveling quite a distance - in that moment, I won't lie, I felt pretty cool. Then the didgeridoo and explained how they played it for ceremonial purposes and imitated animal sounds to pay tribute, respect, and appreciation to all animal life! He imitated the sounds of a kookaburra (a bird native to Oz that makes a laughing call), a kangaroo, and other wildlife that lived in the hills surrounding Kuranda. SOOOO cool and super excited to practice when I return! He was a really genuine man that taught me a lot and patiently answered all of my 2034992834928349 questions. Thank you to him. The day ended in performance where the Aboriginals performed dances depicting animals, food gathering, and hunting. For the last dance, they pulled 3 people from the crowd...and being the only person in the audience not of Japanese decent, I of course was chosen. It was fun to not really care and jump around like a kangaroo, stomp around, and shake a leg (most literally)!

This brings me up to today! A two-hour horse ride through the rainforest, bushland, and farmland on their 1,200-acre property. Now, in the brochure, it says "leisurely walk"...when I got there, I realized I was going with only one other gal on the English-speaking tour (there were 30+ Japanese tourists that went with the Japanese-speaking guides). Well, as I was signing the injury waiver papers, the guide asked my level of experience...."I can probably count on one hand the number of times I've ridden a horse, the last time being about 4 years ago." Somehow, he talked me into putting down "medium rider" on the sheet, a label that a had a subtitle in small print underneath it saying "50-100 rides." The ride itself was FANTASTIC and because there were only two of us, we were able to cover 5x as more ground, of various terrain, at a faster pace. You don't really realize how massive these animals are until you are on one, cantering, then galloping out of control, your body flying all over the place, like a bouncy ball at the end of its turn. All that really matters is that I didn't fall off... the bruises on my legs are a badge of honor :) Good ole' Magnus didn't buck me off, something the guide later said he does often enough, so I was very happy with my horse! Turns out, the other rider, is a riding instructor.... she teaches others how to ride for a living ... as in, does it every day, has her own horse. So although the pairing probably wasn't fair for either of us, we managed, and we got back in safely, and we had a BLAST!! That's all that matters.

Tomorrow, I plan on doing absolutely nothing, lounging in my newly-washed clothes (I did them by hand, scrubbing them on stone...so fun), and hopefully connecting back up with Rachael from Sydney/NZ, who I recently discovered is still here. Hope everyone is doing well. Much love to all. Miss ya.

Northern Territory

Wow....it has been a while!!!! I have missed a whole STATE!!! The Northern Territory, and most specifically Darwin, is FANTASTIC!! Beautiful area, beautiful people, and beautiful VIBE!! I will try my best to recap...

I arrived into Darwin after yet again another delayed flight (the boarding times for me are starting to become just mere suggestions) to find that there was no such thing as "winter" in the NT - there is only a wet and dry season, and it is hot...all the time. This country is MASSIVE and you never really are sure how close to anything you are - side note. So, being as it was the end of the dry season, the humidity was kicking in but the rain had not yet started, thank goodness. Please try to picture myself stepping off the airport shuttle bus into my hostel in full winter gear - jeans, long-sleeved shirt, and hoodie - to be greeted by half-naked masses coming at me from every direction. "Clothes" don't really work here...simply walk around in swimmers or boardies and you are good to go - the only part of the dress code I really appreciated was the whole "no shoes needed anywhere you go" policy. Took full advantage of that one walking around in the grocery store, bank, down the streets, in the shops. Anyways, the very pleasant and extremely helpful girl at the hostel informed me of the Mindl Beach Market that was going on that evening...ummm, did you say market? On a beach? Yes please. THANK YOU to her because it is quite possibly (and I know I say this each time I write about a market) the best market I've EVER been to, simply because there was so much life and such an incredible energy buzzing throughout the stalls, international food row, and during the live music sets!!!!! The first set-up I could make out was a husband-wife team selling didgeridoos, but I decided to stop and pretend like I had some clue how to play them because there was a beautiful man with lower back-length dreads that literally just sent out a very REAL vibe - I do not usually get vibes from people, but he was sending out great ones. So I grabbed a didg and stupidly attempted to play it... first simply blowing into it (NO), then kinda humming into it like you would a kazoo (NO), then some other pathetic attempt to make that amazing noise that the beautiful man next to me was making. Laughing at myself and the ridiculousness of what I was attempting, I literally said out loud, "how do you even play this thing?" He kinda smiled and picked up another didg to test it out. I happened to glance over, no, blatantly looked over to see if I could see how he was doing it and noticed his right hand had claw-like nails, talons if you will - seriously, he could hold his own against a bald eagle. Odd, but ok. Then some man from out of nowhere came up and held out a piece of paper and pen to the guy standing next to me. Huh - maybe it's a Northern Territory thing, maybe I am just ignorant, maybe it is normal to walk up to people and ask them to sign pieces of paper. Literally people, this was my thought process. I was taking it ALL in so I was in my own little cloud, feeding off this guy's fantastic aura. After that, he walked past an Aboriginal man playing his guitar and singing for some cash...it was a few feet away, so at the time I didn't know the beautiful man just started singing to the other man's guitar playing....but the two were soon embracing as if they were friends from years past. Eventually, I decided it would be best and less stalker-ish if I just focused on the didgeridoo and let the two friends catch up. So, I wandered throughout the artisans' stalls taking it all in...and an hour or so later, I stopped to listen to the same Aboriginal man from before play a few songs. Sat down next to him just asking how his night was going and what the meanings of his songs were for him, his tribe, his people, and his history. (His particular tribe language sounded beautiful when sung). He told me some stories and then said his night was going great because he got John Butler's signature and talked to him for a bit. SCREEEEEEEEEEEEECH! SAY WHAT??? The beautiful man I had been admiring the whole night, who literally heard me blow and kazoo into a didg, was none other than JOHN BUTLER!!! Of course it was. Way to go Aud. For those of you who are not familiar with the John Butler Trio, they are a very good band whose politically- and activism-charged lyrics are put together with the A-MAZING and very diverse musicality of a variety of international instruments! Many of his songs touch upon the unjust and unfair treatment the Aboriginal people receive from the white people of Australia, mainly the government. So for that, he is quite popular amongst all people in Australia (except the government probably). What a night!!! It all ended with taking in a concert from a local NT group called Emdee who played upbeat didg + drum music that got all the Aboriginal people dancing all night! Who wouldn't just love to watch people dance all night to some great music?? And in the end, while the artisans were packing up, I asked the original husband + wife artisans how to play the didgeridoo...and I DID IT!!!! The fact that I was able to make a noise put me on cloud 9... listened to John Butler the whole 45 minute-walk home :)

The next day consisted primarily of wandering the streets of Darwin (there aren't a whole lot), sitting, and people-watching. The Aboriginal artwork throughout the area is just phenomenal! Midway through the day, I was talking to someone who asked me if I was going to the John Butler concert that night....ummm WHAT?!?! TOO good to be true! As I rolled on into the bar to pickup my tickets, my excitement must have showed because the girl behind the bar simply said, "you are here for tickets and I have them for you." Fantastic. So basically, I just headed to the amphitheatre in the Darwin Botanical Gardens and enjoyed one of the most energy-charged concerts!! It was a combination of everything - the people, John's love for the NT and its people, and the AMAZING music - he did an 8-minute solo that was SPECTACULAR!! Really, usually people kinda fade during an improv, but NOT THIS TIME!!! High-charged throughout! Thank you to all that steered me to that concert!! Thanks to those that went and had a blast! And thanks to John for spreading the love to ALL people!

With some very (VERY) last-minute planning, I decided to take a 5-day "Top End" Safari through the beautiful Kakadu and Litchfield National Parks. Just a few things....#1 - our group was quite diverse, which was awesome (France, Cambodia, Bulgaria, England, Germany, Ireland, Canada, and Australia - 14 people in total, including...) #2 Luke - Please in your head, picture the most typical Aussie bloke in the most typical outback outfit...then make him really really good-looking and really nice and incredibly knowledgeable.....got it? That would be Luke. I feel the man knew EVERYTHING.

Day #1:
In the beginning of the day, we stopped at the amazing Magnetic Termite Mounds in Litchfield Nat'l Park. Okay...termites are amazing little creatures!! They are called Magnetic termites because they build their mounds facing North and South, which allows them to regulate the temperature inside the mound as the sun rises in the East and sets in the West. The other structure of termite home that we saw had a vertical, cylindrical core with wing-like projections on many sides which does the same thing (regulates temp inside the mound) - the projections store warmer air while the core maintains a relatively cool environment. The structures themselves were quite large (one was more than 15ft tall and about 7ft wide) and very solid, despite the fact that the mounds were only made of dirt and termite saliva and waste. I learned that the cockroach is the closest relative to a termite...not the ant. Speaking of ants, which are the biggest predator to termites, they often will infiltrate and attack a termite mound for food and control over the environment. The termites have an internal structure similar to that of bees - there is a queen (sometimes more than one depending on how many in a colony), there are workers, and attackers. Anyways, the termites' biggest defense mechanism is emitting this spray that paralyzes an attacking ant while also giving the ant a termite smell, so when more attacking ants approach the victim, they then eat it thinking it is a termite. Not bad eh?

We took in some beautiful waterfalls in Litchfield National Park and had the opportunity to swim both at the base of the falls and later in plunge pools further in the park. I realized right off the bat this was going to be a swim-based tour. After a few hours of blazing-hot sun, I became quite okay with this fact. We took a riverboat tour of the Mary River Wetlands, where we saw so much wildlife and incredibly interesting plant/flora as well. Counted quite a few saltwater crocs and a few freshies as well, one of which we got uncomfortably close to...it must have thought so too because it snapped and then contorted its body completely in the opposite direction and swam away! Sat next to a gal from Italy who made me realize that I have completely forgotten all my Italian and have now replaced it only with Spanish - quite a sad realization, but not as sad because at least I could speak in another non-English language (I know you are thinking, is there even such a thing as more than one English language...for those that have been to Aussieland or England know that, yes, there is an entirely different vocabulary and sometimes grammar structure involved in each country). In Australia, they love to abbreviate things... breakfast = brekky, biscuits = bissies, wallabies = wallies, you get the idea. Some people woke up with bites on their bodies, and asked Luke what they were....with all the wildlife we are seeing, imagine how scared these people must have been when he said, "Oh, those look like mozzies." If I were them, having not been educated on this language style (not to mention the basic language barrier), I would have thought I might die from being eaten by one of the many deadly spiders here in the NT. Come to find out...mosquitoes. That is all.

Our campsite was quite nice, as there were stationary tents, we had a great meal for dinner, and there were hundreds of wallabies and wallaroos EVERYWHERE just hopping their way around our campsite. That night Luke really showed his outdoorsmanness/Aussie-maleness/are-you-kidding-me-ness as he would tell us all about the things in nature as we went on a night walk. Firstly, he showed us a poisoness spider that spun a web with a secret trap door, so if any predator tried to attack the spider, it would flip quickly to the other side. Luke then proceeded to TOUCH the poisoness spider to show us this mechanism - granted it was neat to actually see it, but still, why would you do that?!?! It was at that point I realized what a wuss I have become....when we were little, we were curious about everything and had no inhibition - where did that go? We used to eat bugs....or was that just me? Luke continued the walk and would randomly just dip down and come back up with something in his hands - be it toads, skinks, lizards, beetles, termites, cockroaches, or more spiders. There is a toad living in the NT (and throughout Australia really) called the King toad (not indigenous) that is completely devastation the vegetation, forestry, and wildlife of Australia...so there have been measures taken to help eradicate these guys.....and by measures I mean Luke. He held one up and told us all about it, but before doing so, he just picked it up and dangled it in the air, then made it dance, and gave it a little voice....so at the time, before I knew what they were doing to the native species, I was thinking awww, let it go. Little did I know, Luke and all the other Australians were more than happy to take care of the problem themselves. Luke was kind enough to not make us watch...so we would continue our walk a feet more and hear this huge THUD! I turn to ask one of the other Australians on the tour, "Was that just the.." and before I could finish, "Yep, the frog, against a tree....yep." This happened at least 7 more times during our walk. At one point as we walk across a little bridge over a murky-water creek, the following sequence of events happened...Luke shouts "A FRESHIE," propels himself over the side of the bridge into the shallow water below and total darkness, and in after hearing a few distress squeaks from an animal, Luke emerges out of nowhere startling us with his headlight, his crazy-like grin, and oh yea, the CROCODILE he has in his hands. Granted it was a baby, but he was totally stoked, telling us "rub its belly, the skin is incredibly soft." Meanwhile, I'm thinking surely those distress squeaks from the little guy was alerting the attention of a nearby momma.....kinda don't want to stick around for that, so we high-tailed it out of there. Looking back, all those species were REALLY COOL, but at the time, we were thinking "seriously, THIS is our guide..for the next 5 days."

Day #2:
One of the best days...THE ROCK ART!!! We reached Kakadu Nat'l Park and headed to Ubirr, a collection of rock art from Aboriginals that was used to help pass on history and tradition to the younger generation, as the Aboriginal people have no written language. All the drawings tell a story, and though a few stories are known by the guides of the park itself and of course Luke, most are left for interpretation, as only the artists themselves know what the drawings truly show. Many stories depicted lessons that the elders (painters) were hoping to teach to the younger generations, such as the story of Mabuyu - a lesson in stealing. The story is that a hunter named Mabuyu who went out fishing for his tribe/clan...he caught enough fish to fill two bags, both of which he attached to the back and pulled behind the boat...at some point during the journey, another man from a different tribe decided to take one of Mabuyu's bags for his own tribe...Mabuyu didn't realize until he returned to shore what had happened...he became quite upset that someone would steal from him, so he returned to his village to stock up on hunting supplies and set out to find the man that stole from him...he eventually found the man and his tribe in a cave all sitting around a fire eating the fish he had caught...Mabuyu found a big rock and blocked the entrance to the cave, and both the man and every member of his tribe never came out again (story is 2000 yrs old). In the end, the story teaches children not to steal, as not only you may be punished, but you may involve your entire tribe as well - your actions usually affect all those around you. Basically, the stories were quite harsh and somewhat graphic, a tactic the elders used to scare the children into doing the right thing. Also, in a lot of the artwork, they used two distinctive drawing techniques - x-ray descriptive (a way to draw a person or animal that also shows what the Aboriginals thought the internals of the person/animal looked like....so a fish would be drawn showing the outline, its spine, a liver, a stomach, etc..) and x-ray decorative (a technique that utilized shapes and patterns to represent the insides of the drawn figure). After appreciating the artwork, we hiked up the remainder of these AMAZING rocks to get a 360 panorama of Nardab floodplain, which was absolutely breathtaking. During the wet season, it rains so much that the plains aren't visible...it simply looks like a huge lake.

Before we set up camp, there was a hike through the Barramundi Gorge during the day's heat until we reached the plunge pools at the top of the falls. They were definitely deep enough to do some cliff diving into, but we primarily just stuck to the lounging and swimming up through tunnels and narrow passageways. There were quite a few little frogs lining the rocks at the topmost plunge pool that really liked to jump on us, so that was quite fun. I like the mealtimes because it allowed me to get to know my fellow tour mates a bit better, since there usually wasn't much talking on the hikes or in the 4WD. For a vehicle that is ALWAYS bouncing up and down, bobbing side to side, it is IMPOSSIBLE to stay awake in it! It was almost a guarantee within 15 minutes from the start of our car ride, no matter what time of day, you could turn around and see EVERYONE head bobbing or simply plastered either to the window or their neighbor. Quite fun.

Day #3:
Some serious 4WD action today...the kind where you headbutt your neighbor on accident, bite your tongue, and scratch your head on a branch that whips into the car window to come get ya. The road to Jim Jim Falls was wavy, rocky, sandy, and swampy. During the wet season, Jim Jim is supposed to be magnificent, with hundreds of gallons of water flowing over each second. However, being it dry season, there was a small little trickle running down the rock face...you better believe I stuck my head under it, so I can now say, I splashed around in the falls of good ole Jim Jim. There was lots of crocodile-infested water on the road to Twin Falls, another set of waterfalls we were supposed to see but unfortunately couldn't get to. But, the rocks engulfing us around Jim Jim were simply STUNNING. That was definitely a highlight of the entire 5 days. We simply hung out in the pools below Jim Jim, trying to catch the fish swimming around our legs, playing with water monitors, catching a tan, playing footie on the beach, and taking it easy. We set up camp at Gunlom, where we were able to hike up the nearby mountainside in time to hop in the plunge pools that overlooked the beautiful NT before the sun set. "Slept" outside in a swag on the ground...staying up all night pondering how it can be so quiet and so loud at the same time. The bugs that were crawling on me at any given moment were loud, as were the wallabies jumping around. Good fun!

Day #4:
We were able to canoe down the beautiful and striking Katherine Gorge during the morning/afternoon. It was heaps of fun and, though it was lots of upper body work, it was incredibly relaxing. But the thing that stands out was the NIGHT SKY. BEAUTIFUL. Could see Scorpio and of course the Southern Cross. It's hard to explain, but it was the first time in my life I had to debate what the dominant color in the sky was...black or the white glow from the MILLIONS of stars that blanketed themselves over us. I've never been so moved by such overwhelming beauty!

Day #5:
To be completely honest, I have no idea what we did this day, except visit the Katherine Hot Springs, which were clear and quite warm :) We were able to stop at this random bar to see the water buffalo that was in the movie Crocodile Dundee. But the best part of this day was, on the return to Darwin, we stopped at an Aboriginal-owned shop that had hand-crafted didgeridoos made on the premises and a large collection of hand-painted artwork on linens, clothing, and canvas. There were a few artists actually painting some canvases when we were there. Also, there was a 4-month old wallaby bouncing around the store, so we had the opportunity to pet it and play with it, as it was raised around people and completely comfortable in our presence. SOO cute. Fantastic day that ended with a group dinner at a local restaurant. Once the crowd started rolling in the bar games started. One was "Sing Your National Anthem" and the DJ pulled people of different nationalities from the crowd....one of whom was the Bulgarian woman from our tour group. When she started singing, EVERYONE became silent and mouths fell agape.....she said it was the funniest thing she has ever seen. When she came back to the table, she just kept impersonating everyone in the crowd looking like monkeys. Haven't laughed that hard in a while!

My last day in Darwin was spent embracing a little bit more of the culture in the area by checking out the AMAZING Darwin Museum....not usually a museum person, so for me to say that, it really was quite spectacular. And of course, I went to the markets with the Bulgarian woman and a French-turned-Cambodian guy (Gigi and Max)... it was really nice to have company and to watch them experience the markets for themselves. After a week of deliberation, I made an executive decision to make my one big Australian purchase.... A DIDGERIDOO, hand-crafted by an Aborignal who helped sell it to me. The sound is A-MAZING!!!!! So, hopefully with the excessive packaging I did, it will arrive safely to the homestead in Burke. PS Mom and Dad, that would be fantastic if you could sign for that :) LOVE YOU!!! LOVE to all of you and I wish you the best always. I am currently exploring the Great Barrier Reef, so I will no doubt have updates in the near future. Much love.