Great Barrier Week with Mom

GREAT BARRIER WEEK WITH MOM

Not an award-winning title, but I tried.  Hopefully you’ll enjoy the upcoming words much better!

You may have heard that my mom visited this past week, and we had such a great time! However, in between spending time with her, catching up on homework, and sorting plans with my roommates for our New Zealand trip, I barely had time to actually pack for the mid-semester break trip.  (But no complaints here because instead of packing I got to explore Brisbane with my mom and get a glorious 10 hours of sleep in the incredibly comfy hotel bed). Anyway, last night after a fully day of class, I made my packing list, checked and double-checked everything that I had precariously stuffed into my bags, and when I looked at my watch again, it was midnight.  I figured, well, I should probably just stay awake for the next 4 hours so I can be ready to go and get to the airport on time.  Honestly, not a bad idea because I was feeling pretty awake anyway.  Now, I’m bordering on exhausted, but it’s a satisfied kind of exhausted, and I have lots of time ahead of me to sleep.

It’s funny, I started writing this while sitting in the Proserpine Airport in Whitsundays for my flight back to Brisbane, and now, 5 days later, I’m adding some more points and finishing it up in the Brisbane Airport on my way to Sydney.  Time flies when you’re having fun, right?

Mom just left yesterday, and it was so sad to see her go, but we were both so thrilled to have spent such a fun week together. Because there’s so much to say and so little time, I’ll give you a brief summary of the best things my mom and I got to do this week!

GREAT BARRIER REEF

Day 1 at Whitsundays

When we first landed at Proserpine Airport on Wednesday, the 16^th, I was entranced by the beautiful scenery (we even saw wild wallabies and kangaroos on the side of the road in the field!), and I was ready to see the water.  The location of our hotel was perfect, right in the middle of town and about 10 minutes walk from Shute Harbor in Airlie Beach where all the boats dock.  Unfortunately, the weather was a bit gloomy and we definitely did not have time to get out to the reef yet, so we had a nice dinner (the best pizza I’ve had in a long time, and some refreshing glasses of Prosecco) and went to sleep early to prepare for the big day ahead.

Day 2: The Outer Reef

This day was absolutely incredible.  We took a cruise tour out past the Whitsunday Islands to the Outer Reef.  Even just overlooking the Great Barrier Reef is beautiful, but that’s a close second to what’s under the surface of the water.  I can barely describe it, but I’ll try.  The pictures I took will be even more helpful in conveying to you how stunning and awe-striking this day has been, but even photos and videos are nothing compared to simply staring out at the rainbow of blues and greens and then diving below the water to see the reef.

Speaking of diving, how could I possibly visit this part of Australia and not check Scuba dive at the Great Barrier Reef off my Bucket List?  If you’re interested in doing something similar, do a tour with a company called Cruise Whitsundays!  They take you to the outer reef where you can go snorkeling, they feed you lunch on the boat, and they have outstanding service! Scuba diving cost extra, about $130, but that’s something you do not want to pass up!

I did an intro dive where an instructor takes you with a small group to a compartment under the boat where you practice breathing with all the gear, blowing water out of your mask if it gets in your eyes, and signaling with your hands to communicate how you’re doing and if you want to dive down or go back up.  After what felt like 2 minutes, my guide grabbed my hand and pulled me under the boat and out towards the reef.  I had just about 10 seconds to notice what looked like a giant fluid wall of thousands of fish in between the boat and the reef.  It was absolutely stunning.

Other than that, only the pictures can truly explain what scuba diving down there was like, and beyond that, I hope you get to scuba dive yourself some day!  I personally think there are lots of places in the world where scuba diving would be comparable to the Great Barrier Reef, but that being said, if you are at the reef, you should try to scuba dive.  I wasn’t under water for more than about 20 minutes, and I unfortunately didn’t see any sharks or sea turtles L  Got some really great photos though!  The underwater photographer even had a trick with a plastic bottle where she squeezed it (not sure if it had food in it or it just made a specific noise) and caused a bunch of fish to swim right up to it in front of our faces while she took photos!  My mom’s friend Leslie and I both got to scuba dive! Also, my mom & I snorkeled together for about an hour, and that was fantastic.  It really is a whole other world down there below the surface of the water.

Day 3: Whitehaven Beach

The last fully day at Whitsundays was bittersweet.  Mom and I chose to go to Whitehaven Beach on the Cruise Whitsundays boat again, but just for a half day this time. Everyone says to go there, and with good reason!  The 7km stretch of beach on the edge of Whitsunday Island (the biggest island in that region) has THE whitest and finest sand in the world.  It’s something you have to see to believe.  The boat ride out there took 3 hours, including passing by many of the islands and quickly stopping at a few (Hamilton and Daydream) just long enough to stand up and snap a picture.  We both get sea sick, but the ride, much like the one the day before, was very smooth and relaxing!  The tour we chose to Whitehaven was $99 per person.  It’s indicative of most things in Whitsundays: expensive but totally worth it!!!

BIG tip if you do ever go to Whitehaven Beach (or just a funny occurrence that had my mom and I rolling in the sand laughing.)  When we pulled up to Whitehaven, we were really hungry, so I figured I’d ask one of the crew members where the closest restaurant would be.  I didn’t see any clear pathways in between the trees, and we didn’t want to waste any minute of our 2 precious hours on the beach getting lost.

Me: “Excuse me, where’s the closest place to get lunch?”

Girl: “Oh there’s no food here.”

*Mom & I laugh*

Girl: “No really.  It’s a national park.  There’s no commercial anything here.  You can’t buy or sell anything.  That’s what makes it a national park and preserves it as a place that’s so untouched.”

While this tidbit of info is quite amazing and made us appreciate the place even more, it certainly didn’t make our hunger any less.  We quickly grabbed some sandwiches and Snickers bars from the boat concession stand before we stepped down the ramp into the turquoise blue water.  Thank God for those little sandwiches or we would not have been very happy on the beach!

Wish somebody would have given me that little nugget of wisdom before we made the trek out to Whitehaven, but, like I said, totally worth it.  The best thing ever was when my skin and hair still felt super soft a couple days after being on the beach.

PS we saw a HUGE lizard in the woods next to the beach.  Of course neither of us had a camera at that moment, but I guarantee you this dark iguana-looking thing with yellow spots could have attacked us if he wanted to.  Good thing he spared us so we could enjoy our last hour of sunshine and clear water on that spectacular sand.

BACK TO BRISBANE

After such a great whirlwind trip, Mom and I enjoyed Brisbane and relaxed a lot.  Four days were filled with ferry rides, some good drinks, chocolatey desserts, and of course, MORE koalas and kangaroos.  I’m tellin ya, that yearly pass at Lone Pine really pays off.  One of my favorite parts of this week was holding a koala with my mom and snapping a selfie, and then feeling a mama kangaroo while watching her little joey pop out of the pouch and hop around.  I couldn’t be happier that my mom got to experience all of this with me.  THANKS MOM AND DAD J

FLYING IN TO SPRING BREAK…

I’m not skipping school, I’m just on break right now! It’s not spraaang break here, because it’s currently summer turning into autumn. However, it’s not called fall break either. Most schools have this time off because it coincides with Easter, but it’s actually called “mid-sem” or mid-semester break.  Which is hilarious because I’ve only been in school for a month. Congrats, UQ, on giving me the strangest semester ever.  If only every semester at USC could be like this, with a well-deserved week break after only 4 weeks of class J

For this part of break, I’m going to Canberra, (for you Americans, it’s the Washington, DC of Australia) where I’m visiting my friends Max and Phil from camp! I’m really looking forward to a fun-filled 24 hours (yup, I’m only there for 24 hours) of sight-seeing, new food, and catching up with my friends.  Then I’ll take a 3 hour bus back to Sydney, spend 2 days there with Siobhan and Haley, and then we’ll hop over to the South Island of New Zealand for our road trip!  Eeep I’ve never been on a road trip like this before.

COMING SOON…

I’ll tell you all about my first visit to Canberra and Sydney!  (Super excited even though I’m bummed that P Sherman 42 Wallaby Way, Sydney does not exist)  Then, you’ll hear lots of stories and see breathtaking photos of New Zealand (that is, if we survive! ;)) !

Thanks for sticking with me, and g’day to everyone back home and around the world!

Be Excellent.

xoxo

Jo Jo

A Career in Koala Cuddling

[Disclaimer: I'm not actually adding a major in "Koala Cuddling." Maybe in another life.  But for now, I'll just use my yearly membership at Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary to pretend I am a koala keeper and spend as much time with the Aussie animals as possible.]

As you may have guessed, the day we spent at the koala sanctuary was absolutely spectacular.  I'll give you a run through of the day.  ( If YOU ever visit Brisbane or study abroad in Australia, pay attention to the red TIPS. If not, then you can just skim over those or read them for fun :) )

Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary

Saturday, March 12 aka the best day of my life. (ok, one of the best)

8am: wake up and pack my bag with disposable camera, phone & charger, water bottle, & sunscreen

8:30am: get on the bus to Fig Tree Pocket, the stop for the koala sanctuary

(TIP: make sure you get 9 bus swipes before the day that you go visit the koalas so you'll have a free ride.  It's about the same price as a ride to UQ from our house, but it's just nice to have free rides & not worry about it for the day)

couldn't contain our excitement!!!

9:15am: arrive at Lone Pine and take my dorky picture for my new photo ID

(TIP: if there's a good chance you'll go to the sanctuary more than once during your time in Aus, just go ahead and get the yearly pass.  Buy online at koala.net to save more! As a student, a one day ticket is $21 but a yearly pass is $44, and all your accompanying guests get 20% off!)

9:30am: straight to the koala cuddling. It's literally called Koala Cuddling on the map.  The only thing that's annoying is you have to pay to get a photo taken in order to hold the koalas... which obviously I deemed well worth it.  I got my friends to take pictures and videos while the actual photographer was taking fancier pics of me and my new friend.  I wish they would've let me hold him all day!!! (It really does not last long at all, so enjoy spending time with your new furry friend for about 1 minute and get as many pictures as possible, because the trainer will take it back much quicker than you think.)

What you actually see a lot.

What you think you'll see constantly.

10am: collect our hilariously awkward yet ridiculously adorable koala photos from the gift shop.  Purchase kangaroo food to feed the kangaroos (obviously)

(ALSO a good reason to buy the annual pass.  A bag of kangaroo food is usually $2 but with a pass it's 50 cents!)

10:05am: wander through the wildlife area and gaze in awe at the countless kangaroos.  Pet them, feed them, take a selfie, and repeat!

(TIP: wear clothes & shoes you don't mind getting dirty. I stepped in much more kangaroo poop than I care to know about, and if you want to be really touristy and lay down and take a picture with the kangaroos--why would you not?!--then there's a good chance you'll get dirt, grass, and possibly poop on your clothes as well.)

11am: (or whenever you finish hanging out with your new favorite Australian friends) check out the other exhibits.  Walk around and find the platypus, Tasmanian devils, dingos, a variety of gorgeous birds, and of course, the chubbiest wombat you will ever meet.

Rest of the day: look at the map and itinerary and choose which shows you want to go to.  Some options are the Wildlife Encounter, Dingo Walk, and Sheepdog/sheep shearing show.  We just picked the wildlife encounter because it was the shortest and worked best for what time we were there.

After one of the shows, called Wildlife Encounter, we decided to go to the top of Mt Coot-tha (about a 5 min drive) for a stunning view of Brisbane.  We were excited about hiking, until we realized how tired we already were, so we opted for driving to the summit and taking more time to relax and soak in the view.  There was even a wedding in the pavilion at the top!  Such a good spot.

We could even some UQ from here.

We had such a fun day! Love these pals.

I hope you go to Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary some day or another zoo where you can hold koalas and pet kangaroos.  There's nothing quite like it.

For now, enjoy this photo of me and my unnamed koala buddy, and start planning your trip to Australia ;)

Be Excellent (or be a koala)

xoxo Jo Jo

                      

paradise.

PS I found yet another good hammock spot.  Orleigh Park which is a 20 min walk from my house! It's on the river across from Toowong (just another suburb/bar restaurant area) and you can constantly watch ferries and kayaks and jetskis gliding down the river. Also, there's never a shortage of people and dogs running down the river path.  A great choice when I miss my puppies and I need my animal-fix for the day.  However, it's not a place I would just sit and lay in the grass like the Horseshoe... there are SO many ants.  EVERYWHERE.

legs or hot dogs?

Here's a photo from a few days ago, where I read and chilled in my hammock at sunset.

Ok, bye until next time!

Every Day I'm Amazed

First Beach Trip

This past weekend, a bunch of my housemates and I went to Byron Bay.  It's only two hours away, and it's the perfect beach to go for the weekend.

(would definitely recommend Backpacker's Inn on the Beach! Great location & price.)  

Three days were filled with sun, sand, and salt water.  And plenty of adorable dogs playing in the waves.  And LOTS of peanut butter sandwiches.  It's "so American" as I've been told over and over... but it was delicious, and the ease and convenience of eating peanut butter every day gave me an excuse not to cook for the weekend.  

The girls (Siobhan, Haley, Erin & MaryBeth)

and our Australian pal, Aaron, strolling down the beach

after a long day in the sun.

One side of the view from our walk up to the lighthouse.

After an hour walk, we made it to the top of the hill where the lighthouse is.

This is called Cape Byron, the eastern-most point on the continent.

...And we were very happy despite the long walk! Made it in plenty of time to watch the sunset.

We were probably judged for using our selfie stick, but all the other tourists had them, too.

"The cure for anything is salt water: sweat, tears, and the SEA."

The first night in town, we gathered our big, crazy international crew and went to a paint party at one of the clubs.  Our night was, by far, one of my favorite nights out so far.  Something about paint, good music, and dancing always make a night better, especially when all 3 are combined.

Part of our group... looking sunburnt, but very clean, pre-paint.

Duuuude... Totally.

I did not end up snorkeling with the sea turtles (I'll save that for another day) but I did go surfing. 

The feeling of laying out on a board (after not surfing for years), bobbing up and down in the waves, and trying to catch waves was absolutely marvelous.  I barely stood up 10 times in 2 hours, and really only completed a full ride half of those times, but I could not have been happier.  Also, I luckily made it back to shore without a single injury (or shark bite.)

I'm really glad I took advantage of a couple hours to go do something by myself, get some exercise, and try to feel like a surf pro, even though I'm far from it.  The sunburnt back and sore shoulders were more than worth it.  I can't wait to go again soon... and the best part is, I know I'll have plenty of chances to do so.

Our weekend ended perfectly with some of the best gelato I've had in awhile, and a nice nap in the best hammock spot I could find.  (I was so relaxed, in fact, that when Erin & MaryBeth tapped me on the shoulder to wake me up, I freaked out & almost rolled out of my hammock.)

You may have seen the video I posted on Facebook,

but I thought I should update the world on my magical discovery.

If I move to Australia someday, this will be on my list of reasons why.

Constantly Amazed

Every day I walk around Brisbane, (or the other places we travel) I am consistently amazed.  I'm in awe of the fact that I am here at all.  Walking around campus in the midst of thousands of other students, surrounded by nature, animals, and beautiful weather fills me with so much joy.  It's been rainy this week, but that doesn't dampen my mood one bit.  I rode the ferry back today at sunset just because.  Any time I take a bus home from the city, I pass all the colorful lights of the city and the Wheel of Brisbane, all glowing on the river and reminding me why I chose to come to this awesome country.

On Sunday evening, I went to mass at a cathedral in the city.  I chose a different church than the one I went to last time, ya know, just to mix things up.  It's in a cool location, and it's gorgeous!  Another perfect example of why it's always worth a try to look for something interesting or unexpected to do, and never stop exploring.

It was so fun to go to a church where they had

all the doors & windows open the entire time.

Missing Home but Not Homesick

I've never really been one to get homesick.  I guess I owe that blessing to being a triplet, going to camp every summer, and then heading off to college out of state.  For those reasons, I don't get homesick, and I'm very lucky.

Luke sent me a snapchat of my babies sitting

on my bed with all the clothes I left.

I guess they miss me :)

I definitely miss my family and friends at home.  I say that all the time.  I miss my bed, and my parents' cooking, and my dogs... but being here is 110% worth missing all that stuff.  Every day makes me happy, grateful, and simply awestruck at my surroundings and my new temporary life.

Thanks for reading my super cheesy post, amigos.

Check back soon because MOM IS VISITING next week!

We all know that'll be quite the adventure, and I'm looking forward to it so much!

Lots of love to all my pals on SPRAAANG BREAKKK.  Next time you see my blog, hopefully there will be pictures of me with mom... and some pictures of me with a koala! :)

Be Excellent.

xoxo

Jo Jo

Week 2: Aussie Update

If this is the first time you've read my blog, WELCOME!   I hope you enjoy it.

If you're a loyal follower and have been reading every week, THANKS. You're a champ. And you'll probably be VERY pleased to know that this post will be MUCH shorter than the others have been.  I'll do an Aussie Update every once in awhile, and it'll not only save you a bunch of reading but allow me more time to go do fun stuff! And to nap :)

There's a time for Adventures...

The sailing trip last weekend was awesome!!  I learned how to pull the sails and steer the boat, and I even did a trapeze off the side! Trust me, it's not as scary as it sounds.  Watch this video, and imagine me doing that, but not with the same outcome.  See?  Easy and safe.

The day trip was basically a party on the bay where we could hang out and get a tan, sail boats across the open water, and walk over on a sand bar to a small island!

King Island in Wellington Point, 45 mins outside Brisbane

Once we got there and explored, we could see a full 360 of the small city around us. It was STUNNING.  Definitely not the prettiest beach I've ever been to, and it was more of a park/grassy area to lay out on than a sandy beach, but it was perfect for the trip.

Before the trip, some of the local students had said "This beach is kind of ugly, but we'll have fun."  Well if THAT's an ugly beach, I can't wait to see a pretty one. (and I will this weekend! Heading to Byron Bay, which I've heard amazing things about!)

Shout out the the guy who happened to be doing a handstand when I took this photo.

Maybe in another life I'll own a sailboat somewhere.

For now, I'll just try a little bit of everything.

...And there's a time to rest... 

My room is all cozy now after I did a little straightening up and decorating, and I'm so happy to have a clean desk where I can do homework (well, I'll try), plan my travels & Facetime my friends & family.

Not my super comfy double bed from home, but it'll do!

As much as I'd love to go out and explore all day and then stay up late all the time, 

I can't do that whole "sleep when you're dead thing."  So it's important I have a good nap place :)

I've gotta admit, I'm still automatically waking up before 7am every day, but at least I'm starting to fall back asleep normally.  The great thing is, my room is very comfy and I've finally made it more homey, so it's about as close as it's gonna get to feeling like a normal bedroom.

The best part of having some chill time this week has been putting up my PICTURES! As you can tell, I brought a LOT.  Thank you Shutterfly :)

FIND YOURSELF!

Congrats if you made it 2, 3, or even 4 times! You're very special.

I sent my mom a picture of all these photos hung up, and she said they look great and will give me lots of reasons to want to come back home... I'll have to remember that when I consider moving here. Oh wait, I've already done that.

In all seriousness, I'm DEFINITELY coming back to the US in July and then finishing university at USC, of course.  But, living in Australia has become more of a real possibility.  Anything can happen.

Check back next week to see if I've finally held a koala and if I find a new perfect hammock spot.

Be Excellent.

xoxo

Jo Jo