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.
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 16th, 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.
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 JFLYING 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
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