Not all those who wander are lost.

So I am coming to the end of my travels… but don’t worry! I am going to take some time when I get back to the states to recap on EVERYTHING I have not documented (there’s a lot).  I thought I would leave you with a taste on what you have been missing out on though…so here you go.

Also I have come to the conclusion after all my travels that as beautiful as the places you may travel to are they’re really only as beautiful as the people themselves.  I am so grateful to have traveled to some of the most beautiful places in the world and to have meet even more beautiful, kind, generous, and loving people…this was truly a trip of a life time, and I most definitely do not want my traveling to end here. And trust me it won’t.  But it is definitely time to go home and be with my family and friends, and all the people who I love and have missed these past four months. See you all very soon! :)

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—The Head and the Heart - Lost In My Mind

Thunderstorms, Vanilla chai, and my blanket.  It may be spring in Australia but it feels like fall, and home :)  So sad I will be missing out on all my favorite fall festivities: carving pumpkins, baking pumpkin seeds, baking pumpkin pie, “running” the Turkey trot, and chowing down on monkey bread while being brutally interrogated by the family ( haha just kidding…)

Anyyyyways, all that aside, I am still alive and loving it here!

Posts about Straddie SOON! 

p.s. can someone mail me a burrito?? 

HEY MOM!

I know you and dad are in Yosemite right now so I can’t skype you…and I kind of forgot my phone on this trip…but just wanted to let you know (If you’re reading this) that I hope you have a fantastic birthday!!!! And I know you will!! Happy 25th birthday(cough cough…) haha! Love you!!!

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—ISRAEL 'IZ' KAMAKAWIWO'OLE - SOMWHERE OVER THE RAINBOW

Whitsunday Islands! Aka heaven on earth :)  This was by far one of THE greatest weekends of my life…and some of the most beautiful beaches that I have ever been to :)  First stop was Whitehaven beach, where the sand is made of pure silica and is some of the softest sand on earth! As I emerged from the trail that lead to this beach I was blinded by the intensity of this white sand, it was as white as snow! Once there I proceeded to polish my jewelry and teeth and exfoliate(haha).  In addition to this amazing sand was crystal clear turquoise  water where we saw rays and dozens of fish.  Later that evening we had dinner on board while watching the sunset.  The next day our captain took us to Hook Island where we got to snorkel and scuba dive.  The reefs were beautiful, although you could tell they were degraded and were even more spectacular at one point.  I saw massive corals, staghorn coral, brain corals, and so many more of various shapes and colors.  I saw jellies, turtles, wrasses, and rays…and a lot of the fish were the size of my arm span or bigger.  Probably the most exciting thing that I came across was a pair of buffalo parrot fish.  They were the size of small children and had massive beaks which easily plucked off chunks of coral the size of my finger.  The water ended up being colder than we had all thought and we ended up sunbathing the rest of the day.  We had dinner again that night while watching the sunset and celebrated our last night aboard with a glass of wine.  The next day our captain took us to another good dive spot and we spent the day snorkeling and exploring the shallow waters around this sand bar.   We spent our last night in a hostel on Airlie Beach and although I got bedbugs this trip was completely worthwhile and definitely one I will never forget.  I have no doubt in my mind that I will be returning in the future :)

Whitsunday Islands (cont’d)

Whitsunday Islands 

I am falling in love…

With Australia :) Except it’s kind of a love/hate relationship.  I love the people, the trees, the sky, the animals, the ocean, the sun, the colors, and the smells…except I hate that everyone I love is so far away from here. 

I guess my last post was right before Lamington, so I’ll try and start from there but there is so much to talk about so I’ll see how far I get.

To give you a feel of what it was like, just think Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.  I wandered around the rainforest of Australia for four days, running into snakes, giant spiders, leeches, and ticks.  There were thunderstorms, beautiful sunrises, waterfalls, and pademelons( please google this because they are the cutest animals ever!)  My professor John Hall amazed all of us again with his lectures and bushwalks.  We walked at least 12 kilometers a day, climbed some more rocks, and swung from vines. Yep, that is pretty much Lamington in a nutshell…oh yea and of course we could not leave Lamington without eating Lamingtons! Our professor ended up surprising us by taking us to Gold Coast for the day, which was the first time I ever stepped foot on an Australian beach. It felt so nice to be back near the ocean after three weeks without it, and this is when I started to not just like Australia…but love it :)

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—Zee Avi - Swell Window

Sorry guys!

I realize how bad I have been with this thing! I’m trying, I swear! Hmmm where to start? Well, I have been sick for a while now, which isn’t too fun because I got to miss out on cool stuff like lectures from Steve Irwin’s best friend, river fire, rock climbing, the beach etc. But that is all ok because tomorrow I am going to LAMINGTION NATIONAL PARK (Binna Burra)!! Haha I wasn’t in lecture at all this week but apparently this is the place where they got the inspiration for Ferngully…a movie I am pretty sure I watched as a kid, but I honestly don’t remember it( but it’s ok because we are most likely going to watch it on the bus ride there!)  Anywayssss if it was the inspiration for this movie I am assuming it is going to be beautiful, but I really don’t think there is a place in Australia that isn’t. I am excited though because this time there will be a real campfire and thus all the fun campfire-y things that go along with that.  Oh and we are also staying in cabins….yea, lame, I know but at least I won’t get any more sick.  

Well that’s about it for now, much more updates and pictures to come. I am considering getting a flickr, and probably will when I am not so lazy, so all of you folks back home can see ALL of my pictures :) 

Love and miss all of you!

P.s. Grandma, when I get to it, make sure you take a look at the photos I took of the australian football players ;) haha

Only in australia will you wake up with kangaroos outside your tent :) We went to Girraween National Park for four days. Here are a few snapshots.  Basically it was beautiful, very cold, but beautiful.  We did some rock climbing, swimming, and star gazing.  I would have to say that the star gazing was my favorite part, the sky was so clear it was almost as if you could reach up and grab the stars from out of the sky!