I’ve been putting off the writing of this post for two reasons: 1. It seems nearly impossible to summarize four of the most incredible weeks of my life into one post, and 2. Creating a summary of this trip would make me come to terms with the sad truth that the holiday is actually over. I’ve been in denial for far too long, hoping I could magically teleport back “down under,” but now that it’s been almost four weeks since my return, my heart must accept what my brain has been trying to tell me. So here’s my attempt at encapsulating the most incredible experience into one post: thanks for reading.Back in December I was lucky enough to have dinner with one of my best friends, Ali, when she mentioned that she would be traveling with her friend Kathryn to Australia. The three of us had gone on a school trip together in 2009, (and I’m not sure if I invited myself along, or if they invited me) but we somehow decided that the trio should reunite for Australia 2014. As the trip approached and it came time to pack for our four-week vacation, I was suddenly filled with anxiety: I had traveled far away from home, but never THIS far. I also knew that Kathryn was an incredibly sweet girl, but that was about all that I knew of her- we didn’t even exchange phone numbers until we arrived at the airport. However, after just a few short days on the trip I realized that all of my worrying had been foolish and proceeded to have quite possibly the most amazing four weeks of my life.We started our trip in Cairns, an adorable, small town. The weather was in the 70s, which we thought was amazing for “winter” (although, we were fooled. As we traveled south, it became increasingly colder) Cairns (pronounced “cans”) was the perfect place to begin our journey. We caught beautiful glimpses of the water as we walked around town to various restaurants along the main road. We spent one day taking a cable car over the rainforest. We also took a boat excursion to the Great Barrier Reef to snorkel. The boat we were on was not the most welcoming to people with weak sea legs, so I put my head down on the table to listen to music while a good third of the boat lost their lunch. At first we were flattered that the hot boat staff took such an interest in “Team Texas,” as the deemed us, but in hindsight, I think they were taking bets on which one of us would be sick first.As some of you may know by now, yes, I did go skydiving, and no, I did not tell my mom until after the fact. Skydiving was something on my bucKIT list that I planned on doing only once. Unfortunately for my mom, I now plan on going many more times in the future. It was the most exhilarating experience of my life. (However, for those of you that are aware of how uncoordinated I am, the gracefulness of my landing was less than stellar. I fell down and took the tandem jumper with me, seeing as our harnesses were still attached.)Following Cairns we went to Brisbane. To be honest, had we not been visiting Ali and Kathryn’s friend, the stop would not have been worth it. The woman at the front desk was simply atrocious, and now we can’t help but to laugh at the situation. She seemed to be anti-teenager, anti-American, anti-talking, anti-asking questions, and anti-fun. We weren’t even causing trouble. We’d quietly walk into the hotel, and smile politely. One day we even had the audacity to ask for a Wi-Fi code, so we could talk to our parents. Oh my god, you’d think we had asked her to kill a puppy, she rudely glared at us and rolled her eyes. We took the high rode, ignored her, and nicknamed her “That bitch, Maureen.” But, anyway, back to Brisbane. The city itself would be great for residents, but leaves much to be desired for tourists. We did have the sweetest local showing us around, and she took us to a delicious restaurant and a really cool local food market. We also spent our Fourth of July there at a bar called “Down Under.” We met some interesting characters and had a rather fun night.Our next stop was the Gold Coast. It was simply beautiful- some place I’d definitely want to return to during summer. Our time there was pretty uneventful but relaxing: we ordered in Thai food (twice), watched movies (not Twilight… okay, maybe Twilight), and I pierced my tragus. We did go to a wildlife sanctuary one day, and we CUDDLED KOALAS. Can you think of anything cuter?!Following the Gold Coast, we went to Sydney where our many touristy activities began. We did the bridge climb, which was absolutely incredible (and it didn’t hurt that our guide was a young, attractive Australian guy. Although, he kept walking by at the most awkward parts of our conversation) We also went to the zoo, wax museum, and aquarium. Ali and Kathryn introduced me to more of their friends, and we had a great time together. Fun facts for any Australians in Sydney: 1. The hottest guy works at the aquarium in the touch-pool zone. 2. There’s this magical restaurant that only hires gorgeous Italian men. Yes, I took a photo with one of the waiters.We went to Canberra for about two days, and that was too long. We wanted to see the capital of Australia, but honestly- there isn’t much to see there. I still had a lovely time with my friends, but it was a very uneventful stop.Our next stop was Wagga Wagga, where I met more of Ali and Kathryn’s sweet friends. When most of the Australians we talked to heard that we were going to Wagga Wagga, they’d all reply the same thing: “Why?” Well, we were going to visit friends, and we had a great time doing so. Although for a typical tourist, this stop would probably not be on your radar and wouldn’t need to be. We had a great time spending time with our lovely hosts and buying some amazing merchandise that says “Wagga Wagga”- a great conversation starter.Our second to last stop was in Melbourne. I think this is when I realized that our trip was nearing an end and started the annoying calls to my parents. I seriously think I called them twice a day, every day, asking if I could extend my stay. Melbourne was a really neat place with a cool market for shopping and tons of laneways for food. You’d walk down a busy street and head down a random side street only to be bombarded by different restaurants offering discounts if you eat there. It was a great way to get a few free cocktails ;) In Melbourne I met more of Ali and Kathryn’s friends- honestly, I have never met nicer people than the entire crew I met in Australia. I didn’t meet anyone that I didn’t like (except for “That Bitch Maureen.”)Our final stop was Perth. This is when we had to start dealing with the difficult questions: 1. Did we really need to leave? 2. Would our suitcases be TOO heavy? 3. How many jars of Vegemite should we bring home? I met more Australians in Perth and even caught up with an old friend from high school (in a night which may or may not have led to on-stage mud wrestling.)Unfortunately, after four weeks of shenanigans, it was time to head back home. After an awful 15 hour flight, which consisted of an aggressive woman kicking my seat with such force that I could no longer recline, we arrived back in the states.While I’d love to share all of the anecdotes from the trip, there are far too many to type here, and this post is already quite long. Obviously there’s quite a bit that I’ve left out. If you want to hear about dancing in the street, riding an emu, a hot wombat caretaker named Jet, or an “I <3 Kebabs” tattoo, please don’t hesitate to contact me.
