Easter Break

As far as intermissions go, that may have been the longest one ever. It was less of an intermission and more like leaving the theatre, discussing which show to see next, ordering your tickets, waiting for them to be delivered, and then going to a completely other show. You may have actually done that in the time it took for me to update.

I'm sorry to keep you waiting, but there have been plenty of things going on around here. I have only a day until I pack up again and leave for Tasmania. I'll be there for 5 days, exploring the apparently harsh Tasmanian countryside. I was told that it is exceptionally easy to get lost and die in the more remote areas of Tassie, so luckily we are basing ourselves in Hobart and making day trips out from there. It's funny though, when I was younger, I always had this notion that Tasmania was incredibly remote and out of the way. My, what a bright child I was. Spot on. Although most Australians speak highly of the beauty of Tasmania, they have a completely different view on the inhabitants. While renting shoes for my white water rafting trip (We'll get to that later), I was told that they are "$4. Works out to be 40 cents a toe, unless you're from Tasmania."

Easter Break was incredible. I had a few life altering experiences, met some great people, had second thoughts about my future career choice, and saw the biggest spider ever. We departed Melbourne for Brisbane, and landed late at night. We grabbed a taxi and headed to our hostel. In the morning, Donald, Jeff, and I went out to explore Brisbane with no real plan in our heads. I loved being in Brisbane, because I knew that my dad had been there long ago and I could imagine how it had changed since then. Well, I can tell you that all the dinosaurs have died, and there is now a modern city there.

Brisbane is incredibly clean, and it's architecture interestingly contrasts itself. There are heaps of old cathedrals (St. John's was amazing) and churches with a backdrop of modern skyscrapers dotting the city. We met up with Rachael and Lauren and went on a bus tour of the city that took us to some nice vantage points over Brisbane. We also visited the town hall and art museum. It was the first time that I stood there and actually read the placards and analyzed the art. For the most part, it was pretty fascinating. That night, we took Donald to a restaurant for his birthday. We had a very nice dinner with an expensive bottle of wine, of which I enjoyed greatly. Soon after we left the restaurant, we all agreed that it was pretty strange that we were doing the same thing that our parents would do for someone's birthday. I guess it was good though, because most people our age would head straight to the clubs and wake up the next morning completely broke and regretting something that they can't even remember they did the night before.

Although we could still remember our lovely evening the night before, we still woke up broke. We set out in a money-saving state of mind. We met up with Rachael and Lauren again and went to the Roma City Park. Truthfully, it was one of my favorite spots we visited on our whole trip. It had sprawling green fields (something I hadn't seen in quite a while) and beautiful winding gardens filled with odd plants of assorted colors. We spent all day there just wandering around. We also had a run in with some extremely dangerous playground equipment. They had a simple premise, they were a rotating pole with a seat at the bottom. As one person sits on the seat, another spins the pole. It doesn't look bad, but the person sitting on the seat is spun at incredible speeds, causing their brain to be pressed against the occipital side of their skull. This, in turn, causes erratic movements of the eyes, dizzyness, and a severe disability to function properly for several hours thereafter. We had pretty much discovered an entirely new drug, and it was absolutely free.

--------------------
I have to go do some homework, but I'll finish updating again in a few hours.

Still to come:

Surfer's Paradise
Australia Zoo
Port Douglas (including reef diving and rainforest walks)
Cairns (with white water rafting)

Intermission

I am leaving for Brisbane tonight at 9:15. I still have a little more packing to do and I have to finish an assignment before I leave, but for the most part, I'm ready. During all the preparations I was doing to book flights and hostels for break, I felt like I was back at home getting ready to leave for Australia. It is by far the worst part, but I will most likely be rewarded with an amazing holiday.

Over the past few days, pretty much all I've been doing is getting ready for break. I'm getting pretty excited about it, after reading about Cairns and Brisbane in Bill Bryson's In a Sunburned Country. If you've never read it (which you probably haven't, Australia isn't one of the most popular topics in America, it's kind of tucked away and forgotten about) and have an interest in learning about Australia in an informal and entertaining way, I'd highly recommend that you read it.

I won't be able to update for the next few weeks, but I may be able to get online at some point and check comments and add a few of my own. I've been fighting valiantly with the internet and adding photos all morning, so hopefully I'll be able to get another 10 or 15 up. I'm sure I'll take no less than 1500 more on this trip, and I wish I could put them all up for you to see.

Wish me luck!