The Good Life

April 23rd

Decided on Star City Casino, the only operating casino in New South Wales, and the 2nd largest in all of Australia after one in Melbourne. All the gaurds were quite intimidating at the entrance and all around. The floor was massive and filled with a majority of Asian tourists. I don't remember ever going to a casino with actual card tables. It is insane how quickly people win and lose money, and how much they bet each time. I saw one guy drop about 80 Australian dollars in chips and it was gone in a second. I like to feel control in my own fate, thank you. So I didn't bet anything, but Zach ended 15 dollars up, and my other friend, Casey, ended 3 dollars up.

On the walk back through Darling Harbour we passed street performers and establishment after establishment. Gazing into the playful water with its slight glimmer of reflective light, I could hardly wonder how I'll ever leave this chapter in my life...

Jono

Fish and Fairy Floss

April 16th

One of my favourite views of the
ANZAC (Australia and New Zealand Army Corps) Bridge
from a secluded park

Ended up walking all the way from Newtown to the Sydney Fish Market in Pyrmont, a 40 minute walk. The Sydney Fish Market is the largest in the southern hemisphere. Every weekday there is a large auction of fish. The fish for all the restaurants in Sydney, and beyond first go through this market.

Outside the Sydney Fish Market

Following the fish market, I met up with a few people at Circular Quay (Circulay 'key'), a central transportation hub in Sydney, where we all decided to walk across the Harbour Bridge.

Sandra walking through the Fish Market

It was not as bad of a walk as I thought it would be, as it only took about 15 minutes. Luna Park was our final destination, right on the side of the bridge. The entrance to the park is marketed by a humongous (and dodgy) smiley face that is modeled after the creepy face at Coney Island. Within the park is also the oldest operating fun house in the entire world.

The Harbour Bridge with Luna Park beneath

The park is very small with only a handful of rides. Still, it reminded me of many other carnivals, and the fun times I've had at them in the past. I only rode one ride, because it was a whopping ten dollars a ride. I mostly just walked about and took in the sights.

Creepy smiley face

It's pretty cool to see a ferris wheel operating with the picturesque view of the Harbour Bridge in the background and the rest of the harbour as well.

While taking in the picturesque view, I ate fairy floss. Fairy floss is what Aussies call cotton candy. The floss really completed the experience! Tomorrow I am going to Star City Casino, the 2nd largest casino in Australia.

Keep it level!


Jono

The Great Barrier Reef

April 6th

Stinger gear to protect from jellyfish stings while snorkeling

Great Barrier Reef today! Took a shuttle to the CBD of Cairns where the marina is for our departure.

Passions of Paradise in the harbour

The boat we embarked on, Passions of Paradise, was a medium sized sail/motor boat. We went to the front for departure, but it ended up getting really turbulent once we left the bay, so I decided to move to the back. At this point I was starting to feel rather sick from all the choppiness. After a terrible hour and a half of seasickness, we arrived at a small secluded island with part of the Great Barrier Reef lying right off the coast.

Michaelmas Cay, our first stop on the reef, black spots in the water are part of the reef

After taking a glass bottomed boat across to the island we geared up with stinger gear, fins, and snorkel. The reef was miraculous. Schools of fish swam by, string rays rested in the sand down below, fish went inside and outside of small holes in the reef, and strange clam like creatures breathed in and out. Just like Finding Nemo. We were not allowed to step on the reef, as it takes thousands of years to rebuild any part of the reef that breaks off.

Fish feeding off the side of the boat

Boarding the boat again, we left for another reef, this time in the middle of the ocean. The fish in this one were much bigger. There were sharks even about!

Basically what I saw while snorkeling

One lunch and two hours later, and we were back in Cairns.

Keep it level!


Jono

P.S. Did not have an underwater camera, unfortunately, but any photo you look up on google are similar to what the GBR looked like up close for me. Time to fly back to Sydney where I will have to write 3 essays and study for a midterm.

Video
fish feeding

AJ Hackett Bungy Jumping

April 5th

What an extreme day! There are tribes on the island of Vanuatu that test their manhood by jumping off large towers after tying vines to their legs. AJ Hackett saw this practice on TV, and decided to make a sport out of it, starting in New Zealand. He jumped from many locales including the Eiffel Tower, after which he got arrested. Today, he has set up several towers throughout the world to bungy off of.

Tower from below

The one I am jumping off today is the first purpose built bungy jumping site in the world. It is set within the tropical Australian Rainforest in Smithfield, a town near Cairns. It is 50 metres high or 164 feet. The tower at AJ Hackett is built over an artificial pool. To get to the top we had to climb many steps. At the top we witnessed the rain forest more vividly, as well as the ocean in the distance.

View from the top with ocean in the distance

I was the 2nd one to go after Erin and before Zach. As they strapped me up my heart pounded like a billion drums. I tried to keep my nervousness down and just jump. I waddled to the edge of the platform, waved, and heard the instructor count down.

5...4...3...2...1... I plunged forward and extended my hands. The platform seemed to stay next to me for a bit too long before gravity took hold and hurdled me towards the ground. I felt all the fluids in my body slosh around and saw rain droplets evenly falling with me, as if still. Less than 4 seconds later, but what felt like minutes, and my body was half submerged underwater. Afterwords I bounced up and down and coiled upwards. Reaching out my hands, I was pulled in by a man on a boat who pulled me in and unattached me from the bungy cord.


Zach and I decided to go a 2nd time (for some crazy reason), this time backwards! For this we were certified as hardcore bungy jumpers. Next time I go bungy jumping I can ride a BMX bike off the platform if I so choose!

Videos of my 2 jumps (video quality suffered a lot in upload)

jump 1
jump 2


Keep it level!


Jono

The Daintree Rainforest

April 3rd

Wet Jono feeds wet Joey

Yesterday we flew into the small town of Cairns (pronounced like Cannes), near where the highest concentrated amount of rain occurs in the world. We arrived really late yesterday. Our lodging is Njoy, a youth hostel near central Cairns. Zach, Erin, and I were in a 4 bed room with one other person. It was the strangest thing rooming with someone we didn't know. We are staying right near the Central Business District of Cairns (CBD) but that is not saying much. It is a small town of only about 120,000 that is very spread out. Quite the change from Sydney's 4.4 million.

Rain in the rain forest? No way.

We woke up early today for our journey into the Daintree Rainforest. After picking up everyone (1 U.K., 3 Swedes, 4 Irish, and 3 Americans), we began the scenic drive along the coast with the rain forest on the left and ocean on the right.

Petting a python

After an hour we stopped at the rainforest wildlife habitat, an open air zoo of sorts. Our tour group received a private presentation where we got to pet a crocodile, snakes, and a koala. Afterwords we went to an enclosure with kangaroos and wallaby and fed them food from our hands. One wallaby propped itself up on me with its tiny little claws while eating from my hand.

Crocodile and python

Half an hour later were were in the Daintree Rainforest at the Mossman Gorge. It rained all day so the rapids were simply swelling. On the walkabout we learned that not only can trees in this area pee on you, but they can actually sting you. If you brush up against these particular trees tiny glass particles get embedded in your skin and cause horrible pain.

Petting a koala

A few cassowary (the most dangerous bird in the world) crossing signs later on the bus, and we were near the Daintree River about to take a Daintree river cruise. We were slatted for an after lunch river cruise at 1 PM.

Mossman Gorge

It was still showering and the Daintree River was a hazy brown swelling bathtub of muck. Luckily we were in the boat, and not swimming in crocodile infested waters. As we made our epic journey in our motor propelled boat, I felt like I was in a discovery channel special. We did not come across any humongous crocodiles but we came across several baby ones floating on logs, because they could not swim in the strong current. We also came across several snakes wrapped around tree branches along the river.

Best photo I could get of a baby croc on a log

Back on the bus yet again we continued our journey towards Cape Tribulation. We had to have our bus ferried across the Daintree River and this is where things started to get rough.

Mangrove along the Daintree River with its many branches keeping it up

Across the water nearing Cape Tribulation things were flooding. We passed the aftereffects of several landslides with trees half blocking the road. Water flowed up several inches in certain areas of the narrow hilly road. Then we hit the point of no pass as the road was submerged under about 3 feet of heavy flowing water. It was as if a river had formed itself on the road. Some bus drive made an idiotic decision to try to drive over the water and got stuck. The people in the bus had to climb out the windows to safety. Our bus driver fortunately knew not to go forward and drove the passengers from the other bus to safety.

Surprise river!

So we won't be staying overnight in Cape Tribulation or zip lining in the rain forest, but today was quite exciting none the less. Back to Cairns!

The muddy Daintree River

I don't know what we will do tomorrow, but Monday we still plan to bungy jump off of a 50m (164 Ft.) platform!

Keep it level!


Jono

P.S. I had locally made Daintree ice cream at a place near Cape Tribulation. One flavour was called wattle berry and it tasted almost like Coffee.

Video Links
Mossman Gorge flow
Daintree River Cruise
Impassible road in Cape Tribulation