Rafting and SKY DIVING!

Yesterday went Rafting in the Tully River for about 5 hours. It was great fun and we went over form grade 4 rapids. The people were awesome and we had lots of fun pulling other people into the water and splashing around.

But that is over shadowed by SKYDIVING just now. Got back about 15 min ago. It was such a rush. Not really as scary as I thought. Although when my feet were dangling out of the plane and I was overlooking the ocean and the rainforest, I was screaming at the top of my lungs! It was a tandem jump and we free falled for about one minute from 14,000 ft. The scenery was just magical. I got to control the parachute which was cool. We swirled around a little and just enjoyed the views as we came back down to the ground. I can't believe I just did that!! We landed on Mission Beach and now I'm waiting for my DVD to be delivered. I can't wait to see it.

That's it for now...

Cairns - Great Barrier Reef

I'm in Cairns now. Really cute city with heaps of hostels and backpackers. My hostel is right on the Esplanade and overlooks the lagoon/beach. Went scuba diving today and it was absolutely amazing and unforgettable. I hired an underwater camera and it was the best $45 I ever spent.

It was about a 1.5 hour boat ride. Some people got really sea sick. I was almost at the point of throwing up but was able to suppress it and then I felt totally better.
After a short briefing, we went on the dive at Michaelmas's cay. There were tons of birds and it smelt like fish. But the sand was white and we also did some snorkeling. The dive itself felt really weird feeling at first - a little claustrophobic and nerve racking. Had to get used to breathing through my mouth. 4 people when down at a time. Saw some really cool, colourful fish and corals and a turtle. We dove to around 6-7 m I think, for half hour. But that wasn't enough! So then I snorkeled and returned to the boat for lunch. We went to Hastings, another site at the reef and had the chance to dive again for $30 and I took it. In this area, the reef was much more vibrant and varied. Spent another half hour there. At one point there was a huge wall of coral on either side of me. It was amazing. I couldn't believe I was there - just a few inches away from fish and the largest living organism in the world that can be seen from spac. I snapped lots of pictures (300+) and some videos. It was great. Got to touch a big fat clam, a sea cucumber and other parts of the reef. I wish I could do it again. It was a 2 hour boat ride back and I felt a little sick, but managed to keep my food down. Overall a great day. Words can't describe.

So that's about it... tomorrow I go sightseeing at Fitzroy Island. And then the day after I go to the Rainforest and spend the night there.

Here are just a few pics - enjoy!!

Outback Tour Ends

I made it up to Darwin. The past week has been great. In Alice Springs we visited a baby kangaroo rescue centre. Then we headed north to Devil's Marbles and a cattle ranch to feed some kangaroos. They were so cute. There was a little calf that really loved me and kept sucking my fingers - he just kept following me around! Went swimming in rock pools and natural springs and visited over 5 falls and went swimming under most of them (the ones that were croc free!). Went canoeing in Katherine Gorge, swimming at Florence Falls in Litchfield, Baramundi and Jim Jim Falls in Kakadu. We went on a crocodile cruise and saw some in the wild! You don't want to mess with them! Saw some really cool aboriginal art and met lots more people on this tour. The guides were great and we even did some cliff jumping. The tallest was about 7 m which isn't too high but was still pretty scary. The area here is green and lush and tropical. The weather has been hot and humid though. Last night we went out to celebrate the end of the tour and it was lots of fun. I won a pitcher of beer!

Heading to the east coast tonight. First stop is Cairns. Can't wait to just sit on the beach and work on my tan.

(Trying to upload pics and it's not working - so I'm giving up :P

I'l try some other time or you all can wait till I'm back in Toronto.)

Outback Update!

The outback has been really amazing. Left Adelaide and been camping the whole way. First night we stayed in a little town in the middle of no where - population: 2! There was only a pub and some trailers. Coober Pedy was the coolest, our bunk house like most houses there are dugouts and it was naturally cooler than the 40C heat outside. Then slept outside in a swag for a few nights. When we were at Ayers rock (Uluru), it was thunder and lightening and we all go soaked! Did some amazing 6 - 10 km hikes. Kings Canyon was the absolute best. Uluru is also pretty amazing but full of tourists. Also had some kangaroo steak, emu rissole and camel sausage! The tour is really great. Been learnign a lot of the Aboriginal culture and the local flora and fauna. It's pretty spectacular to be in the middle of no where with only red sand, blue sky and som green bushes surrounding you. We've seen dingoes, kangaroos, emus, lizards and eagles! It's been tough getting up at 4 am so early to beat the day's heat and also to get the most of the day. It's been worth it though. The tour is small - only 13 people and everyone got along great. The food has been pretty impressive as well.

Now I'm in Alice Springs. The next part of the tour starts on Thursday and we're heading to Darwin.

Here is a link to some of the pictures. I have almost 200 but the highlights are in the 45 I've uploaded.
http://ca.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/lilliandemelo@rogers.com/album?.dir=/3c51re2&.src=ph&.tok=phfs9zFBx_jys71R

That's it for now. Still 4 weeks of traveling left! Can't wait!

Hope you are all doing well.
Take care

Last Entry from SUV

Going to make this a short one because I'm on my way out. Just going to pack up the computer and then head out. I can't believe the day is here... going to start a new adventure. It's sad to leave this place and be essentially homeless for the next 2 months, but I'm looking forward to the excitement and challenges it will present. Just been packing up and cleaning up the past few days. Wish I had done something exciting, but really had no time for it! I've had a pretty good time in Sydney, there were some ups and downs and things I could have done differently and things I wouldn't change. Met some really fantastic people and truly fell in love with the city. One thing I will miss while I'm gone is my computer!

Just before I go, here are some pictures I just took. Me and my gigantic backpack which I'll be living out of for the next 2 months. And my empty room. It took 4 months to make it homey, and only 2 days to make it sterile again.



I'll try to update this while I'm on the road but can't guarantee it! Byeeeee!!

Last Weekend at SUV/Newtown

I'm getting nervous just thinking about. I've had butterflies growing in my stomach for a few days now. I'll be leaving soon to live out of a backpack and start a new adventure.

Last weekend in Sydney has been pretty good. Friday night, I met up with Carrie, her sister Monica and boyfriend Ian. We went to the Rocks and there was a moonlight party thing happening. There was a stage set up for live music, a beer garden and the markets were open. Lots of stalls with unique and often very beautiful artwork and crafts. We had 2 beers at a nearby pub then went to Il Caminetto for dinner. Monica and I shared a pizza which was okay. It came to us lukewarm and the waitress was really rude. Then we went to the 36th floor of the Shangri-La hotel to Horizon's bar. Ian was very generous and bought us all cocktails. We sat and chatted and listened to the music and enjoyed the view of the city. By then we were all pretty tired even though it wasn't too late, so we taxied home. They are really nice people and a lot of fun too. Oh yeah... did I mention they are twins?

Me and Monica

Carrie and Ian

Saturday I spent the whole day in the city doing some shopping. I bought a cute dress for $20 and a cardigan. I walked to Darling Harbour and has some lunch overlooking the harbour. As I ate, a woman with maracas and a guy playing a little guitar walked and sang. It was really cute.


Then I came home and started cleaning up. I threw out a lot of junk I had collected over the past few months. Then Brenden and Mike came over. We chilled out a bit then headed to Cargo Bar - my new favourite place. The Dj (same one that was there last week) played such awesome music. Every song just made us dance even harder. At 4am when they closed we walked through the rain and caught cabs home.

It's really eerie putting everything back into my suitcase. I clearly remember taking everything out. I can't believe how quickly the time has passed. I'm just speechless... hard to describe the mix of emotions and thoughts going through me. I have still quite a number of things to do. So I'm off for now...

The last few days...

This week has just gone by in a flash. I booked parts of my trip and have been working on my essay. Bo-ring! You know you're *really motivated* to write an essay when you'd rather watch a political debate between leaders of a country you can't even vote in!! Yup... that was 20 minutes well spent. But finally I'm finished, and with some finishing touches and one more overview, I'll hand it in.

I did find time to go to Bondi yesterday to celebrate Kristina's birthday. Had some nice conversations with people. Unfortunately, my ride home was a little too drunk for me and still wanted to stay out, so I decided to bus/cab back to Newtown. A good choice I think despite the scariness of taking a bus at 1am. Surprisingly though, there were tons of people out so I felt safe. Also, earlier this week I applied for a tourist visa since my student visa would have expired during my travels. That went smoothly and I can now stay in the country! woot!

Only 5 days left until I'm out of SUV and out of Sydney. I'm getting quite anxious about my trip and nervous and excited. There are just tons of emotions running through me. I just hope nothing bad happens and that I have a good time. I've invested quite a bit of money and time and sacrificed quite a bit, and I would just hate for 'shit to hit the fan'. But I guess if it does, it'll be a learning opportunity. So keep your fingers crossed that I don't encounter anything deadly or miss a bus or get robbed or get sick or worse or in fact, anything else that could make a trip suck. I'll be all on my own with no one to cry to and just need to face whatever comes my way. Should be an interesting 2 months.

I've also been doing a lot of reflection on my time in Sydney. Sadly, as I presumed, there is still so much I would have liked to do (like actually watch a performance in the Opera House, or go to the fish markets at the pier or walk through the multitude of historic buildings in the area) and regret that things didn't exactly turn out like I expected. School was more difficult than I anticipated - I know I've passed everything, but for those who know me, I'm not a "just passing" type of girl. Although working last year did demotivate me a little by shifting my focus away from emphasis on marks to just growing and learning through experiences. I tried hard to do well, but adjusting to new expectations and learning strategies has been overwhelming coupled with the new surroundings and excitement. Design took over my life and I wasn't able to give the other classes the time they required. Did I work and try too much or not enough - I don't know how to answer that question. I don't know if I really did give it my best or if I could really have done better. There's always that part of me that says I can do better, but am I just downplaying how hard I worked? I don't know. I'll be upset if I don't see the grades I'm used to but that is what I'm expecting and I'm being realistic. Either way I'm sure I'll get over it and move on. Marks are marks and they don't define what I've really learned. Besides, I think I've established bigger goals than just busting my butt for an extra few percent. Again, we'll see how quickly my attitude changes when final marks are released.

Secondly, it's been harder than expected to find a niche among other people here and find a good crowd of people to belong to. I've had numerous acquaintances and great conversations, but not sure yet if I've made any life long friends. But is that what I wanted out of this? Only in the past few weeks (of course as my time here is nearing a close) have I really started to feel comfortable, outgoing and connecting with others. I just have to accept that it takes me longer to build friendships. I'm not the kind of fake person, that makes quick, superficial friendships and I don't like being with people like that either. People who say "I'll call you" but never do or hang out in a huge crowd with drama and immaturity that is just a waste of time. I am so over the cliquey nature that I despised in high school and it's just so stupid how it still exists in University. As much as I try to be outgoing and want to be more so, I have an introverted personality. As much as I love going out, I also like staying in and doing things on my own - something that doesn't necessarily help my sociability. Traveling on my own will be quite the experience because I'll be forced to be more social than I'm used to if I want to have fun and meet people. Besides, I will always be sharing a dorm room with at least 3 other people - so I better start chattin' it up.

The past 4 months has honestly just flown by. I can't believe it myself. Sometimes I still think, wow... I'm here. I'm actually doing this. I don' t think this will all really hit me until I'm back in Toronto. Although I feel like I'm the same person and didn't seem to change much, I have a feeling that I will notice changes when I return. And if not, well I still have a pretty good time and now know what it's like to immerse in a different culture and either sink or swim. I think I'm still swimming.