Last class in Australia ever - COMPLETE

Hey y'all,

Just finished my class tutorial/class in Australia for this year. It is a bit strange to feel like this is the beginning to the end of a fabulous year. I mean there is still finals, an Australian paper, and travel left but it is all slowly coming to an end.

Last night I hung out with Ben and Rory, Callum, and Jamie at Captain Stirling reminiscing on the semester and how much you want to go on another exchange when you get home. I am ready to come home in some ways but in others, I never want to leave Australia. 

Tonight is the Farewell Dinner at Currie Hall which is jungle themed. I hate themed dinners as half the people dress up and ruin the photos of us who wish to dress up proper. I will not be dressing up as some jungle animal for the photos to be forever lasting.

Things that I will always treasure about living in Perth:

• Thursday being a beach day regardless of weather conditions
• Diving every Saturday
• Dinner conversations 
• Waking up 10 minutes before classes and still being early to class 
• Running along Matilda Bay 
• Biking to South Perth 
• Tennis - outdoor tennis on clay court
• TimTams, Fantales, and Salt and Malt Vinegar Chips 
• A4 paper - it puts so much more onto a page 
• Weekly coffee/bike dates with Curtis
• Australian and South African accents 

 Things that I will not miss about living in Perth:

• No car - TransPerth is the worst public transport system in the world 
• Rain 
• Weekly fire alarms at inconvenient times (2 am, mid dinner, 4 am, etc) 
• Cockroaches 
• Surviving on oranges or apples with peanut butter
• Residence food
• 24 hour clock system
• Sea lice/jellies

AFN

Wake Boarding and Dolphins

I decided to go on a friends boat today with a couple of friends for an attempt at wake boarding in Matilda Bay/Swan River. It was 25C outside mid day, decidedly one of the nicest winter days I have ever had. I wore a jumper in the boat though - 25 is warm but not warm enough for a tee shirt.

I have to admit, it gets thousands of times harder to wake board (1) in salt water, (2) with wind making actual waves, and (3) trying to make it seem like I am not a technical person. The guys kept doing tricks and just being naturally awesome at it. I was quite jealous.

After successfully(ish) wake boarding, whilst waiting for one of the boys to switch over, there was a pair of dolphins just cruising around the boat curious. I got a few shots on my cell but didn't get any of me wake boarding in the ocean. It is harder to remember to take photos of yourself.

I am going to miss things like this when I go home.

AFN

Bucket List

Water Related:

• Dive Blue Holes, Bahamas
• Dive Manta Ray Bay, Hawaii 
• Dive Yucantan's Cenotes, Mexico
• Dive with Hammerhead sharks, Galapagos
• Paddle down the Bashkaus River, Siberia
• Step foot into every ocean (Indian Ocean, Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean)
• Raft the Grand Canyon, USA
• Surf on two sides of a country
• Dive with Great White sharks 
• Learn to short board 
• Learn to kite surf 
• Learn to wind surf COMPLETED - Perth, Australia 

Land Related:

• Climb the Tetons Cathedral Traverse, Wyoming, USA
• Climb Mount Everest, Nepal
• Climb Java Volcano, Indonesia
• See Manchu Picchu, Peru 
• Bungee jump COMPLETED - Queenstown, New Zealand (4 times)
• See Tasmania, Australia
• Walk across the entire Great Wall, China 
• See the Northern Lights, Alaska 
• Go hang gliding, Rio De Janeiro 
• Visit Bora Bora
• Ride in a gondola, Venice
• Run with the bulls, Spain
• See the pyramids, Egypt
• Wingsuit Fly, Switzerland
• Jump the Nevis Bungy, New Zealand COMPLETED - Queenstown, New Zealand
• Ride around the Nurburgring, Germany 
• Go shopping on Rodeo Drive, LA 
• Experience the craziness of Tokyo, Japan
• Spend a night in the African outback 
• Go on an African safari
• Take an Italian cooking class, Italy 
• Experience 24 hours of darkness, Sweden
• See a sunset on all 7 continents Half Complete - Australia, Asia, North America

Event Related: 

• Finish an Iron Man Challenge
• Finish a marathon
• Complete a triathlon in under 4 hours
• Jump in a taxi in New York and scream "FOLLOW THAT CAR!"
• Have a star named after me 
• Drive to the airport and take the soonest departing flight to anywhere and stay the weekend
• Participate in a flash mob
• Ride an elephant COMPLETED - Louang Prabang, Laos
• Volunteer in a children's hospital
• Study abroad
• Have a bonfire on the beach
• Go to the Craven Country Jamboree
• Take a salsa class 
• Get married on a beach 
• Go sky diving 
• Attend a masquerade ball 
• Watch sunrise on the beach
• Road trip with three closest friends to a point picked at random
• Be in two places at once
• Go base jumping 
• Make a million dollars

Anzac Cookie Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cups plain flour, sifted
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1/2 cup caster sugar
• 3/4 cup desiccated coconut
• 2 tablespoons golden syrup or treacle
• 150g unsalted butter, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon bicarb soda

Method:

• Preheat oven to 170°C. 
• Place the flour, oats, sugar and coconut in a large bowl and stir to combine. 
• In a small saucepan place the golden syrup and butter and stir over low heat until the butter has fully melted. 
• Mix the bicarb soda with 1.5 tablespoons water and add to the golden syrup mixture. 
• It will bubble whilst you are stirring together so remove from the heat. 
• Pour into the dry ingredients and mix together until fully combined. 
• Roll tablespoonfuls of mixture into balls and place on baking trays lined with non stick baking paper, pressing down on the tops to flatten slightly. 
• Bake for 12 minutes or until golden brown.

Dan made these wonderful cookies for Mother's Day and gave me a few. I feel very left out of the world as I don't get to celebrate anything important whilst over in Australia except for my 21st for 48 hours on planes. So, I stole the recipe from him. They are delicious if you dip them in coffee.

A brief history of the cookies (according to Dan) is that they are actually celebration cookies of Anzac Day. Soldiers receive a dozen cookies from the government if they returned from any war. I laughed as a dozen cookies isn't what you think you would get if you return from a war.

AFN  

Margaret River Wine Tour

A couple of friends from Currie Hall and myself bought a Groupon for a wine tour. This tour actually picked us up in Perth City unlike most tours. The day started with a cab to Perth City at 7 am as buses don't run in the morning on the weekends which is so strange to me. Upon running through the Wellington Bus Station in pissing rain, we made the coach on time. The nine of us napped for the two hour drive to Busselton, our first stop. The coach provided coffee and small snacks for us. They took us to the jetty that Dad and I had visited. This time it was hurricane force winds and terrestrial down pour. We didn't stay long.

The first wine tasting was at Lady on the Manor Winery. The wines were delicious but small servings. We tried five white wines and three reds. I am not a fan of red wine at all. Port is the worst drink imaginable. I am quite a fan of a Savingion Blanc or a Chardonney. Dry wine is significantly harder to drink at a tasting. Since I don't drink red wine, I gave all of my red wine tastings to my friend Christy. This winery was smaller and only produced 5000 bottles a year - a boutique winery. Pretty location but not great wines.

The second wine tasting was at Laurance Estate. The estate was owned by the couple who owns Sea World and Movie world in Sydney. The location is spectacular. It has a giant rose garden and a lake with the golden chick on a stick landmark. We tasted fifteen different wines here. The dessert wines were super sweet and hard to drink without food. After the tasting, lunch was served. I had garlic prawns on a bed of rice. It was the second best meal I have had in Perth.

We visited the Margaret River Chocolate Factory then the Cheese Factory. I was in heaven. So rich but so tasty. The tastings made the visit that much better. Following this, we stopped at the Olivio olive oil factory. A loaf of bread and nineteen different types of olive oil were served. My favorites included Parmesan infused, mandarin infused,and thr balsamic olive oil mix.

On the way back to Perth, we stopped at one more winery. I can't remember the name of it to save my life. I just know I drank more white wines and Christy drank my red wines.

Finally it was time to go back to Perth. The three hour drive home was quieter than the ride there. People had hit a level of intoxication that put them to sleep. Napping on a bus is super uncomfortable and my neck loved me for it. The bus driver was nice enough to actually drop the nine of us back at Currie Hall instead of the city.

I have never woken up so hungover in my life. Wine and all day drinking really don't mix. Learn from my mistake.

AFN

Rotto Dive Number Thousand

I did a dive on ANZAC day this week. ANZAC day fell on a Wednesday this year. It is similar to our Remembrance day but with more of a relaxed feel.

I got picked up by the president of the dive club. He is a pretty relaxed dude. The dive was pretty cruzy. We did Bouncy Bay just off the eastern coast of Rottnest Island. I reckon that it was my favorite dive thus far. I lasted 68 minutes on 3700 PSI. I legit came up with about 400 PSI cause we had to do two safety stops. My dive buddy got some great shots of me diving and is supposed to email them to me at some point. I have to get a 7 mm wet suit soon. The water has hit about 20 C which is just freezing.

Since it was a public holiday, the boat actually took us onto the island for a drink and a snack. We had lunch at the Rottnest Island Pub. I had delicious margarita pizza. I saw a quokka - it is half kangaroo and half rat. They are adorable but feral little things.

The American Navy is in Fremantle for the next three months. Thus, whilst they are here, their aircraft carriers and several other major navy artilery boats are in the bay. The boat took us around the aircraft carrier. They are massive yet so small for a plane to land. The boats mean that American Navy are in town ruining the city with their drunkness. They got to be in the city for three days and now are patrolling the water for the next three months.

 AFN

Photos From New Zealand

https://plus.google.com/photos/102267298311394255173/albums/5731806624768068497

https://plus.google.com/photos/102267298311394255173/albums/5731558723626402849

Queenstown to Franz Josef, New Zealand - April 11, 2012

Today the aim was to get to Franz Josef to see the Cook and Fox Glaciers. They are one of three glaciers that you can actually just walk onto. A four hour bus ride there was spent sleeping - all I missed was sheep, cows, the odd mountain, and sheep. The town itself is quaint and basically one main street. A spinach salad took an hour to make because, well, salads are hard to make - lettuce, dressing, and pecans.

I did a heli-hike on the Fox Glacier. It is stunning to see blue and green ice. The helicopter ride was pretty insignificant because of the terrain that we saw. I miss hiking and the cold actually. I got to climb through an actual crack to an under ice river. The glacier moves at a pace of 4 m per day. Glacier water from the river was one of the freshest things that I think exists. 

Just before dinner, a couple of girls and myself headed out to the hot pools. They were advertised as "natural" but in reality were just giant hot tubs of various temperatures.

I am just ready to go home to my own bed and not share a room with anyone. 

AFN

Queenstown, New Zealand - April 10, 2012

Today was epic. I woke up to go white water rafting down the Shotover River. To get to the river you have to go down a road named "Goldfinger Road". No lie - it is the scariest road I think in the world. It is barely big enough for the van to be on it. One side is sheer cliff to death and the other is the top of the road with a sheer cliff. It was not for the feign of heart. The forty minute drive was well worth it though. White water rafting was a lot of fun. I guess we did the top ten most dangerous rapids in the southern hemisphere. It didn't feel that big of rapids though. The river was a balmy 2 Celsius and the outside temperature only 1 Celsius. Getting wet was a death sentence.

I literally jumped straight onto another coach to get to my third bungee jump - the Ledge at a 45m drop. Ledge was incredibly terrifying - you can do anything you want to jump off of this one. I decided to back flip off of this one. The view is spectacular as you can see the entire view of Queenstown and surrounding area. You can do a second jump for $30 and since the staff didn't feel like unbelting me then rebelting me, I did the jump twice in a row within five minutes of each other. This really didn't put fear into me. It was a significant amount of time to free fall before the bounce.

The afternoon was spent at the Canyon Swing. It is basically a bungee jump that ends up swinging at the end. Whoever came up with the idea was brilliant. It was the most terrifying thing I did. I jumped backwards the first time then I jumped with my hands behind my back. No hands to grab the rope is more terrifying than not being able to see where you are going. The swing is 209 m long with about a minute free fall time.

AFN

Queenstown, New Zealand – April 9, 2012

This morning started off rainy and cloudy – skydiving was cancelled. I was SOL. I was a little disappointed that I could not jump out of a plane at 15,000 feet. However, I do have another things planned for the day.

I had a coffee and a read on the balcony over looking the Remarkable mountain region.  The mountains are called the “Remarkable Mountains”; it is not just a describing term. They are stunning and have a tiny bit of snow at the top already. It is supposed to snow tonight in the mountains and it may make its way into town. Ski hills open the first weekend in June.

Queenstown is New Zealand’s version of Banff. It is a quaint ski town with the summer options of bungee, sky diving, hiking, paragliding, etc. It is as the adventure capital of the world according to the local guides and tourist shops. There is only one main road with two pretty significant roads beside it to the town. Hiking shops, cafes, adventure tourist shops, and a Starbucks are the majority of shops along the roads.  

I had a bungee jumping booking at 12:10 through AJ Hackett to do the “Nevis” jump. You walk to the shop from the hotel, roughly 20 minutes all down hill, to this shop dedicated to checking people in for the bungee jumps. Once you were weighed then signed your life away, you hopped on the Nevis shuttle. The physical jump is 40 minutes outside of Queenstown. The bungee location is in the middle of a canyon 300 m above a river. You have to take a gondola out to the station that has a glass floor. The physical station moves in the wind and when people jump. I had the same crew as yesterday, so they made sure I had an awesome jump. I gave my camera to them and some of the pictures they took are ridiculously hilarious.

The jump boasts a 143m fall with you attached via your feet. It was about a 45 second free fall before the first bounce. I did not scream this time; I enjoyed jumping off way too much. On the second bounce, you had to release your feet by pulling a strap to get you right side up. I managed to get it on the first attempt but sliced my finger. As such, I filled out a waiver stating that a Band-Aid would be the only thing I would need from the company. I was a lot calmer on this jump than the one yesterday.  It is the second largest bungee in the world behind one in South Africa. You take a gondola out to the station where you jump off of. From the point you jump to the ground is only 1,000 feet. The rope line is 143m for a 30 second free fall. With this jump, you have to actually pull a rip cord so that you can be pulled back up to the top upright.

After the jump, I headed into town and saw all that the town had to offer. Mainly the town had tons of tacky tourist shit and some very cute running clothes. I tried to buy adorable pink Nike trainers but they did not have my size.

I walked home uphill to the hotel before the group meets at a place called the Minus Five Ice Bar. Legitimately, it is made of all ice inside – the table, the glasses, and the seats. You are given Ugg boots, a heavy winter jacket and matching pants, and an ugly hat to wear while in the bar. Neat concept in a town that has snow…

Tonight was another early night. I cannot do the entire party thing when I have to be up at 7 am the next day.

AFN