Finding Nemo

Hello Hello!

Ok, so, just so we're clear, you are all now reading the writings of a certified scuba diver. Granted, a scuba diver who got terribly seasick on the way to the Great Barrier Reef and who retched all over a garbage can, but a scuba diver no less... now that we've gotten the gross stuff out of the way, let's move on, shall we?

So, on Monday, I set out on a tree day trip on the Reef, where I got to participate in 4 training dives and 5 free dives. It was awesome.... that training dives kinda suck, cuz you have to do all these "skills", which include taking your mask off under water and replacing it (not pleasant in salt water), taking out your air supply, tossing it aside and retrieving it, and other things that are just as unpleasant.

The free dives though, now those were cool. The reef is amazing; colours, textures and all kinds of weird plants that you would never ever see anywhere else. And the fish... geez! I saw more fish in the past 3 days than I have in my entire life. They are everywhere, and they literally just swim up in your face to see what you're up to. I took loads of pictures, though whether or not they turn is to be determined. I was only supposed to take the camera to 15 metres, but I took it to 18, so we'll se how that goes. I saw some cool stuff, like sharks, sting rays and giant clams, but I didn't have my camera on that dive, so I have no proof....

As for Nemo, well, he's a bloody jerk. He's all over this country (like a fat kid on a smartie)... like, thats all anyone here can talk about. And yet, he refuses to come out of his home. Celebrity has gone to his head, if you ask me. But at least now I understand the drama in that movie. I used to think, "Geez, Marlon, just replace friggin Nemo, there are millions of him in the sea and they're EVERYWHERE!" Boy, was I wrong. It's hard enough to find a Nemo, let one a specific one... oi!

Anyways, that's my little bit of Nemo ranting and insanity for the day... I can tell you more about this when the pictures come back.

See you later!

Steph :)
xxx1/3

Holy Shit!

Hey guys!

Ok, second blog of the day, but this is really important.

First of all, I have a slight correction to make as to the white water rafting thing. I think the rock I jumped off of might not have been 400 metres. Gullible me, believing everything I hear...

The reason I know this is that i went bungy jumping today off a 50 metres platform, which was WAY higher than yesterday's rock. It was the absolute scariest thing I have ever done. The jump itself is not that bad, as it only lasts about 2.5 seconds, it's getting there that sucks. You actually have to waddle (cuz you're feet are tied together) to the edge of a plank (like the pirates) then jump... crazy crazy crazy. I wasn't even going to do it cuz I was so bloody scared, but then I thought... what the hell, this can't possibly be more dangerous than, say holding a crocodile in your arms... something else I did today.

Pretty eventful day! But that's enough out of me!

See you soon!

Steph :)
xxx1/3

Signing my life away...

Hey guys!

Alright, so yesterday, for at least the 6th or 7th time in the past couple of weeks, I signed my life away. That's right, I once again signed a sheet stating that should I die over the course of the day, no one could be held accountable. Unsafe, right? Buyt sooo much fun.

Yesterday's activity was that of white water rafting. Too cool!!! It was an absolutely beautiful day and the water was just the right temperature... so that when we fell out/tipped the boat on purpose, it was all good. Anyways, basically, the day consisted of us racing down the rapids on the Tully River, trying not to fall out... not that I had much success. At one point, I fell out of the boat right in the middle of one of the rapids and was pulled under the boat for a good 30 seconds... kinda scary, but soooooo awesome, all at the same time.

We also got to descend a rapid without the boat, which was supposed to "give us a fell for the water". So we took the rapid like a water slide... only with more rocks hitting your ass and a few places where there really wasn't any time to breathe... amazing. I can honestly say that I still don't "have a feel for the water", but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

After that, we stopped at a rock which protruded from the water about 400 metres high. We climbed to the top of it, then jumped. Again, very cool, but I don't suggest diving. That's what I did... though probably without and style... and it hurt like hell. I was wearing a helmet, so the impact on the water caused my head to rattle pretty hard against the plastic. But it's all good, cuz that's not something I get a chance to do at home very often.

Well, today I'm off to Cairns, but on the way there I'll be stopping at a croc farm and a bungee jumping place. Whether or not I decide to bungee jump is to be detremined, but I figure, if I can jump a 400 metre rock into rocky water, I can certainly hop off a cliff, no? Yeah....

Ok, well, that's all from me!

See you later!

Steph :)

Popeye the Sailor Man

Hey guys!
Me again! Are you surprised? No...

Anyways, lets get straight into the adventures of late. I spent the last three days on a sailboat in the Whitsunday Islands just outside Airlie Beach. It was absolutely amazing. To begin with, our skipper looked like Popeye, so that was fuuny. Also, we got to stop at all the islands and beaches where the sand is pure white and lots of the beaches actually are entirely made of silicone...it's like walking on implants... no, but seriously, it's the softest sand ever! And the water... oh my god... it was sooooo blue! Amazing.

We also got the chance to go scuba divbing and snorkelling on the Great Barrier Reef and that was just about the coolest thing I've done so far., if you overlook the fact that I had to wear a stinger suit (sexist things ever!!! full body spandex...grrrr). One minute, you're standing on the beach, totallly unaware of what's around you... and the next you stick your head underwater and you are in a whole new world. It's absolutely fantastic... the coral is so colourful and the fish are really cool. I'm usually pretty scared of fish, what with the creepy eyes and whatnot, but these are pretty cool. They are also pretty dumb... they'll swim right up to you, realize that you're bigger than them, start to swim away, forget what they are doing, and come back. It's really funny to watch. While I didn't find Nemo (Australia's favourite fish, and I'm not even kidding) I did see some really cool fish. there was a huge Rainbow coloured fish and this crazy-eyed fish that looked like it was actually cut up into puzzle pieces. I can't even begin to describe the outstanding feeling of diving, but at least I've tried... and one more thing, if you ever get the opportunity to do it. DO IT! you will probably never see anything as amazing as this anywhere else but at the bottom of the sea... and any sea will do, I'm sure!

Other than that, the sailing itself went pretty well. The people were pretty cool, there was even a guy who could compete with Graham in the funny contest... the food was awesome and the crew was really nice. I only felt a little bit seasick for a short while, so that's good, and we saw a huge turtle one day. It was really awesome!!

Anyway, that's all the gushing I can really do in one spurt, so I'll leave you with that!

See you later!

Steph :)
xxx1/3

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Dingo ate ya baby?

Hey guys!!

Ok, so I didn't actually have a baby and get it eaten by a Dingo, but I'm working on it... well, no... but whatever.

I did, however, spend last night in a place called Dingo. We actually slept in a cattle station, which, despite the enormous bugs, was very cool. The entire estate is formed of the dorms where we slept, a bar and 42,000 acres of ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! It's cool, really... they have 40,000 cows there...

So, last might was basically party party party, cuz there were two Oz Busses there. We had a sick BBQ dinner, Aussie style, and then there was lots of drinking, singing and dancing on tables. They do that a lot down here, the whole dancing on tables thing... but that;s not the point. The point is that, during the evening, the cowboys who run the place (hottest cowboy ever is one of them, by the way) told us that the only place in the world where line dancing is considered cool was in Dingo. So, needless to say, we were taught. Just picture 100 drunk 19-40 years olds trying to line dance. It wasn't pretty, especially considering that line dancing is actually really difficult.

So that's last night. This morning, not-so-hot cowboy Rich took us out on a tour of the property before we headed out. This would have beenb pretty boring, since it's just dry land and a some cows running around, but with the shotguns, whips and boomerangs, it got pretty interesting. Out first stop on the tour took us basically into the forest, where we were taught how to shoot a rifle... scary and loud really, but definitely provides an adrenalin rush. Also at this stop, Cowboy Rich shot his shotgun at a pair of shorts I volunteered to "give them a bit of Dingo style". what that means, basically, is that I now have a pair of shorts with lots of little holes in them. It's ok, though, cuz I figure it'll make a pretty good story. "Hey what happened to your shorts?" "Oh, you know, just a shotgun" I think it's entertaining, anyway... After that, we were taught how to crack a whip... very cool... no one will ever want to get on my bad side again (not that I ever had one, but whatever). That's also a pretty difficult move, but with a little practice, it gets easier. Finally, we were shown how to toss a boomerang so that it a) comes back to us, and b) doesn't kill us. Good to know!

So that's Dingo in a nutshell... pretty interesting place, actually. I'm in Airlie Beach now, and I'm going to be sailing the Whitsunday Islands on Friday until Sunday, so that'll be good. The weather is still really hot, but I've got a pool and a beach, so I'm all good!

See you later!

Steph :)

Camel Toe!!!

Hey Hey!

It's raining again, so I'll take this time to tell you all about camel toe... not the disgusting kind, but actual, real camel's toes. Camel's have really large, circular feet and, while they look like said "camel toe" at first glance, when they step, there appearance changes greatly. Their whole foot, which is soft, squishes to the ground and sort of spreads out, it's cool, really.

How do I know this, you may wonder? Well, this morning, Sophie, Natalie (new English girl) and I hopped on yet another day trip bus and headed to an island, where we rode camels for a few hours on the beach. Those things, by the way, are ENORMOUS!!!! And ugly... their eyes are like the size of my head and they are constantly chewing (with their mouths open, of course!)... oh, and they smell awful, really, they give off the worst smell... worse than Graham and Jean-Luc combined , and that's saying something.

Other than that, not much to report...I'm leaving again tomorrow, heading to Bargara then to the town of 1770. So who knows what will happen down there!

Alright, I'm off to take a walk in the rain...

See you soon!

Steph :)

xxx