After Travels: To the Last East Coast Stop...Cairns!

And off to our final destination...CAIRNS!!  But not without a few stops along the way! :)

From Whitsundays we made our way up to the northern most stop, on this part of our journey...Cairns.  Cairns is known for being the home of the Great Barrier Reef, and is notorious for it's hot weather and good nightlife.  We did not part-take in much of the night life, but definitely enjoyed the sunny weather!  We made a few stops along the way, but they were very quick, as we were in Cairns from November 7 to November 11.

This was our first stop...and the first of many waterfalls we saw ;)

This waterfall was spectacular and extremely large!  We were not able to go swimming in it, as we were able to in other places, but it was nice to observe anyway!

Chillin' and watching the fall...there was a rainbow off and on in the middle of the waterfall.

Weeeeee!!

Next we stopped at Mission Beach.  

Mission beach is known as a great place to skydive, because you land right on the beach!  As you can tell, the beach was rather deserted, because it was jellyfish season right as we made our way north along the east coast.  This meant there were too many jelly fish in the ocean at this time of the year, for it to be safe for people to swim in.

Since Mission Beach is a small area, we spent only an hour there, and then finished our road trip to Cairns.  The first thing we did on this extremely warm day, was head to the lagoon.  On our way, we found the city center, and a bunch of outdoor workout equipment...

The climbing walls!  There were lots of outdoor workout stations along the beach area in Cairns...so we decided to take part in what looked to be the most fun of the stations.

Malin spotted a Movenpick ice cream parlor, and insisted we must indulge!  I had pistachio, lemon sorbet, and berry...yummmm!

We finally made it to the lagoon...and soaked up every minute of the refreshing water!

The lagoon is a big area right in town, which looks over the beach.  We could swim in here without fearing the jelly fish!

More of the lagoon :)

The second day in Cairns, we decided to head up to Kuranda, which had a lot of small markets and hiking trails.  It was a great place to buy authentic Aussie gear...such as kangaroo moccasins (which I happened to buy myself)!!  

The inside a market.

Coconut heads!

Me playing a didgeridoo...it is a lot of fun, and can make some pretty cool sounds!

We then walked down to a waterfall...but it wasn't too rapid, as it was still rather dry in Cairns.  The wet season is just beginning at the end of November and start of December.  Once the wet season hits, there will be a lot of rain and daily storms, making the falls much bigger.

Me and sandra from the top of the town of Kuranda.  I love this girl...she is one of the sweetest most positive thinking girls I have ever met!  I want her to move to the States in the worst way!!

Finally, at the end of the trip I mastered the art of driving in Australia!!  Not only did I have to get used to driving a Wicked van (pretty much the most shit van ever!) and drive on the opposite side of the car and road than in the U.S., but I had to learn to drive a manual on top of that!!  It really isn't too bad once you get used to it, but driving a stick shift can be tricky...ESPECIALLY on hills!  I must say, I am pretty proud of myself!!

Happy to finally be driving in Australia!

As our trip ended, we lost one of our group members... Erika headed to Hong Kong, as we flew to Darwin.  This was a photo of the group when it was all five of us.  We were at our last supper, and it was sad to see Erika go, as she is a good friend of mine, and had spent the entire time in Australia with me as my roommate!!  We have missed her during the rest of our trip...and I will continue to miss her until we meet again someday!

So...Part 1 of the trip is concluded.  21 days driving up the East Coast of Australia.  It has been a world-wind of a trip, and I loved every minute of it.  The east coast had the most beautiful and amazing experiences in the world, and I will always remember and cherish that trip!!

Next: Onto Darwin...The Northern Territory of Australia... Also known as, The Outback...

After Travels: Whitsundays

WHITSUNDAYS!!

The Whitsunday Islands consist of 74 islands, of which, only 7 have resorts where people can stay at.  It is important, as with many other places in Australia, to preserve Whitsundays' natural beauty.  Me, and the group of four other lovely people I am traveling with, took a guided tour on a sail boat, named Habibi; and set off for a sailing adventure on November 4, 2011.  From the moment we arrived at the dock in Airlie beach, we knew it would be a fun filled weekend, full of beautiful sites and cherished moments, that would make great memories.

Me and Sandra right after we hopped on the ship!

Starting to head off to the islands from the dock :)

The beautiful sunset on our first night at sea.

We spend two days and two nights sailing around the islands.  We met many people, most of which were European, and made some friends that we still keep in contact with.  Overall, there have been a lot of German and French tourists, and I would say they make up the majority of people we meet during our travels.  We met two lovely French gals on this trip, and traveled with them to Cairns and up to Darwin, in the Northern Territory.  It was great to meet such nice people from a different part of the world.  That is one of the beautiful things of backpacking, you meet people from all parts of the world, and have a place to stay if you ever visit those places!

The lower cabin where we slept...watch out for the bed bugs though!!

The sunrise on the first morning - - It was 5:20 am...sleepy sleepy!

Sunrise #2...

Sunrise #3.

On the first full day, we woke up to see the sunrise over the ocean.  It was a clear morning, and one of the most beautiful sites I have seen in Australia thus far!  We then ate breaky, and took a little ride on a dingy, to the beach on the main island called, Whitsunday.  The sand there is the purest sand in the world, and is 98% silica.  It can be used to polish jewelry, and the U.S. used to to make the Hubble Telescope!  It was a lovely morning, that was followed by an afternoon of snorkeling.

We took a short hike up to get a great view of the ocean and surrounding islands...here I am enjoying every minute of it.

 Sandra, Me, and Malin posing for a photo while enjoying the gorgeous water.

Titanic!

We snorkeled a total of three times; two times at two different locations on the first day, and one time on the second day.  Whitsundays is located near the mid-region of the Great Barrier Reef, and the snorkeling there was the best I have ever seen.  The coral was extremely colorful, and we saw all kinds of fish, and even turtles!!

All ready to go snorkeling!

This is a group photo of all of the people who took this trip with us.  We all got along really well, and it was great to meet such wonderful people!

Heading back to the dock at Airlie beach.

Habibi, meaning 'Darling'.  This was the ship that we sailed on.  It was old, but charming!

Whitsundays was a blast.  We had a fun and relaxing weekend, and I was lucky enough to experience things that I had never experienced before.  It was a trip that I will remember for the rest of my life, and that I am lucky to have had the opportunity to take!

- xoxo -

After Travels: Horseback Riding, Stoney Creek, & Airlie Beach

Since we have been traveling in a 'Wicked' camper van, we have gotten to stop a lot along the way.  Me and four others have been traveling up the east coast of Australia, for those who are up to date thus far... and having our own van has had it ups and downs.  However, it has also allowed us to truly explore all Australia has to offer!  We have gotten to witness spectacular sunsets, wonderful sight, and experience some amazing gifts of natural Australia.  Here are just a few examples of the beauty we have experienced driving along...

Ladies and Gents... This is our Wicked camper van.  Luxurious, I know!!

Pelican...Opening wide for some food!

Feeding some wild dolphins :)

My horses name was, Big Red, and we got along swimmingly! 

Friends.

Getting ready to say farewell :(

Stoney Creek... Malin taking photos as well.

The huge rocks made nice chairs to lay in and catch some rays!

Swimmingggg.

The VERY bumpy, but pretty road we took to get to and from Stoney Creek.

Sunset in Rockhampton.

This is what we woke up to one night, when Anders parked in the middle of bum-f**k nowhere!!

Before heading to Whitsundays, we arrived in Airlie beach.  It was a nice town, full of backpackers eager to set sail for the lovely Whitsundays Islands that I will blog about next. :)

The view of the docks, with all the boats that sail to Whitsundays.

Sandra hangin' by the lagoon.  As we drove further north, we were not able to go in the ocean, because the jelly fish are so bad this time of year!!

Just having some fun :)

We parked too close, so we had to give the car a little push to avoid hitting the car parked behind us.

Jagger Bombs!!  Noting like a good drink to end the day :)