FOLLOW-UP TO 'AUSTRALIA

TASMANIA-HOBART TO SYNDEY

SYNDEY 

February 19: arrived at Syndey airport and Lk from the exchange program picked us up at the airport. After a little confusion we found each other. Lk drove us through part of the historical  and important sections of the city on our way to the Pacific Highway ( highway that goes all around Australia) to Ettalong part of north Sydney, one hour drive from the centre of the city where Willam and Lk live. What a beautiful area.
In the afternoon  we went for a 16 kms walk on the beach. WE then had dinner in a  Thai restaurant with two of their friends Wayne and Collins.

February 20:  AM. hike in the mountain in Ettalong. Once we reached the top, all of a sudden we saw a huge snake not far from us. Not knowing if it was dangerous we were very careful. In Australia we have to be very careful when we walk in grassy areas because there are dangerous snakes. In hiking we must stay on the tracks so that we can watch for the snakes.

After the walk we walked to Wayne and Collins 's place and they offered to take us on a tour of the area beaches. Many beautiful beaches and very beautiful homes which are very expansive. You need a lot of money to live in this area. This tour was followed by a wonderful dinner with Lk and William in their home after a swim in their pool  , followed by an after dinner drink at Wayne and Colins.

FEbruary 21: We took the one hour train from Ettalong to Syndey and toured the centre of Sydney on foot.
We walked for 6 hours up to the Opera House to and from the Sydney University where William teaches,with a few stops and  saw a lot of The city Centre. We then took a taxi to our next destination, that is to Rod and DAvid's home( part of the exchange program). We had dinner with them in a local restaurant.

February22. We took the train  to   Blue Mountains, a 2.30 hours ride. We then toured, walked and hiked , up and down and up and down and around etc.the Blue Mountains. WOW what a sight. They call them Blue Mountains because the oil coming from the  Eucalypthus trees create a blue colour haze  in the air around the mountains. Very beautiful to see especially when it is sunny. We were very fortunate because we had a very clear sunny day. It Is a must to see and experience. WOW !!! Another great day. We took the train back to Sydney. WE didn't have enough and also because we didn't have much time in Sydney we took another long walk down town for a few more hours.

February 23:  In the AM we did more flight reservations while we had access to a computer  , had a great lunch with Rod and David and they drove us to the airport for our flight to the Gold Coast. We only had 4 days around and in Sydney. We will have to come back.

Arrived in the Gold Coast around  16:30 and we took a shuttle to the Royal Wood Resort( a RCI resort) I had reserved for one week. Wow!! what a resort. WE had our own little cottage, a huge outside pool and an  inside solar heated pool with two spas and a steam bath..
We had two sunny days  at the beginning, 2 days of rain, one cloudy day and 2 sunny days at the end.
We rented a car for three days to be able to vist some areas. The Gold Coast is a very touristic place.We were only interested in visiting certain places where we could also walk and hike if possible, some beaches , Byron Bay, Surfers' Paradis ( the biggest city on the Gold coast) etc. We had another great week. the rain didn't  stop us.

February 29: Vince Shannahan, a friend of a friend came to pick us up and took us to his home for lunch and a time around the pool. We had a wonderful time and met another friend, another place to stay whenever we come back. We came back and starting packing to leave the next morning.

Readings done during the week:

1) This is Your Life, not a dress rehearsal: Proven Principles For Creating The Life of Your Dreams by 
Jim Donovan
This book  contains simple, practical ideas and techniques that anyone can use. By following this step-by-step sucess system, you can change your life from where it is now, to having the life of  your dreams.Wherever you are right now, this book will help you devise a plan for lifelong sucess. It is a book that is down to earth, fun to read, and dright on target.
I enjoyed the book, it reminded me of the teachings that I have been doing for some years now. He talks about  goals but I have been talking about goals in a different way. I prefer talking about manifesting what we want in our life rather then talking about goals. Manifesting talks to me more at this time in my life realiainz tha manifesting is very strong, that we can really make things happen if we really want to.

2) The Valkyries  by another Paulo Coello
    Why is it that we destroy the things we love most? This is the question Paulo  faces in this story of his confrontatin with hi past. The Valkyries is a compelling account o fhis journey where he encounters the Valkkyries, strange warrior women who travel the desert on motorcycles.

This is not only a modern day adventure, it is also an exploration of one man's battle wiwth sef-doubt and fear, as well as s true story of two people striving to understand one anothe through adversity.. The Valkyries delivers a powerful message about forgiving our past and believing in our future. Coello's writing is beautifully peotic but his message is what counts....he give us hope and puts a smile on our face.

    If we accept all tha is wrong about us- and despite it, believe that we are deserving of a happy life- then we will have thrown open an immense window that will allow Love to enter. Little by little our defects will disappear, because one who ishappy can look at the world only with love- the force that regenerates everything that exists in the Univers.

    We are not alone. The world is changing and we are part of the transformation. The angels guide us and protect us. Despite all the injustice in the world, and despite the things that happen to us that we feel we don't deserve, and despite the fact that we sometimes feel incapable of changing what is wrong with people and with the world, this may disappoint those who are looking for the "perfect beings" with their perfect truths regarding everything. But true seekers know that , regardless of our faults and defects, the spiritual path is stronger. God / Supreme Being is love, generosity, and forgiveness; if fwe believe in this that love is stronger, and will help us grow, we will never allow our weaknesses to parallyze us.


March 1:  Saturday Check out time at 10 am and  Bruce,a friend ,who Gilles F. had met in Madrid in his Spanish course week ,came from Noussa, our next   destination to pick us up at the resort. We were very fortunate .
Once more, we didn't have to take the train to Brisbane and then to Noussa a 2.30 hour drive.
We drove through BRisbane and saw a little of the city and then drove  to Noussa, another touristic area but not as commercilaized as the Gold Coast. WE are invited to Bruce's home for one week. Wow!!! All during our trip the people we met were all very special , friendly and welcoming.

Again, WOW!!!! what a beautiful area. We are falling in love with Australia  where ever we go.
We didn't waste any time, we briefly toured around the city and saw other beautiful beaches since we are now in the SUNSHINE COAST. We dropped our bags and on we went for a 30 minutes walk to one ot the beaches. We rested for a while then we walked back in a different way to see more of the coast . Some of the houses here ond the coast are worth millions, people around here have a lot of money.

March 2: We got up at 6am to go to the food market to get our vegetables for the week. Wow, again what an experience so early in the morning. CAme back, had a little rest and walked to the beach for the day. It was a very windy day. The Summer here hasn't been as hot as it is usually is and they had a lot of rain compared to other places in Australia where they have a drought. We had quite a storm during the night. it was sunny most of the day. Came back and we prepared  a very good dinner and I am spending part of the evening catching up with the blog since we haven't had access to a computer very much in the last two weeks.

March 2 & 3:   Two hours walk early in the morning with a stop for a good coffee. Bruce took us for a tour Inland where we had the opportunity  for a cheese tasting along the way.  We stopped at some lookout view spots where we had great views of the area. Wow again and again beautiful and wonderful scenery.
The next day another beautiful day so we were off to the beach after our walk.Got to the beach and again clouds appeared quickly and had  some rain. We stayed under the umbrella knowing that in 20 minutes the beautiful sun would be out again. And it did. GReat beach day.
We also had a very good and tasty dinner that Bruce prepared and he had invited 6 of his friends for us to meet them and enjoy their company.

March 4: Went for a walk and coffee and then on to the Wednesday market, a very big market that ressembles the one we go to in Palm Springs , California. Gilles F. went to the gym instead., and he made the reservation for the  4/5 days walk inl N.Z the Milford trac for March 20th.
Wednesday night is movie night here so we were off to the movies.  Again and again time is going by to fast. We then stopped dto visit some new friends and share a drink with them.

March 7:   Did our 2 hours walk in the morning, had our  coffee. Relaxed day, so I worked on Facebook to put the rest of our pictures.  Gilles F. went for  a long run and to the gymn with the neigbour. Work for 6 hours. It is a long process to catch up and to put in the info with the pictures. We still have to do the pics from FRance. We went out for dinner in a beautiful little local restaurant. After dinner we went for a long walk in a beautiful park along the river which is also one of the tourists streets were many of the restaurants are. The night life of Noosa.

March 8: Bruce drove us  Brisbane- early start so that we can visit Brisbane before flying to Cairns. Got a birs's eye view of the city of Brisbane from the top of the mountain then we walked and visited in the centre fo the city. We also visited the huge Anglican cathedral started many years ago and just finishing at the present. The Anglican Church was the first Church built in Australia by the British. Then we wetn to visit the Catholic Cathedral which is much smaller. Next to the Catholic cathedral  they just finished remodelling the first little Catholic Cathedral, wow very well done and they kept is very simple.
Bruce then dropped us off at the Brisbane airport on our way to Cairns. Thank you very much Bruce for the beautiful and wonderful week spent with you. We really appreciated  the time spent with you and you driving us around to visit the Noosa area. VEry beautiful part of Australia.

CAIRNS AND PORT DOUGLAS

At the airport took the shuttle to Port Douglas( 50 minutes) where we stayed at the YHA (Youth Hostel).Surprise, this is the second time only that we had to pay for lodging while in Australia. Staying at friends or in our Bue book exchange for the 5 weeks that Gilles B. spent in Australia and close to 3 months for Gilles F..

March 9: Went to the Sunday market and took the afternoon off to relax. We rented a car to Monday am.

March 10: WE drove to  the Daintree Rainforest Park area. From Port Douglas to Cape Tribulation. We nned to remember that here we are in the rainny season so it rains a little or a lot every day. It rain most of the day on Monday, the rain stop long enough for us to do 2 walks in the rainforest. The first walk was a 2 kms walk in the Mossman Gorge . Opportunity for us to observe stunning native bird life, butterflies and breathtaking scenery, made of life in the rainforest and rivers, manillyu the Daintree big river with many falls and rushing water.

We then crossed the river on a short ferry ride to journey to different lookouts in the park to enjoy the sweeping views. We continued north through some of the most picturesques and remote wilderness region of the Daintree Cape Tribulation National Park with the natural creek crossings in our walks which can become  a challenge after seasonal rains, and untouched coastal scenery.

We reached the Cape Tribulation Lookout and did the Kubi boardwalk. Still raining so we decided to turn around before it got to dark in the rainforest and did another 1.2 kms walk Dubiji (spirit) boardwalk while the rain stopped for a while just enough for us to finish our walk.

We were spellbound by the beauty and diversity of the rainforest.WOW!! what an experience.  We were consumed , surrounded on all sides, above and below, by the amazing rainforest. We had another great day in spite of the rain and limited view in some areas. Being in an off season time many ot the activities were closed  so we were limited to the walks which we enjoyed very much. The boardwalks , to protect the forest, were very well organized with great information panels explaining everything- amazing and very educational and informative. The Australian Tropical rainforest makes the perfect palce to present a high quality visitor experience, giving us an opportunity to focus and appreciating this remarkable very green rainforest ecosytem without distraction, as well as enhancing the feeling of having enjoyed a "true wilderness experience". 

March 11: GREAT BARRIER REEF ADVENTURE TO OPAL REEF

Wow!!! Another great experience in snorkeling and viewing the reef. Finally we get to our final destination in Australia. Snorkeling is the easiest and most popular way to experience the magic of the underwater world. Great opportunity  to view spectacular coral gardens,prestige reef lagoons and all the beautiful and variety of the worlds's most diverse ecosystem.

We had an informative briefing about the reefs , followed by a guided commentary,interpretive guide by a qualified Marine Biologist from Germany in a glass bottom boat. We also had a guided snorkel expedition conducted by the same guide. Very interesting , he would point out to us different fish etc. 
We also had to wear a lycrawetsuit to protect us from the dangerous poisonous Stingers at this time in the water. We can't swim in the ocean from November to April because of these Stingers unless you are in an area where there are nets to protect you in this northern part of Australia. It is also dangerous to encounter alligators in this area, especially since they had a lot of rain and they can come very close to the cities in the rivers etc..

The boat ride going to the reef(2 Hours in open ocean) was very rough. Once close to the reef we were visiting we could snorkel, not easy since the water was also rough. In the afternoon the water had calmed down a little and it was also easier to see the colors of both the corals and the fish since the sun did come out. WOW!!! What an experience again. It was realily worth while coming .

March 12:  Took the shuttle to Cairns  where we will spend 3.5 days. We are starting our way to Brisbane where we will take the plane on Sunday for N.Z.

CAIRNS
Where we stayed: YHA (Hostel in Cairns) for three nights.

WOW!! Another experience in the Rainforest
THE SKYRAIL EXPERIENCE: -- to the World's Most Beautiful Rainforest experience: 
We went up and into the Rainforest first by Gondola ( a 7.5 km ,4.7 mile, cableway completed in 1995 after one year of construction. Alltowers were lifted into place by helicopter to avoid distrubance of the rainforest. The tallest tower is at 40.5 metres (133 feet).There are 114 gondola cabins. The Red PEak Station is at 545 metres (1788 feet) is the highest point on the cableway.  It is supposed to be the longest gondola in the world.

.The gondola trip(1.5 hour one way) takes us above the canopy of the Barron Gorge National Park. These forests are part of the Wet Tropics World Heritage ARea, one of the world's remarkable natural wonders which has been protected for all people.  The trip takes us above the rainforest canopy. The canopy is the natural rooftop of the rainforest. It protects the forest  floor from rain, wind and sun and acts as a blanket trapping humiduty, and as a solar panel harnessing the sun's energy for growth.

The canopy is a place of life. It supports many plants, such as ferns and orchids, as well as a vast array of fruits and flowers which  provide food for numerous rainforest birds and animals.
 on the trip up we stop twice to visit  a certain area. In the first stop we did a Walikway to three lookouts with stunning views over the Barron River, Gorge and The Falls. The Falls were very active because of the recent amount of rain in the area.  The second stop is at the REd Peak Station in the heart of the rainforest. Here we had a 175 metre boasrdwalk with the rainforest information signs and over 160 species of rainforest plants. We also has a panoramic view of the Baron River valley.  We also had touch tables showing rainforest seeds and fruits. There was also a very interesting interpretive centre with all the new technology to help us discover  and appreciate the  different areas, plants, birds,and animals.

Once we get off the gondola we walk to the village of Kuranda. This is now a very touristic village with many different features and attractions.:
1) The Wildlife in the Rainforest, the Kuranda Koala Gardens were we saw all our favorite animals at an award winning attraction- wombats and wallabies, snakes and crocodiles and of course the Koalas and the kangaroes.
2 Birdworld Kuranda: Home of Australia's largest single collection of free flying birds. Hand feeding is also possible and very interesting and fun. 
3) Australian Butterfly Sanctuary: renowned live butterfly exhibition. Hundreds of colourful tropical butterflies in all weather reainforest environment.

It was soon time to return to Cairnsby the KURANDA SCENIC RAILWAY, one of the world's great train adventures. This original rail journey back to Cairns combines history and scenic beauty.
AS you can see we had another interesting day. We left at 8:30am and returned at 5:30pm.

Today is another rainy day. We now have an idea of what a rainy season looks  and feels like. We were forunate for most of our trip we had very litte rain until we got to Cairns and Port Douglas. WE are still fortunate because the most rain they had here was just before we came.

Tomorrow March 15 we leave for Brisban and on Sunday we leave for N.Z.