-Having a bus completely to ourselves. There were 16 of us and we had a bus for probably about 18 people so it worked out perfectly.
-Our crazy Italian Australian bus driver Enzo. Basically the first thing he said to us was "The only rule on this trip is that there are no rules." The second was "Do you guys like beer?" We were sort of stunned for about .2 seconds, then burst out laughing because he obviously didn't know us. He was really chill and let us have input about our schedule and where we wanted to go and didn't care how loud we were on the bus...which leads me to my next highlight:
-Obnoxiously loud singalongs on the bus. Backstreet Boys, Spice Girls, basically any other 90's song you can think of...we pretty much relived our childhoods through music. This was after the brewery stop, if that helps you get the picture...
-Our first beach stop. Enzo bought a footy first thing that morning, so a bunch of us kicked it around for a while (which, for the record, is a lot harder and more painful to do without shoes) and then about 8 of us played a game of American football with it. So fun!
-Brewery. Ok yes, we might have been slightly inebriated, but I really did like trying all the different kinds of Australian beers...well, some more than others. It was definitely a good experience for someone like me who thinks all beer tastes pretty much the same. Note: I now realize it does not.
-Taking crazy amounts of pictures at the gorgeous beach. Also post-brewery. Some pictures are better than others, as you might imagine.
-First hostel experience. The first hostel we stayed at was nicer than I expected, and the room we had was clean and bug-free (YAY). And I got a bottom bunk! Score. The only downside was a higly erratic shower (both temperature-wise and waterstream-wise) the next morning.
-State capital discussion over dinner. Yes, between five of us (the ones who chose the pizza place for dinner) I think we went through all of them. This all began when an Australian sitting a table away from us asked us if we were from America and then proceeded to ask something about Sacramento (I don't remember why...the effects of the brewery and the day hadn't quite worn off yet). This also led to a three-way bet about state capitals which I lost because apparently the capital of Massachusetts isn't Lexington. My fourth grade teacher Mrs. Leonard would be so ashamed (along with probably everyone else who knows me...) Fortunately the winner of the bet has failed to remember to collect his $5 (knock on wood)
-Learning how to box. Sort of. My friend Kevin does Bengal Bouts back at Notre Dame and I seem to have a hidden desire to get in a fight so when we got back from dinner he started teaching me how to box! Better not mess with me :)
-Winery. The next morning our first stop was a winery and even though I didn't feel quite up to tasting, the scenery in the vineyard was gorgeous. AND across the street I saw my first wild kangaroo! About time.
-Scenery in general. Honestly, I've never driven through more beautiful scenery than in Southwest Australia. Everywhere we drove was just rolling hills, incredibly green pastures, random trees, little ponds, sheep, etc. Honestly, I would have been happy just sitting in the bus the entire time listening to music and looking out the window. I was enthralled. It's hard for me to even describe.
-Bicentennial Tree. This is a 75 metre tree in the middle of a national park FILLED with huge trees (think Redwood forest in California). But this tree is special because they actually allow the public to climb it! The only catch is that the ladder consists of rebar rods stuck into the tree in the shape of a spiral staircase. Yeah. No magic safety net, no harnesses. Just some metal rods. Some of our group decided not to climb at all, some climbed all the way to the top lookout tower, and some (like me) got to the platform about halfway, took some pictures, and decided (since it started HAILING and 75 metres is reallllly high when it's windy, wet, and...well, really all the time) that that was far enough. The climb down was definitely more intense than the climb up because you really have to look down to make sure you get your foot on the bar. Rule of thumb: keep all four limbs touching the bars at all times. Honestly it was probably the most nervous I've been in a long time.
-Treetop walk. Yes, by then it was cold and windy and rainy and at the time we were all complaining about all of the above, but walking on the platforms in the canopy of the forest was a really awesome and unique experience. Definitely glad we went ahead and did it.
-Scenery. Did I mention the scenery? It deserves another mention.
-Cheese-eating on the bus. Looking back I'm not entirely sure why someone had 10+ slices of cheese with them on the bus, but somehow we found out and proceeded to eat them on the bus ride to our second hostel. It was HILARIOUS at the time. Really.
-Exploring the town of Albany, WA. Sunday morning we got up early to walk around the town, and I'm really glad we did because it was such an adorable little mountain town. Not too much to see, but it really reminded me of the North Georgia mountains and made me miss home and fall. I felt like I should be seeing the leaves changing colors, but since it's spring here that obviously wasn't about to happen.
-Gap and natural bridge. One of our stops Sunday morning. The gap was just how it sounds: a huge (deep) gap in the rocks where water crashed up into. It's hard for me to describe and a lot cooler if you look at the pictures. The land bridge is about the same - a huge rock formation that basically formed a bridge above the water. Definitely not a bridge to walk on though. The whole area was gorgeous and really looked like it could have been straight out of Lord of the Rings.
-Blowholes. Another stop on Sunday. We had to walk what seemed like forever from the bus to get to them, but once we got there they were so cool! Its pretty much just these tiny slivers in huge cliffs where mist and air are blown up through them super fast when the waves crash into them. And the waves were HUGE that day so when we sat over the holes and the waves crashed into the rocks, it seriously felt like we were riding a roller coaster, that's how fast the air was pushed up through them.
Ok this turned out to be a lot longer than I thought it was going to be, so now I need to go keep working on my paper(s)!
I mean, I'll probably be posting again soon because it's a great way to procrastinate...
1 comment:
Mich!!!
It sounds like you had a great trip :) And it sounds like you were able to do a lot in the few days that you had. I'm so jealous that you got to see the gap and the natural bridge!?! i most definitely need to look at your pictures from that stop. also, i have a bunch of stories from margaret river to share with you too! as in we went canoeing along the margaret river and my canoe was the only canoe out of about 8 to capsize...good story. anyways, good luck with your papers!!! you can do it :)
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