G’Day from down under, mates. For me, Australia was a five day whirlwind of adventures. I couldn’t have imagined that I could pack so much into such a short period of time. My first day in Aussie-land was spent in Brisbane, our port city. I strolled through the markets and beautiful green areas of the city. It seemed as if pieces of the most uninhabited and abundant rainforests were somehow placed in the middle of the city. When I wandered through the parks, I completely escaped the city and was almost surprised when I stepped out of the trees and saw the cityscape laid out in front of me. The day was appropriately rounded out by having dinner at a street cafe with friends and authentic Australian wines to keep me company. I was up before the sun on the second day, flying halfway across the country to Uluru (Ayers Rock). Uluru is the world’s largest monolith measuring over nine kilometers around the base and rising 348 meters above the plain. The minerals in the rock make it like an artist’s palette, changing colors over the course of the day as the sun hits it at different angles. As the plane came in for a landing, all I could see was a tapestry of oranges, browns and dotted green trees scarcely scattered around the desolate dessert terrain. The only geographical markers were that of Uluru and the famous Kata Tjuta (Olga Mountains) only a few miles from each other. Directly from the small outback airport I made my way to Kata Tjuta, a conglomerate of 36 deep steep-sided stones jutting up from the earth. At sunset I made my way to the best vantage point of Uluru to see the colors change as the sun sank below the horizon. Little did I know, the real show was starting after sunset. I returned to the small resort area, which happens to be the only non-aboriginal settlement for over 400 kilometers, for dinner. On a large grill, I cooked my own emu, kangaroo and crocodile. The meats were delicious and were complemented with Victoria Bitter Australian Beer. After dinner I wandered out for some stargazing and was stopped in my tracks in awe of the sky above me. With no light for hundreds of miles, the sky laid itself out completely undisturbed. I laid on my back and saw the stars hanging upside-down over my head; a southern hemisphere sky. Stars shot back and forth across the sky so often that I ran out of wishes and surrendered any attempt at wishing or naming constellations and simply getting lost in the darkest sky and brightest stars shining down on me. After another day of trekking around Uluru and hearing aboriginal legends and traditions, it was time to move on. I woke up in the middle of the vast outback of Australia and went to sleep that night on the northeast coast near the Great Barrier Reef. The lush town of Cairns welcomed me with a lively nightlife including markets and outdoor restaurants and bars. Needless to say, the morning came too fast and before I knew it the sun was up and I was off to explore the reef. An hour and a half boat ride later, I found myself surrounded by water again. Except this time, water was breaking on the reef on all sides of me. It was strange to see water breaking and no land in sight. The Great Barrier Reef runs 1,400 miles down the eastern coast of Australia, never making contact with the shore. After taking a ride in a semi-submersible glass bottom boat, I was ready to take on the reef myself. I spent the rest of the day snorkeling. Looking down at the intricate components that make up this collage of coral with fish making faces at me as they passed by, it is easy to understand that I had a hard time getting out of the water. Sleep did little to prepare me for the next day, or help me to mentally digest all I had seen the day before. Early the next morning I boarded the Kuranda Scenic Train and gazed out the window at the passing landscapes. From the train we saw the city below us and the rounded hills dancing in front of the water in the distance. Around us were flourishing trees and flowers with an occasional waterfall running along the steep rock wall on the opposing side of the train. After an hour, we reached our destination: the Rainforest Station. Here we met with kangaroos and koalas before heading out for a rainforest tour in an army duck (vehicle that travels on land and water).
