Argentina’s Economy

I have begun to work at a digital media company here in Buenos Aires, not only am I gaining experience and all that I am also being introduced to Argentine culture and politics like never before.

Argentina’s new president, Mauricio Macri was elected last November, he is part of the Cambiemos party, a fairly new political party that is a far cry from Kircherismo. Kirchnerismo, is derived from president Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner and Nestor Kirchner. Nestor served one term as president and then was followed by his wife which served two full terms, together they rules the country for 12 years.. Kirchnerismo, is a left leaning party while Cambiemos is more to the right.

Argentine politics really can’t be described. Currently many of the past politicians that served in Cristina’s government have been accused of massive corruption and embezzlement. One of her close friends, Lazaro Baez, benefitted greatly from government contracts. His size of all of his estates put together are about the size of the province of Buenos Aires.

Argentina recently paid their massive debt and as a result economy is struggling, there have been thousands of dismissals from government jobs and inflation is rampant.

I don’t usually frequent supermarkets but I do feel the inflation when I pay for laundry or my lunch. When I first arrived to BA a load of laundry was 70 pesos or roughly $4.50 now it’s 80 pesos or roughly $5.50. It may not seem like a lot but in the long run it is especially if you wash frequently.

I always think that you if you are a middle-class worker in the United States working on a American-dollar based salary then you’d be doing well in Buenos Aires. Many of the services offered here are priced that way. For example, lunch here depending on where you go of course costs upwards of 100 pesos or about $7. Dinner might be more expensive especially if you’re having drinks. Drinks are usually 70-100 ($5-$7) pesos, of course depending on what you order. Also, water here is not free like in the U.S., most of the time you will get charged the same amount as if you had ordered a soda or juice.

Clothes are very expensive in BA, no fast-fashion prices here. The clothes and shoes are expensive and are usually bad quality. I advice you to bring what is necessary taking into account that you might not want to buy any clothes or shoes here. Another issue in the retail business are the sizes, clothes here run small and stores only carry certain numbers. This has to do with the European and American influence on Argentine fashion. Argentina has a huge epidemic of eating disorders only second to Japan.

 

 

Bruny Island (Tasmania Day 1)

Yesterday we arrived in Hobart, Tasmania, and spent the rest of the day exploring downtown and shopping around. Tasmania is located at the Southeast corner of Australia, the only state not attached to the mainland. It is the closest you can get to Antarctica while still in Australia! The town of Hobart is located on the central Southern coast, was founded in 1803 as a penal colony, and is the second oldest city after Sydney.

Today, we took a food and scenery tour of Bruny Island. We woke up to hear the first snowfall had hit the top of Mt. Wellington overnight, quite a cold shock after my days in sunny Gold Coast! After catching the ferry from Kettering, we docked in Robert’s Point, and started our day:

Map of Bruny Island with associated tour stop locations

Map of Bruny Island with associated tour stop locations

1. Bruny Island Cheese Co.

This artisan cheese producer provided a fantastic cheese tasting of two hard, one soft, and one fresh cheese. They were all delicious, and the outdoor setup was just charming. We also tasted two craft beers that were available at their shop. After nearly 10 years of making cheese in many different countries, the owner set up shop on Bruny Island, and has been quite successful since then.

Inside of Bruny Island Cheese Co.

Window showcase of cheese wheels

Outside of Bruny Island Cheese Co. tasting setup

Outside of Bruny Island Cheese Co. tasting setup

2. Get Shucked Oysters

Due to its location, Tasmania is known for its quality fish industry, and oysters are also popular. The owner of this company purchased the business at age of 18, and has thrived. Although I am a vegetarian, I decided prior to traveling that if I came across a cultural food containing meat I MIGHT try it. However, this has been the first time I’ve actually followed through. I tried one oyster, and it tasted like a quality one, but I don’t think I would care to try them again. Most of tour group had the same opinion, but a few people enjoyed the extras!

Oyster tasting

Oyster tasting

3. Truganini Lookout

Bruny Island is made up of the two islands, north and south, connected by a strip of land called the Neck. We walked up to the lookout, and had a spectacular view of the islands and surrounding waters. It’s the perfect place to see the spectacular white sands, which get their light color from their high silica content.

Panoramic view of Bruny Island

Panoramic view of Bruny Island

The Neck lookout

The Neck lookout

This area also contains a colony of little fairy penguins. They are the smallest penguin species in the world, with a 40cm height and 1kg weight maximum. They breed in colonies here, nesting and burrowing in the ground. Like the St. Kilda penguins in Melbourne, they feed during day and come in at night. Unfortunately we didn’t get to see any since we were only visiting during the day!

Penguin burrows (darker holes in ground)

Penguin burrows (darker holes in ground)

4. White wallabies

You learn something new everyday, and today I learned that wallabies come in white too! Wallabies are typically a brown color, but here on Bruny Island they contain a gene that gives a white color. Since the gene is recessive, they are born either entirely brown or pure white, and at times you will even see a white one in a brown mother’s pouch, or vice versa. We were lucky enough to see two up close (so we know they actually exist and aren’t just ghost wallabies), but not quite quick enough to get a picture!

5. Morning tea

Next we enjoyed a lovely tea at a beachside café off Adventure Bay. The coffee and blueberry muffin was a great little snack to fit into our morning while enjoyed the (finally) beautiful weather.

Teatime view

Teatime view

6. Bruny Island Premium Wines

For lunch, we headed to the island winery, where we tasted two whites and three red wines. I had a mushroom and halloumi (firm white cooked cheese) dish, which was AMAZING. I think it may have been the best dish I’ve have so far in Australia. Definitely a recommend stop on the island.

7. Chocolate Factory Outlet

For desert, we headed to a chocolate producer, where we tasted hazelnut, caramel, and chocolate fudge, and chocolate-covered honeycomb. It was definitely caloric, but a great way to enjoy the holiday! While driving from here, we passed by Satellite Island, which a man inherited from distant family. He built a resort on property, and now you’re able to rent out the entire island, starting at $1200 a night!

Chocolate Factory Outlet

Chocolate Factory Outlet

8. Bruny Island House of Whiskey

Our last stop of the day was at the island’s whiskey distillery, where we sampled either whiskey or a gin and tonic. This was a great stop to wrap up the day, and was a stunning property overlooking the water and northern edge of the island.

View off House of Whiskey front deck

View off House of Whiskey front deck

Overall, I had a fantastic impression of Bruny Island. The people are lovely, and the scenery is gorgeous. My favorite part is that the buildings look like charming little toy buildings that were dropped throughout the land. It just looks like a peaceful little dream island where people go to relax and escape.

A very worthwhile and enjoyable day!

Hello Spring Break!

Spring Break came a little late for us in France (about a month later than Penn State). I had basically a week and a half to travel anywhere around Europe. It’s super easy to travel anywhere in Europe since flights and train rides are very cheap and affordable. Before travelling, I did my research online to find the cheapest tickets I could to places I more South and by the beach. I ended up buying a 15-euro ticket to Ibiza, Spain, followed by a 10-euro ticket to Naples, Italy, and a 15-euro ticket back to Nice, France. I paid under 50 euros for transportation for my Spring break, which probably couldn’t’ be possible back on the American continent. (Thank goodness for Ryan air and EasyJet!)

13100739_1350117618348809_7278209745449286991_n

Ibiza

We arrived in Ibiza on Sunday the 24th, just in time to get some dinner and enjoy the sunset by the beach. Our hotel was very nice, with a huge balcony facing the Mediterranean. We ended up going out to eat at the restaurant next door to have some typical Spanish seafood dishes. The next day we decided to walk around the beach. It was pretty cloudy, so we couldn’t really sun bathe until the next day. We tried finding sun block at every store around us only find out that the cheapest bottle was at a whopping 25 euros. I ended up not buying any, which I regret very much as I looked like a tomato for the few days.

Aerial View of Naples

Aerial View of Naples

After the beach and relaxing days in Ibiza, we flew to Naples. Of all the cities I have visited these past months, I would have to say Naples is towards the top. The first thing we did when we got to the center of the city was find the first pasta place to eat while we waited for our Airbnb to be ready. I had the best pasta I have ever had in my life. It was spaghetti with fresh pesto and pine nuts and fresh grated Italian cheese (Pecorino, maybe).

Pasta!!

Pasta!!

The city itself didn’t have a great impression on any of us at first, although you can tell it’s an ancient city with a rich historical line. That first day we basically spent it walking around and eating Neapolitan food. The next day I convinced everyone to come with me to the ancient city of Pompeii, which was a 40-minute train ride from the center of Naples. Getting to Pompeii was a hassle since the train was over packed. Once we got off of the train, we were basically in front of the entrance to Pompeii. After paying the basic entrance fee of 13 euros, we were quickly emerged into the ruins of the ancient city. Pompeii is absolutely enormous. It takes the entire day to look through everything, as there are many different sections within the city. There are only 13 preserved molds of bodies in a small section of the city, near the amphitheater. Visiting Pompeii was one of the best decisions I have made yet, and it will definitely be something I remember for the rest of my life. Pompeii was just breath-taking overall, and I definitely recommend it to anyone that has the chance to visit this magical place.

Downtown Naples

Downtown Naples

Mt. Vesuvius; Pompeii

Mt. Vesuvius; Pompeii

 

 

 

 

 

 

After Naples, we had a flight back to Nice, followed by a train back to Montpellier. I got back around midnight, just in time to catch the last tramway to my house. May 1st is a national French holiday apparently, where everything is closed since nobody works. Monday, there was a huge protest (not a surprise) that I got to see by the Place de la Comedie (center of town). To my relief, this manifestation did not get too wild like the last one did.

Today is Tuesday. I am completely finished with all of my classes at Paul Valéry and at the office. I have exactly one week before my next final, giving me some time to plan some day trips perhaps. This is my last weekend in Montpellier, so I am thinking of just getting to know this city that was my home for the past few months. The weather has gotten so much better these days, good enough to wear shorts (although shorts are not widely accepted in French fashion).

My mom is coming again next week, and we will be touring France and Spain, as well as Greece. In about a week and a half I will be in the famous island Santorini. In about 18 days I will be back in the states. It’s so crazy how time flies.


Location: Playa D'en Bossa, Ibiza, Spain

City of Melbourne (Day 4)

Our last day in Melbourne was a free day to explore the city, so we planned it out and visited all our Melbourne bucket list items!

Hosier & Rutledge Lane

We ate breakfast at one of the many lovely little cafes throughout Melbourne, then walked along the parks and over the river into the city. Our first stop was Hosier and Rutledge Lane, a small section of alleyways decked out in graffiti art. This had been one of the places I wanted to visit since before I came to Australia, so it was definitely exciting! Some of the art is semi-permanent, while some of it changes more frequently, but it is all colorful and intriguing. Other locations throughout the city are known for similar graffiti artwork, but this is the most popular.

Rutledge Lane

Rutledge Lane

Obligatory dance picture at Rutledge Lane

Obligatory dance picture at Rutledge Lane

The City

The downtown area of Melbourne is lovely, very artsy and clean. We spent a little time looking at artwork in Federation Square, which is a cool building itself, but also had very interesting art inside. My favorite was a glass exhibit that was centered around the ocean and coral reefs, the work was absolutely stunning!

Federation Square

Federation Square

Brighton Beach

After becoming a master of the State of Victoria public transport (difficult to do in one day), we took the tram to Brighton Beach. At Dendy Beach, located at Brighton, there are 82 huts lined up along the beach. These iconic “bathing boxes,” were originally built for a place to sleep near the beach, but now the colorful huts are more of a novelty. These tiny vacation homes start at $25,000, and create an iconic beachscape. We checked out all the different designs painted on the huts walking along the beach, and looked at the beautiful Victorian-inspired homes built along the road on the way back.

Row of Brighton Beach huts

Row of Brighton Beach huts

Close up of Brighton Beach hut

Close up of Brighton Beach hut

The Arbory

Mid-afternoon, we visited the Arbory Bar & Eatery, the longest bar in Australia. With all outdoor seating on on old tram-station deck, the kitchen and two bars are located inside repurposed shipping containers along the deck. This restaurant was quite delightful, the food and drinks were great, and it was a lovely way to spend an afternoon sitting on the river’s edge.

The Arbory Bar & Eatery

The Arbory Bar & Eatery

St. Kilda

Our last adventure of the day was at St. Kilda Pier at dusk to see penguins! I know this is Australia, but it just shows how versatile the environments are here! A small colony of little penguins, Eudyptula minor, having been living in the breakwaters protecting St. Kilda harbour since the 1970’s, and have been studied since 1986. The best way to see them is at dawn or dusk, and you can find them popping out of the rocks of the breakwater where they raise chicks in the protection of the rock wall. They are completely adorable and well-worth visiting!

Penguins!

I am very happy that we got to check off all the major activities we were hoping to get to do in Melbourne, but am still sad to leave! Hopefully I’ll be back one day to explore the city more, but for now we’re off to Tasmania!

Expect the Unexpected (Melbourne Day 3)

This morning we enjoyed breakfast with the b&b owners, said thank you and farewell, then headed off for our third day on the Great Ocean Road.

On our first adventure was heading into a forest in our van, and soon after getting stuck in a ditch of mud! With the severe drought, the ground was not ready to handle this amount of rain, and our car was not able to handle the slippery ground trying to go uphill. Our tour guide called the b&b and shortly the husband came to save us with his tractor. It wasn’t the most ideal start to the day, but worse things could happen!

Port Campbell

This was the most WINDY place I have ever been to in my life! It was a beautiful lookout, but maybe more so when you can actually see it without wind-induced vision impairment. Port Campbell does have a very small boat pier, and is a very small town. With a population under 100, it’s main purpose is catering to the 12 Apostles tourism industry.

London Bridge

This was also one of my favorite stops of the trip, a gorgeous lookout that was also very windy. At the most northern point in Mornington Peninsula National Park, and bordering Point Nepean National Park, the structure is composed of sandstone. Although originally a double-span natural bridge, the structure weakened through weathering action, and in 1990 the first archway collapsed. Two tourists were stranded on the outer span, but no one was hurt and they were brought inland by helicopter. Originally called the London Bridge, it is now referred to as the London Arch, respective to the change in its structure.

London Bridge

London Bridge

Bay of Islands

Our last coastal stop of the trip was the Bay of Islands, where a short cliff walk leads down stairs to the beach. Here we spent a few minutes on the breathtaking beach, looking up at the sheer cliff faces and seeing the rock columns in the sea from ground level. It was an incredible view!

Bay of Islands lookout

Bay of Islands beach

Bay of Islands lookout

Bay of Islands lookout

Red Rock

After enjoying a light lunch at the Timboon Railway Shed Distillery (in the town of Timboon), we drove inland to Red Rock. This volcanic complex is part of the Otway National Park, where volcanic eruptions created craters. A few of these craters filled with water to create lakes, including Purdiguluc, Werowrap, and Coragulac. There are over 40 centers with various sizes, and we visited the top of the Coragulac Lookout. We could see for miles around the impressive landscape, and although it was still very cold and windy, it was a great way to wrap up the tour.

Craters of Red Rock

Craters of Red Rock

Lookout

Coragulac Lookout

Overall, I would HIGHLY recommend this tour (Echidna Walkabout – 3 Day Great Ocean Road). It was expensive, but considering two nights of great accommodation, all food, and three days of tours are included, it turned out to be rather reasonable. It was a fantastic experience, and probably one of my favorite adventures in Australia so far!

The Great Ocean Road (Melbourne Day 2)

Our second day started with breakfast at the b&b, followed by a drive to a national park. This is the only location of the trip that I failed to take note of the name, but it was a great stop! We took a walk through the forest, which our guide said reminded him of the Blaire Witch Projects due to its eerie look with the dry and twisted trees, and paused at a spectacular lookout of the beach below.

North side of lookout

East side of lookout

South side of lookout

West side of lookout

Teddy’s Lookout

We Here we took a short walk through the woods in the town of Lorne, where we saw a few different birds. Our guide then gave us directions to take a short hike down the mountain, while he drove the car around to meet at the bottom. We hiked down a very steep track to the base of the mountain, at the river lookout. It was neat to see the Saint George River from above, then hike down and along it as well. We ate lunch in the nearby town of Marengo, enjoying delicious food at the General Store café.

Teddy's Lookout

Teddy’s Lookout

Beachwalk

One of my favorite stops of the day was a short beach walk we took near this area. We walked out on rock platforms, and using binoculars you could see a few seals on nearby rocks! It was a stunning beach, and a beautiful change of scenery from all the bushwalking.

Rocks platforms on the beach

Rocks platforms on the beach

Panoramic view of the beach

Panoramic view of the beach

Maits Rest

The next stop, Maits Rest rainforest, was also a fantastic find. Part of the Great Otway National Park, this is a must-do. This national park was declared in 2004, and overall includes a variety of landscapes including beaches, forests, a significant koala population (obviously important) and the Cape Otway Lighthouse. We took a relatively short but awesome walk through through one of the only rainforests left standing in Southern Australia, on the wooden boardwalk track that carves through the ancient forest.

Tree in Maits Rest

Tree in Maits Rest Rainforest

The 12 Apostles

It’s easy to see why the 12 Apostles are a popular tourist attraction, but was strange to enter such a busy area after bushwalking with only a few people for a day and a half straight. Rock cliffs in the area are made of soft limestone, which the Southern Ocean (combined with harsh weather conditions) gradually eroded to form caves and steeper cliffs. Those cliffs became arches, which eventually collapsed leaving rock stack formations.

Until 1922, the formation was called the Sow and Piglets, with Muttonbird Island as the Sow and the smaller rock stacks as the Piglets. However, the name was changed a number of years ago to increase tourism to the area, and the 12 Apostles was selected simply because it sounded more appealing. There were never actually 12 rock stacks, only nine, and in 2005, the 9th stack collapsed leaving the currently standing 8 Apostles.

The 12 Apostles lookout (west)

The 12 Apostles lookout (west)

One downside is that the soft limestone landscape makes it susceptible to further erosion and collapse. Studies are currently being conducted to make predictions of changes, but currently the rate of cliff erosion is 2cm per year. Existing headlands to cliff faces are expected to become new rock stacks in the future, and sinkholes more inland are becoming more of a problem. Although sinkholes evolve over time and do not collapse suddenly (unlike cliffs could), they still present infrastructure problems.

Loch Ard Gorge

This lookout gets its name because the Loch Ard boat ran aground here years back, near Muttonbird Island, while traveling from England to Melbourne. Two out of 54 passengers survived, including Tom Peace (age 15) and emigrant Eva Carmichael. Tom saved Eva after hearing her cries for help, and they were taken in by a random passerby (although several versions of why these people where in the undeveloped area at the time exist). Later the arch of the nearby island collapsed, leaving two unconnected pillars which are now named Tom and Eva respectively.

Loch Ard Gorge

Loch Ard Gorge

Loch Ard B&B

For our evening accommodation, we stayed at an absolutely charming dairy farm bed and breakfast. The property was set just behind the Great Ocean Road, with the ranch-style house sitting atop of the hill. We could see kangaroos and cattle roaming through the hills, and were close enough to still see the sea spay coming up the cliff edges. The couple that owns the bed and breakfast are lovely, and estimated they’ve had over 4000 people stay there in the past 10 years. Overnight, we had massive thunderstorms come through, which made us feel quite in touch with nature (luckily from inside). They made us a homemade dinner and we had a fantastic night enjoying their (Australian) Southern hospitality!

On The Road Again (Melbourne Day 1)

Our first impression of Melbourne has been as expected, an art and food capital of Australia. After checking into our Airbnb, we went to Downstairs Bistro & Lounge for dinner, and enjoyed a lovely meal with great service. We spent the night repacking, and the next morning headed out with the Echidna Walkabout Tour to explore the Great Ocean Road!

The Great Ocean Road

The Great Ocean Road is a roughly 250 kilometer road built right along the cliff edge of Southern Australia (map below). This area has a temperate Mediterranean climate, with very windy coastlines and inlands of dry and hot weather. Rainfall varies depending on location, and all sorts of environments exist here, including wetlands, rainforests, dry forests, beaches, and more. The road was built by returned soldiers between 1919-1932, and is considered the largest war memorial in Australia, dedicated to those soldiers killed during WWI. It has been extremely useful for the timber industry, and now is a huge tourist attraction.

Great Ocean Road map (http://www.atn.com.au/topdestinations/victoria/great-ocean-road.html)

Great Ocean Road map (http://www.atn.com.au/topdestinations/victoria/great-ocean-road.html)

You Yangs

Our first official stop was at the You Yangs Regional Park, a granite range Southwest of Melbourne that is part of Parks Victoria. We spent the morning exploring, and didn’t see much during our first walk, but throughout the day saw countless kanagroos and wallabies, several koalas, and various birds. One of my favorites was spotting two red and blue parrots! Their colors are so vibrant and beautiful, especially to see in the wild.

A “mob”of kangaroos

Koala in You Yangs Park

Koala in You Yangs Park

We spent a couple hours searching for wildlife and koala hunting (or more appropriately, blob hunting through the treetops. We enjoyed a picnic lunch at a cook-out area, next to a grassy field where a group of kangaroos were residing. They staying during the whole lunch, which our guide said was a first for him! Our guide also used water and leaves off a hand-picked branch of a Eucalyptus tree to make “Hillbilly tea.” By swinging the teapot around in a circle like a softball pitch, the leaves and particles are pushed to the bottom of the pot, giving the tea a clear pour. It was fun to watch and delicious to drink!

Lunch with the kangaroos

Lunch with the kangaroos

Serendip

After exploring a bit more, we headed to a neighboring park, Serendip. This park is used for wildlife research, captive management, and breeding of threatened species. Just as we entered, we came across three emu’s taking a stroll! We watched them for a while, then walked around the lake and through a dried-up lake. Southern Australia has been in severe drought, and the area we walked through used to have water up to shoulder-level just a year ago. In fact, the park system had resorted to putting some feed out for the emu’s earlier in the season since conditions were getting so harsh. However, luckily for the land, our arrival also brought rain, which made the community and animals in the area quite happy! We spotted wallabies, various birds, another koala, and even two possums at this park!

Little River

Our evening accommodation was in this tiny town, at a beautiful bed and breakfast called the Little River B&B. We had a fantastic suite-like room, and the property was uniquely decorated with old-fashioned trinkets. We took a walk down by the river that ran behind the property, and got a look at the old-fashioned homes that made up the small village. For dinner, the tour made reservations for us at the Little River Hotel, a restaurant right next to the b&b. Although it was a pretty basic pub-like restaurant, the staff was very accommodating and the food was fantastic.

After dinner, we settled in for the night and got ready for another full day ahead!

The Great Barrier Reef (Cairns Day 3)

Today I got to check off another major life bucket list item, visiting the iconic Great Barrier Reef!

Based on square meters, the Great Barrier Reef is the most diverse ecosystem in the world. The reef is located about an hour and a half off of the coastline, and is made up of coral cays, which are essentially semi circles of reef formations, with the more built up areas on the southern side. As the currents push water and sand south, it builds up into these formations. The reef has over 2,900 reef cays, and stretches over 1,400 miles of the Coral Sea. This area is so large that it is the only living thing on planet Earth that can be seen from outer space, and is the world’s largest single structure made by living organisms. It is categorized as one of the seven natural wonders of the world. Combined with the Whitsunday Islands, it generates $3 billion of tourism revenue per year.

Unfortunately, human activity on the reefs has drastically impacted the health of the ecosystem. The coast of downtown Cairns is essentially a contaminated mud flat where boats dock, leaving a not so attractive view. However, the reef protects the ocean closer to land, therefore providing a natural barrier, which makes the water relatively calm. Unfortunately the windy and rainy weather the past few days has made the visibility in the water not very good, but there is also a problem with coral bleaching. Tragically, over 50% of the reef has already been killed off, so it is extremely important to make sure products being used are environmentally friendly.

Snorkel Trip One

To explore the reef, we took a 60-person tour with Ocean Freedom. The crew was extremely knowledgeable, very friendly, and helpful. After our boat ride out, we docked and went for a half hour snorkel. Although visibility was low, we still were able to see a lot of wildlife! Our first friend was a barracuda over a meter long that likes to hang out around the back of boat (according to the staff). Although this wasn’t particularly my favorite sighting, it was still a story that I survived to tell! We also saw sea turtles, which are gorgeous and impressive creatures. One of our guides explained to us that most wildlife on the reef gets their name because it literally looks like what it’s named after. For example, brain coral looks like a brain, and boulder coral looks like a boulder. To follow this story, I saw a unique fish that was yellow with black dots, and was shaped sort of like a box. When I later looked it up, it was in fact called a “yellow box fish,” creative! I also saw a humphead wrasse fish, which is basically a large dark-colored fish with a bump-like structure on its head. I didn’t know what it was at the time, but it was massive, probably about three feet long!

Bumphead Parrotfish (picture from http://www.swissnomads.com/2014/09/best-dive-sites-lhaviyani-atoll-maldives/)

Bumphead Wrasse (picture from http://www.swissnomads.com/2014/09/best-dive-sites-lhaviyani-atoll-maldives/)

Parrotfish (picture from https://phishdoc.com/2015/09/14/parrotfish-i/)

Parrotfish (picture from https://phishdoc.com/2015/09/14/parrotfish-i/)

One of my favorite fish was the parrotfish, which males are a rainbow of colors, and females are beige and brown. They are absolutely beautiful, but also contribute to a large portion of bioerosion on the reefs. They consume microscopic organisms that live on an in coral rock by using their beak-like teeth, and in the process destroy the coral. This natural devastation of the reef actually accounts for a large portion of the ecological loss. Parrotfish also do this cool thing at night where they spit out a large cocoon of balloon-like skin, which they swim inside of it and sleep there for the night. The properties of this sticky skin make it so that other sea creatures cannot sense its presence by its electrical impulses. If a predator were to attempt to break this casing, it would be repelled my the thickness and stickiness of it. Our tour guide said he was once on a dive where a friend picked up the bubble with the parrotfish asleep inside, and it didn’t even wake up!

My mom and I before snorkeling

My mom and I before snorkeling

My mom and I post snorkeling

My mom and I post snorkeling

Glass Bottom Boat

Next I took two back to back trips in the glass bottom boat, because you never know what you’re going to find in the big blue sea at any given moment! We saw countless sea cucumbers and blue starfish, and got briefed on many different types of coral and fish. After returning to the boat, we enjoyed a fabulous lunch, then headed to the second snorkeling location. This was just a short distance away, on the other side of the cay. Marine life there was about the same as the previous location, but it was great to see two different areas on the same trip.

Snorkel Trip Two

Since there was more of a current in this area, we took the smaller boat out ahead of the cruise boat, then jumped into the water and followed the current back to the main boat. A staff member swam with us, teaching us about various ocean facts. She also led us to a sort of coral cave where there were often sharks. Lucky for us, they were hiding out there! You had to dive down a little and look under a ledge, but we did get to see a few incredible black-tipped sharks. About the only “big” thing we didn’t see was a manta ray. Small blue-spotted rays are very common in the sandier areas where we were, I just didn’t happen to see any. I also got to see my other favorite fish, nemo’s! Or, “clownfish,” if you want to be technical. They are definitely the other most adorable thing I’ve see in Cairns, in addition to the aforementioned baby crocodiles. Despite the cloudiness of the water and roughness of the waves, we were able to see quite a satisfying amount of ocean life!

Enjoying the Great Barrier Reef

Enjoying the Great Barrier Reef

Tour Advice

Overall, I would say that our tour was extremely successful! If you are looking for what tour to do here, I would recommend Ocean Freedom for several reasons. Their company is one of the few family-owned businesses left, and they truly do act like a family. All staff was very well educated, and everything on the boat was clean and organized. Their was plenty of food throughout the day and it was always good, and staff was quite accommodating. I didn’t bring along any sort of underwater camera, but if you have one, bring it! When the water is clear, the footage is great, especially with a mounted GoPro. However, if the water quality isn’t very clear, you’re honestly better just enjoying the trip and not bothering with trying to get decent photos. If you get seasick or motion sick easily, and find yourself here during rough weather, definitely take something prior to heading on the boat. Additionally, when the weather is more rough, snorkeling in the ocean is also a little more difficult that you may imagine. Pretty much anyone can do it (they even will personally take you out with a life guard ring and guide if you’re elderly etc), but you do need to be aware of strong currents and larger waves. It’s a little different than snorkeling in calm water, but far worth it! If you are nervous about trying it out, there’s a huge scale of beginner to advanced options, so definitely go for it!

Cairns

After docking at the marina, we walked to the lagoon pool and took a few photos in the beautiful infinity pool built right on the beach. Cairns has fun things like giant stinging jellyfish and plankton that don’t hurt you but make your skin tingle, so the lagoon is a great option for when these creatures are in season! We got back around dinnertime, still feeling somewhat like we were on a boat, and had a relaxed evening. Cairns still gives me a slightly weird feeling that I haven’t gotten anywhere else in Australia, I am 100% glad to have come and that I was able to do everything on my Cairns bucket list! However, I think if I come back for this sort of trip, I will try somewhere new, like farther up North (where snorkeling is supposedly even better), the Whitsunday Islands, or Fiji. Tomorrow we will head to the airport in preparation for Melbourne and the Great Ocean Road!

Cairns boardwalk

Cairns boardwalk

Terra Australis Incognita (Cairns Day 2)

Today we got to explore one of the oldest and most impressive parts of Australia, the Daintree Rainforest. Covering about 460 square miles, this national park layout is unique because is consisted of small irregularly shaped areas, rather than one large block of land. This rainforest is the largest continuous area of tropical rainforest on the Australian continent, with the rainforest extending all the way to the edge of the sea.

One unique story we were told tells the history of the Idiospermum australiense species, more commonly known as the idiot fruit. Essentially this tree was thought to have gone extinct many years ago, then was accidently rediscovered in 1970 by a farmer who was confused why his cows were dying from consuming this tree’s fruit. Named one of Australia’s most significant discoveries, this find identified that the Daintree Rainforest was far older than recorded, dating back 110 million years. Since evident of this species exists from that long ago, and it only grows in very specific and limited environments, this discovery was a huge mile marker for Australia.

Daintree River

Our day with Tropical Horizons tour group started with an hour and half drive to Port Douglas, following the edge of the ocean since only one main road links the two areas. Inland of the coastal area is very mountainous, so it makes sense that only main road runs along the edge. Despite what you might think, the road is very well kept and the drive is quite lovely with oceanfront views the entire way. After picking up the rest of the guests in Port Douglas, we drove through a residential area that was home to hundreds of wallabies and kangaroos, then headed to the first main stop at the Daintree River.

Here, we experienced the incredibly diverse ecosystem of the river. Within the first five minutes of our river cruise, we saw a saltwater crocodile and three baby crocodiles that were only 6-8 inches long! It was probably one of the cutest things I’ve seen on this trip. Although called saltwater crocodiles, majority of the species lives in freshwater. They get their name simply because they also have the ability to survive in saltwater. Later on we saw a larger crocodile, as well as a small snake in a tree, and a variety of birds. We learned about mangrove trees, which have vast root systems creating a swamp-like environment and wildlife haven among the water’s edge. Providing shelter and warmth, this creates the perfect living grounds for all sorts of flora and fauna. With only a little rain, our boat ride through the river was quite successful! We got off the boat upstream and on the other side of the river, where the bus picked us up again.

Baby crocodile

Baby crocodile (on center of lower half of branch)

Alexandra Lookout

Our next stop was Alexandra Lookout, also referred to as Walu Wugirriga by aboriginals. As you can see in the picture, it is absolutely stunning (sarcasm)! It was more than a little foggy due to the unfortunate weather, but you could still sort of make out the outline of the landscaping. With a clear view, this lookout offers views of the Daintree River mouth and it’s surrounding environment. We had just enough time to attempt a picture through the raindrops, then jump back on the bus.

Alexandra Lookout

Alexandra Lookout

Rainforest Lunch

For lunch, all we were expecting was “lunch in a rainforest setting,” which in Australia is an extremely vague description, considering detailed descriptions here are often to be taken loosely. However, we enjoyed an absolutely beautiful lunch at a restaurant that is tucked away in the middle of nowhere in the rainforest. This small property also houses a resort, and has a restaurant literally set in the rainforest. It is built next to the river, and you can look over the edge and down onto the river right next to the dining tables. The staff was very friendly, and it was a fantastic meal! To make it more quaint, this restaurant was established a long time ago, before Cairns tourism developed, and was a typical spot for locals to stop by and enjoy a meal.

Cape Tribulation

Our second to last stop took us to the beach, at a point that was named by James Cook after his ship ran into some trouble there. Although his voyage was delayed, it was not ended, and he therefore named the point something representative of its nature, Cape Tribulation. By this point in the day, it was starting to just about pour buckets, so if anyone didn’t know how the rainforest got it’s name by then, they learned quickly. After a short walk on the beach learning the history of the point, we walked through the forest to a lookout point. Again, it was a bit foggy and rainy, but at least it felt appropriate to have this weather when visiting the rainforest!

Cape Tribulation lookout

Cape Tribulation lookout

Going off of that story, in case you’re wondering, here’s how Australia got it’s name. A long time ago, people knew the mapping of the North and South America’s, as well as the large European and Russian landmasses, so they assumed that in order for the world to balance out (in regards to land verses water masses), there had to be another land mass countering South America. When James Cook set out on his voyage from England, they had the idea that this land mass was wider and skinnier than it is now, and therefore he was sure to run into it when heading South. Although he did end up reaching what is now Australia, he had many unexpected adventures along the way that lead to many new discoveries. In the process though, Australia was originally named “Terra Australis Incognita,” or more simply and appropriately put, “the great undiscovered land.”

Mossman Gorge

Our last main stop of the day was Mossman Gorge, where we first enjoyed tea at the visitor’s center, then a short presentation by an Kuku Yalanji aboriginal. We took a shuttle to the park entrance, then followed the rainforest track walk to Mossman Gorge, passing over a suspended bridge along the way. Mossman is also known for its sugar cane farming, as many areas around Cairns are as well. Due to the fitting environment, sugarcane grows extremely well in this area, contributing to make Australia the world’s fifth largest producer of the sweet stuff. While harvesting used to be gathered by hand, now it is all processed by machinery to avoid infection by toxic waste products of rats living in the area. This change in methods caused the time limit of transporting the cut cane from the field to the mill from two weeks to a mere 14 hours. For this reason, small train lines run all across the countryside, because it is faster than transporting it on the limited roads with such a large volume of cane. Recently though, a successful sugar mill was bought by another company with the intention of solely trading ownership, then completely shut down after two months. This was done through the eyes of the competitor as a means to regulate the price. However, this devastated the town, which prided itself on the sugar mill business, and impacted a lot of lives and related businesses. This is just one example of how politics happen all over the world.

Mossman Gorge

Mossman Gorge

Another interesting story of the day was learning that the company Palmolive started in the Daintree regions. Essentially, palm tree oil was mixed with olive oil, which was used as a base to make soaps. Two inventors, William Colgate and B.J. Johnson, joined forced to create a company for which they could both benefit from the credit and sales of a product. Therefore, Palmolive is not a name, but rather simply an addition of the words palm and olive.

Overall, we had a fantastic day learning about and exploring the incredible world of the ancient Daintree Rainforest!

Anzac Day Adventures (Cairns Day 1)

My mom has officially joined me from across the pond, and our first big stop is Cairns! The evening of our arrival, we checked into our Airbnb, got a little advice from our host, and headed out to town. After a walk down the Esplanade and a lovely dinner at a café, we headed in for an early night.

Cairns

For location references, Cairns is essentially the main tourism point of Australia where people go to visit the Great Barrier Reef. I was expecting a smaller town with mostly tourism, however this is the first place in Australia I have traveled to that gives me a slightly odd feeling. Although a beautiful area filled with activities to do and places to see, the town and surrounding area is just not what I expected. The main attractions here include the Great Barrier Reef, Daintree Rainforest, and aboriginal culture. The towns themselves are very old fashioned, looking like the type of area that could easily (and realistically) get swept away overnight by a natural disaster. The streets aren’t designed the best, and the villages are very small, considering most attractions are on the water or in the forests. Although the weather is a bit off from what is normally expected of this time, it has been completely overcast with dark skies and rain. It has been quite an abrupt change from the beautiful beaches and clear skies of Gold Coast, but hopefully Cairns has some wonderful things in store for us!

Aerial view of the Great Barrier Reef from plane

Aerial view of the Great Barrier Reef from plane

Anzac Day

As a perfectly-timed way to start our trip, our first day in Cairns is was also Anzac Day. Essentially, this is an Australian War Memorial holiday that commemorates the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (abbreviation: ANZAC) soldiers who landed on the Gallipoli Peninsula in Turkey during the first World War. This day reminds Australians of those who served and died in war and on operational service with qualities of courage, mateship, and sacrifice. For celebratory purposes, the best way to describe it is like a combination of America’s Memorial Day and Thanksgiving. For Australia, this holiday is so important that it is known second to Christmas, and even has it’s own official website (https://anzacday.org.au/home). Although our tour that day left too early to see the Cairns Anzac Day Parade or join in on an early morning remembrance ceremony, we still got to spend the day learning about Australia’s natural and historic beauty!

Wooroonuran

This morning we joined a tour through Wooroonuran National Park, one of the wet tropics world heritage areas, which contains some of the oldest surviving rainforests in the world. Just one of the many unique trees of this rainforest, the Blushwood tree, has been found to cure the breakdown of cancer tumors. This has been successful with animal testing, and human trials are in the process. This just goes to show what other undiscovered secrets might be hidden in this ancient paradise. Contrary to common belief, parts of the Australian rainforest are actually older than the Amazon, comparing the Amazon’s mid 50 million year old ecosystem to Australia’s 180 million year old landscape!

Lake Barrine

This freshwater lake was formed when a large volcano erupted over 17,000 years ago, leaving a crater that was formed then filled with rainwater. At 730 meters above sea level, there are no streams or springs that feed into the lake, but one small creek that flows out during the wet season. We also walked through the Lake Barrine Tea House Restaurant, and it looked like a lovely place to enjoy tea.

Lake Barrine

Lake Barrine

Yungaburra

Stopping through Yungaburra village, we learned it is a haven for wildlife, including the platypus, tree-kangaroo, wallabies, and many species of birds. We took a drive around Lake Tinaroo, and headed to the Curtain Fig National Park. With traditional aboriginal owners, this national park is part of their country, so naturally it is a place to be respected. The park protects endangered mabi forest and a large fig tree, in fact one of the largest recorded in the world. Technically known as the species ficus virens of the strangler fig, this tree’s aerial roots drop 15 meters to the forest floor forming a curtain-like appearance, hence the name curtain fig. Esentially they grow by germinating on top of another tree and trying to grow roots into the ground, then grow more, until the hosting tree is killed and it can grow independently. These trees are considered epiphytes, which feed from the ground, as opposed to parasitic plants, which feeds from the sap of host plant. This protected tree in specific has overtaken four other trees in its time.

Curtain Fig Tree

Curtain Fig Tree

Millaa Millaa Falls

This was one of my favorite stops of the day, as I have recently discovered I am slightly obsessed with waterfalls. “Millaa millaa” is an aboriginal phrase meaning “plenty of water or waterfall.” This particular fall is known casually as the most photographed waterfall in Australia, with a suitable swimming pool at it’s base. Unlike most of the rock pools I’ve encountered, this one was quite flat, and although it was a bit too cold to try out, it looked like a lovely place to go for a swim.

Millaa Millaa Falls

Millaa Millaa Falls

Crawfords Lookout

Our next stop took us to Crawfords Lookout in Mamu Valley. It was still a little foggy, but we could still see the view of the North Johnstone River Gorge.

Crawfords Lookout

Crawfords Lookout

Josephine Falls

This tiered cascade waterfall is a natural beauty, and also danger. At 192 meters above sea level, it is impossible to see the top of the waterfall when standing below. It is also impossible to tell what rainfall activity is happening above, and essentially the basin at the top fills and fills with water until it hits a tipping point, then spills of the edge all at once, flash flooding the rock pools below. Although a fantastic swimming area at first glance, it can also become a nightmare in an instant. A great place to visit though!

Josephine Falls

Josephine Falls

Babinda Creek

Our second last stop of the day was the Boulders at Babinda Creek. As compared to above, this lake-like area is perfectly suitable for swimming. The creek is lined with huge boulders, which help to give it its name, but also have aboriginal significance. According to local legend, the boulders are guarded by the spirit of a beautiful girl named Oolana, and you can still hear her calls for her lost lover. 

Babinda Creek

Babinda Creek

Mulgrave River

We ended the day with an hour-long crocodile cruise through the Mulgrave River, although the unfortunate weather made it not super successful. We learned above the lives of crocodiles, and explored an area with beautifully reflective waters. Overall, it was a lot of driving through the countryside, but a great day of sightseeing South of Cairns!

Muray River

Mulgrave River reflections