Here We Go Again

He’s packing his bags today.  His flight back to the states leaves bright and early tomorrow morning.  I knew this time would come.  I knew he’d eventually have to go back.  Knowing doesn’t make it any easier, though.  My heart is already sinking.  The loneliness is waiting behind the scenes, just waiting to creep in.  This shouldn't be so hard.  I should be used to it by now.  We’ve done it all before.  He was just gone for an extended stint.  But I’ve become accustomed to his presence.  We quickly fell back into a comfortable routine.  Life was more fun with him around.  He gave me something to look forward to on a daily basis.  My Australia will not be the same without him.  I’m going to miss him.

Road Weary

I’m exhausted.  My butt is numb.  My mind is just as numb.  I can’t see straight and am pretty sure my eyes are still bloodshot.  In short, I’m feeling every last kilometer of the sixteen hours we drove yesterday.  Initially, we planned on splitting up the drive.  We were going to take things easy and stop off along the way.  We were going to enjoy the Australian countryside.  But our planned stop-off point came too early in the evening.  It didn’t make sense to stop then.  And, even though our vacation had been amazing, we were ready to get home.  So, we decided to push on through the night.  It was rough, but we made it.  (No kangaroo or koala fatalities, either!)  Now, I just need some time to recover.  Thank heavens for lazy Sundays!

Our Ancient Escape

I am dirty and stinky.  I am a dirty, stinky ragamuffin.  After three days of camping at Cape Tribulation in Daintree National Park, with no running water or any other modern convenience, I feel like a dirty hippy.  My hair has taken on a waxen sheen; if I didn’t keep it pulled back in bun, it would either stand on end from all of the grease it’s holding, or twist itself into Rastafarian dreadlocks.  I’m pretty sure I look like one of those college kids who spend their summers following The Dead, or Phish, or whatever jam band is en vogue these days, but the past few days were worth every bit of dirt and grime.

Daintree and Cape Tribulation are nearly as far north as one can possibly go in Queensland.  In fact, this is where the sealed road ends.  After that, it’s only a rickety, uneven dirt track leading to Cooktown, the absolute most northerly settlement this side of Australia, and there really isn’t much to see or do in those parts.  Come to think of it, there really isn’t much to do in Daintree, either, it’s just too remote, but that was kind of our point.  One doesn’t really go to Daintree to do things, one goes to relax and marvel at nature.  Sure, there are a few tourist traps like guided nature hikes and river boat tours to distract you, if desired, but, mostly, one goes to relax and enjoy being so secluded from the rest of the world.

Daintree Rainforest covers approximately 1200 square kilometers and has existed for 110 million years, possibly making it the world’s oldest rainforest.  It boasts animal and plant species that cannot be found anywhere else on earth, like the cassowary (a giant bird with razor sharp claws), the tree kangaroo (yes – a kangaroo that lives in the trees), and the idiospermum australienese, one of the most primative flowering plants that, until recently, was thought to have gone extinct 100 million years ago.  (Thanks, Bill Bryson, for bringing this to my attention!)  But besides being scientifically astounding, Daintree Rainforest is simply aesthetically magnificent.  With its towering trees, twisting vines, and canopies of green leaves, it possesses a mystical quality of ancient preportions.  I don’t think I would have been surprised if a triceratops wandered onto the road, munching away at the surrounding greenery.  Seriously.  Spending time in Daintree is like being in another world. 

And then there are the beaches.  Sure, you have to keep an eye out for jellyfish and crocs, but the beaches are magnificent.  (And marine stinger season doesn't start for another couple of months, anyhow.)  We had the pleasure of camping on Noah’s Beach, a nearly deserted enclave with turquoise waters and soft, white sand.  It was like being at our own, personal resort.  (Minus the swim-up bar and tropical drinks, of course.)  We did nearly everything on the beach.  We ate all of our meals watching the waves roll in.  We played frisbee, read books, and took long, lazy naps.  It was the perfect escape from reality.

So, as you can see, all of this was worth my current state of dirtiness.  Now, if you’ll please excuse me, I need to go get cleaned up.

Lost in Paradise

After Cairns, we ventured further north.  First, to Palm Cove, which was as sleepy and relaxing as Cairns had been boisterous and neon-charged.  Palm Cove was the kind of place where you lazed on the beach all day and then grabbed a bottle of wine to keep you company while you waited for the evening tide to come in.  It was exactly what we needed.

Refreshed and reenergized from our day at Palm Cove, we pushed further north to Port Douglas.  This place is undoubtedly a tropical paradise.  I remember reading about it when forming our travel plans and thinking, “I really want to go there.”  I’m happy to report that reality has lived up to my expectations.  I’m in love. 

In my estimation, Port Douglas is the quintessential northern Queensland town.  It’s like being in a storybook.  The beach seemingly stretches on forever.  And in the distant horizon, mountains canopied with lush, emerald rainforest rise up to create a natural buffer from the rest of the world.  The streets are lined with palms.  The restaurants and pubs all boast sprawling verandas with oversized ceiling fans, all but begging you to stop in for a cool drink.  I could easily, and quite happily, lose myself here forever.

We’ve been here for a couple of days now, and everything about our stay has been idyllic.  We’ve spent our time just as you would expect to in a lazy resort town.  We’ve spent countless hours playing frisbee and bocce ball on the beach.  We enjoyed ice-cold beers in the late afternoon sun.  In short, we’ve been in heaven.

Today, we head even further north, to Daintree National Park and Cape Tribulation, essentially the furthest north one can go in Queensland.  I’m slightly nervous about encountering crocs, but am excited to see more.  This area is supposed to be absolutely unique and simply stunning.  I can’t wait!

Stay tuned for more…

Attack!!!

Six days into our northeast Queensland adventure and we’ve managed to elude anything as dramatic or dangerous as a crocodile attack or shark encounter.  Nonetheless, we’re still experiencing our share of frightening Australian wildlife.  We’ve seen spiders that would make the average person’s heart stop.  And today, we awoke to find our tent had become the new super-highway for a colony of weaver ants.  Big deal, right?  An ant associated with the making of baskets or rugs can’t be too bad.  Wrong.  These buggers may sound docile, but were anything but congenial.  The aggressive little bastards didn’t even bother to scurry as we attempted to swipe them off our tent.  Nope – they opted to rear their backsides in an attempt a fight.  We weren’t dealing with ordinary ants.  These were massive, in-your-face, not-scared-of-humans ants.  This breed was mean and intent upon making a colony on our tent.  It took a lot of bug spray, shrieks, and shaking to get them off our belongings.  This was definitely not how I had expected to begin my morning.  Oh well.  I guess this is all a part of our Australian adventure!

Great Barrier Reef - Trip Report

I have to admit, today was pretty amazing.  I was slightly nervous as we suited up for the first dive.  It had been months since our last dive, leaving me skeptical I would remember my training.  Besides, there could be sharks and lethal jellyfish out there.  The thought of swimming smack dab into their habitat was making me question my own sanity.  But, as soon as we hit the water and I took my first breaths of cool, clean, tank air, my jitters dissolved and my mind cleared.  Once I was able to submerse my face and peer at the underwater marvel below me, I felt nothing but curiosity and awe.  It was like floating in space.  I was in a multi-color heaven.  Time was suspended, but in a magical, ethereal way.  My only reminder of reality was my oxygen meter, and even that couldn’t dampen my good time.  We floated through towers of coral, schools of technicolor fish, and everything else you could imagine.  It was like being transported into a Walt Disney movie.  I could have been the Little Mermaid, though not nearly as graceful.  Luckily (for me), we avoided encountering any Great White Sharks or Box Jellyfish.  Instead, it was a blissful, carefree day of diving one of the great wonders of the world.  I couldn’t be happier.

Oh - and I want to say a great big THANK YOU to Tusa Dive for making this great day possible!  They were amazing!  I highly recommend them!

**I apologize for the lack of photos to accompany this trip report.  We do have some great shots, but the Internet out here is too slow to upload anything.  I promise to post the pics as soon as I’m able.

Destination Cairns

After three long days of driving through vast bushland and endless expanses of sugarcane, we have arrived in Cairns.  I am happy to announce that our vacation has officially begun.  We’ve finally arrived in a tropical paradise and have every intention of enjoying it to our fullest.  The only catch is the snakes, spiders, crocodiles, and fire-ants.  They’re everywhere!  To be fair, I haven’t actually seen a crocodile or snake yet, it’s just a nagging fear that I can’t shake.  I know they’re here and are lurking around every corner, just waiting to get me.  I can feel their beady eyes and slithering ways.  I’m no fool.  I’ve heard the stories.  So, here I am, living in paradise, and caught somewhere between a paralyzing fear and a rebellious nonchalance.  My intellect tells me that I’m perfectly safe, that I have nothing to worry about.  But my gut causes me to jump and squirm at every unknown shadow and unidentified noise.  Frankly, it’s pretty comical.  I should be in a turquoise water-induced heaven, but am putting myself through hell.  I can’t help but shake my head at the irony of it.

Anyway, tomorrow we’re diving the reef.  No worries of crocs or snakes out there.  Just sharks and jelly-fish…  (Seriously, is nothing warm and fuzzy out here????  All of this treachery is tiring!)

On the Road Again

One more night of work before we’re off on another adventure.  One more night of doling out medications, managing patients, and surviving the craziness that is a neuro unit.  One more night before we’re on the road again, exploring Australia.  This is exactly how I imagined our life in Oz – a lot of work, but even more play.  I’m ready to feel the sun on my face, the sand between my toes, and the wind in my hair.  I’m ready to splash in the waves and dive the reef.  There are so many possibilities, and I can barely wait to see what lies ahead.

**Please note that my entries may be sparse in the coming weeks, but I will try to post trip reports when possible.

Horney Roos?

“I reckon you better watch out for the kangaroos,” warned our caravan park neighbor.  “They’ll be around later this arvo.”  After last week’s disappointing zoo experience, we had driven further up the Sunshine Motorway to the slightly remote and fairly secluded, north shore of Noosa Heads for a little beach camping.  This good ‘ole bloke had set up camp next to us and was as stereotypically Aussie as one could imagine, with his thick accent, monstrous ute, and well-worn Crocodile Dundee style hat.  Americans may have red-necks, but Aussies have bogens; and this guy was as bogen as they come.

“Seriously?” I asked, searching for anything in his face to suggest he was messing with me.  I’m learning some locals like to do that – scare me or screw with me simply because I’m a Yank.  I hadn’t had time to decide whether our bogen neighbor was one of those Aussies, or just someone offering sound advice.  Besides, my experiences with kangaroos thus far had proven them to be quite calm and docile, certainly nothing to worry about.  “Are you sure you’re not just messing with me?”

He smiled.  “Nah, mate.  I’m serious.  The female ‘roos are OK; it’s the big bucks you have to worry about.  It’s nearing mating season and something about the perfumes you ladies wear make ‘em crazy.  They’ve been known get up on their hind legs and attack.  You hear about it every year…”

Wow.  He was serious.  Great.  Now, besides worrying about the snakes, spiders, and gargantuan lizards, I also have to keep an eye out for horny kangaroos.  Only in Australia…

**I would like to note that we had a glorious time at the beach, free from any kangaroo attacks, spider bites, or snake sightings.  We did have a slight run-in with a 5-foot lizard, but no harm came to us or the lizard.

Rain-Soaked Dreams

Ahhh!  It’s a grey, rainy, rotten day and I couldn’t be happier!  Normally, I would curse the weather gods for such doom and gloom, but not today.  Nope – I’m in the midst of working my stretch of overnights, so today is reserved for sleeping.  And nothing makes for better day sleeping than a nasty, rain-soaked day.  So, today I'm thankful for this awfullness, as it is sure to lull me into a restful sleep and speed me along to sweet dreams.

Aussie Speak: Part 5

I really feel like I’ve been neglecting my Urban Dictionary lately, and apologize for not posting a new installment sooner.  In honor of our upcoming road trip, I’ve decided to dedicate this portion of the dictionary to terms essential for any vacation.  Some are pretty obvious, but I find them hilarious, nonetheless.  I hope you’re enjoying this insight into the Aussie vocabulary as much as I am!

Australian Urban Dictionary

(aka - Aussie Speak for Yanks)

Part 5: Holiday Essentials

Welcome to My Madhouse

Does everyone out there have a coworker who drives you absolutely insane?  It’s not that this person is incompetent, or doesn’t mean well, but everything he or she does just makes you crazy.  If so…welcome to my world.  I’m stewing right now because of this person.  What should have been, could have been, a nice (albeit busy) evening at work turned into a madhouse because of this women.  She’s knowledgeable and is a good nurse, but is all over the place.  She makes everything one hundred times more difficult than necessary.  Just watching her makes me a nervous wreck.  I tried to say no.  I tried every polite tactic to be left alone to do things my way.  Nothing worked.  So, instead of feeling organized and on top of things, I was left feeling scattered and frustrated.  I just wanted to scream.  She seriously pushed me to the brink this evening.  Her shrill voice and frantic mannerisms are still haunting me.  Ugh!  What a night!  Thank heavens it’s over!

You Call that a Zoo?

Crickey!  (Sorry – I had to throw that one in.  It just seemed appropriate.)  I’m pretty sure we were robbed.  Mouse and I decided to do the “tourist” thing this week and visit The Australia Zoo.  The ads promised it was much more interactive and “hands-on” than other zoos, making it an unparalleled experience.  As the pet project of the dearly departed Aussie hero, Steve Irwin (aka – the Crocodile Hunter), we figured it must be decent.  And for $60 per person, we figured we would at least get a whole day of entertainment out of it.  Well, I’m sorry to say, the zoo turned out to be a big, fat disappointment.  First, calling it a zoo is a pretty big stretch of the imagination.  I would dub it more of a reptile preserve, with a few other animals thrown in for good measure.  Second, we could have easily walked through the entire zoo within an hour.  Third, the whole experience seemed like some type of weird homage to the late, great Crocodile Hunter, making it mildly eerie and sad.  It’s like they were trying to make the place a success off of his memory alone, rather than actually putting any effort into making it a real zoo.  I did get to feed and elephant and pet a koala, so I guess it wasn’t a total bust, but I did leaving feeling jilted.  I really should have swiped one of those koalas and smuggled it out in my purse.

Am I Really That Strange?

It’s strange to be reminded of how American I am on a daily basis, to constantly be aware of how different I am from the Aussies around me.  It’s something I’ve never dealt with before, this feeling of not quite fitting in.  One might think that, after several months of living here, I would begin to feel more worldly, or at least less sheltered and naïve.  Instead, I find myself feeling more awkward and just plain different.  My otherness is pointed out to me on a daily basis.  Whether it’s a patient asking about my foreign accent, or my coworkers teasing me for something I have said, I consistently feel like an outsider.  It’s made me more self-conscience, more aware of everything I say and do.  It’s peculiar to be so self-aware at all times.  And, while all of this can occasionally be exhausting, frustrating, and embarrassing, it’s been good for me.  It’s been (and continues to be) a growing experience.  I can thoroughly appreciate my heightened introspection and newfound awareness of how the world perceives Americans.  And, like so many experience over the past several months, this isn’t something I expected from my Aussie experiment, but is something that I can definitely grow to appreciate.  Cheers!

A Greater Appreciation

It’s been nice having Mouse back.  Although I had re-accustomed myself to a semi-single life and had fallen into my own routines, I’ve gladly given that up to have him here.  Forfeiting my alone time is a small price to pay for his presence.  It’s comforting to have him home when I get home from work, to be able to share a glass of wine and chat about our days.  It’s doubly nice to have someone to cook for, making mealtime more social than functional, giving me an excuse to experiment and play in the kitchen.  (My waistline may be suffering, but at least we’re eating well!)  My days off work are even more pleasurable, now that he’s back to accompany me on our Aussie adventures.  Having him here has reinvigorated me and led me to a deeper appreciation for our life.  We work well together and have carved out a great existence for ourselves.  I wouldn’t trade it for the world.