The Amazing Race

The other day we found out that a local church was sponsoring an Amazing Race around the Sunshine Coast.  We knew we couldn’t pass up this opportunity, so we gathered a team consisting of myself, Holly, Etienne (a friend from France), and Kylie (a friend from Australia).  We wanted to be named Team Awesome, but another team already chose that name so we improvised.  We became Team Génial, which means ‘awesome’ in French.   We went to the church at 9:30 this morning, met our competitors and learned the rules.  There were 14 teams in all, and we were the only team of international Uni students.  We got assigned a driver, named Bill, who was so nice and friendly and a lot of fun to be around.  As soon as the rules were read, we were given our first clue and we took off running out the door.

Our first clue led us to Bulcock Beach in Caloundra.  We jumped out of the shuttle bus and followed the flags down to the beach.  We were the second team to arrive, which meant we earned 95 points (the first team earned 100 points, the second got 95, the third got 90, and so on). We were told that one team member had to dig through the sand in one of the three large marked off areas and try to find the treasure.  Etienne dug through the sand searching and searching.  He found two empty bottles at first, which we found out were decoy bottles.  Then finally he found a bottle with a note and a puzzle in it.  We then had to put the puzzle together, hoping none of the pieces would blow away.  After several tries we finally arranged the pieces correctly and got it checked off by the person in charge.  We then ran off back to the parking lot and took off again.

The second clue led us to Military Jetty on Golden Beach.  Once we spotted the Amazing Race flags, we jumped out of the bus and ran down the beach until we saw a boat waiting with a tube attached.  We were the first team to arrive here, so we earned 100 points.  Etienne, Holly, and I ran down to the boat and once we were situated, we took off.  Etienne didn’t waste any time and already had his bathing suit on so he was the one to jump on the tube.  They took us on a crazy ride and Etienne performed like a pro and didn’t fall off so we were given our next clue.

Our next clue took us north to Kondalilla Falls.  We were the first to arrive again, and the people there weren’t even finished setting up yet.  So we got our 100 points and then ran in the direction they told us through the Kondalilla Falls National Park.  This park is not an easy hike and we started off running.  Everyone that was there was kind of looking at us strange when we ran past them on the paths.  Eventually people started seeing the Amazing Race signs and realized we were part of the race.  People that were hiking the park were excited to see us and cheered us on as we passed.  One little boy even thought this was the real Amazing Race and asked, “Is this the proper Amazing Race?”  Since we got there early we eventually caught up to the person that was supposed to be set up at the bottom of the Falls with the next clue.  So we had to follow her until we got to that place and then she eventually gave us our next clue.  We took off running again, but we slowed down after a while because the hike was straight up out of the park and there were a ton of stairs and it got tiring.  We picked up the pace again when we saw other teams running by us in the opposite direction, we knew some teams were catching up to us.  When we finally made it out of the park, they had Subway waiting for us so we grabbed some food and took off for the bus.

The next clue took us to a Hardware shop.  We were once again the first team to get there and were given another 100 points.  Here we had to build a bookshelf, which proved to be pretty hard.  The screws and bolts were very small and hard to get tight with just your bare hands, and there were so many things we had to screw together.  I cut my hands up pretty good during this and got blood all over the floor and our shelves.  We tried working fast, but then realized we were doing some parts wrong.  Arguments started and frustration was taking over as we realized some of the other teams were finishing before us even though we were the first to arrive.  Now we understood how easy it is for arguments to start and we realized why there were so many arguments on the real TV show The Amazing Race.  Finally, we finished the shelf and passed the inspection and took off running to the bus again.  There were now three teams in front of us, but the good thing was that we were done the competitions and all we had to do was get to the finish line which was back at the church.

We were the fourth team to arrive at the church and were given 85 points.  We then had to turn in our ‘passport’ that had all our times, signatures, and points.  Now we had to wait for the other teams to arrive and see if we did good enough to win the Race.  We felt pretty confident in ourselves.  Once all the teams arrived, they read out the order of the teams starting with 14^th place and moving up.  All the final scores were pretty close to each other.  Then there were only two teams left, us and one other.  We then learned that we won by 30 points!  We won a $100 gift card to Big W, which is like Australia’s Wal-Mart.  We were very proud of ourselves, and now we have some shopping money!  We thought we didn’t stand a chance before it began since all our competitors were from the Sunshine Coast and very familiar with the area, but we prevailed!  It was a very fun day even through the blood, sweat, and tears (No one in our team cried, but we learned that there were a couple of tears shed at Kondalilla Falls when people thought they went the wrong way and thought they were lost in the park.  But we definitely had the blood and sweat part nailed down).  The whole opportunity was a blast and so much fun.  It was really cool for us to be able to explore more of the Sunshine coast also.  Today was such a good day, I really enjoyed racing through the coast with some good friends.  GO TEAM GÉNIAL!!!!!

**Sorry there aren’t many pictures taken during the race and competitions… we were too busy actually performing the tasks and running around like crazy!**



Our Amazing Race Passport




Passport, page 1, pic of Julia Gillard (Australia's Prime Minister)




Our Amazing Race Bus




Running to the boat




Taking off...




Showing off our Awesomeness




Winning our $100




We are Awesome! Team Génial!



Great Barrier Reef

Here's a cool video of my dad and I diving the Great Barrier Reef:

On Tuesday, September 27^th my family and I woke up early, went to the airport, and jumped on a plane.  A few hours later we arrived in Cairns, which is part of “Tropical North Queensland”.  Cairns is over 1,600 kilometers north of the Sunshine Coast, and if you would drive it would take around 20 hours (just to give you an idea of how far away it is).  We decided to travel to Cairns so we could dive the Great Barrier Reef!  The Great Barrier Reef is the world’s largest reef system composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands stretching for over 2,600 kilometers over an area of approximately 344,400 square kilometers.  The Great Barrier Reef can be seen from outer space and is the world’s biggest single structure made by living organisms.  Some of the best diving on the Great Barrier Reef occurs off the coast of Cairns and Port Douglas.  It was very exciting to fly up the coast of Queensland because when you looked out of your window you could see the Reef; it was so incredible to see.  It was absolutely beautiful and a dream come true to be able to see one of the seven natural wonders of the world.  Just knowing that I would soon be under water and diving on the Great Barrier Reef made me even more anxious for the following day.



Flying over some of the reefs!



When we arrived at Cairns, we had a shuttle bus pick us up and drive us to our Resort in Palm Cove – a small village right on the water a little north of Cairns.  On our drive up we went by some rainforests and sugar cane fields.  It’s always so cool to see new Australian landscapes, because they are always so beautiful.  Palm Cove was absolutely fantastic.  It is just a small village with a brick road, a few restaurants and resorts, a super market that was just a little bit bigger than my bedroom at my apartment, and a beautiful beach.  Since Australia is in the Southern hemisphere, the further north you travel – the warmer it gets.  So Palm Cove was a little warmer and more tropical than the Sunshine Coast – which means more crazy animals!  We were greeted at the beach with signs warning us of deadly jellyfish or marine stingers, and salt water crocodiles.  Luckily, it is not the jellyfish season yet so we didn’t really have to worry.  The Resort we stayed at was absolutely fantastic.  It was so beautiful and fancy, and it was definitely the nicest place I have ever stayed.  Our room had a nice size kitchen and family room, two separate bedrooms, two full bathrooms, a laundry room, three balconies, and a Jacuzzi spa on one of the balconies.  The Resort had three pools – a heated pool with a waterfall and hot tub, a lagoon pool that looked like a little beach with actual sand around and leading into the pool and a tiki-bar that you could swim up to in the water, and a rainforest pool that was secluded under palm trees and other plants that kept it shaded most of the day.  Needless to say, the Resort was so nice that for our last two days in Palm Cove we just relaxed at the Resort by one of three pools and beach right across the street.  It was perfect paradise.



Our Resort



Beach Signs

But before relaxing, our first full two days involved driving even further north to Port Douglas where we took boats out to go to the Great Barrier Reef.  The drive from Palm Cove to Port Douglas was unbelievable.  We were right along a cliff that led straight down into the Pacific Ocean.  We followed the cliff the entire way, with a view that just took your breath away.  So, on our first full day – Wednesday – we arrived at a marina in Port Douglas early in the morning where we boarded a big catamaran boat and took off for the Outer Reef.  After about 90 minutes of cruising we reached the Agincourt Reefs which are on the very outer edge of the Great Barrier Reef along the Continental Shelf, and about 65 kilometers away from the marina we left in Port Douglas.  Once we arrived to the Reefs, our boat was tied up to a big activity platform.  On the platform there was snorkel platforms, underwater observatories, diving platforms, semi-submersible boats, sun decks, a buffet lunch, tables, chairs, changing rooms, showers, bathrooms, and everything else you needed while being out on the Reef.  We were able to partake in any activity we wanted and just have a day filled of fun.  There were lifeguards on duty and you were allowed to snorkel out as far as you wanted to view the beautiful reefs, fish, and coral beneath the crystal clear water.  My dad and I signed up to go diving, so right when we arrived we went to the diving platform to get our gear and get ready.  While we dived, my mom and brother enjoyed taking a ride on the semi-submersible boat and snorkeling. 



Platform overlooking the reefs



Activity platform



When we finished getting our diving gear on, we walked onto the platform and before we went under our dive guide reminded us to keep breathing and remember that we’re under water.  He said that it is so clear down there that it’s easy to forget you’re so far under water.  As soon as I was under water, I was astonished.  Right away there were fish swimming all around us and you could see the coral below that we would soon be swimming right up too.  I’ve never been diving in the ocean and this was definitely the best way to start the new experience.  The coral was so beautiful and so colorful – pinks, purples, yellows, greens, blues, just so many bright colors!  Their different shapes were so amazing also, it was a natural master piece.  The fish were amazing also.  So many shapes, sizes, and colors from small baby blue fish to huge purple fish and everything in-between.  Our dive guide led us to a couple pieces of coral that we could touch, some were slimy some were hard – it was amazing to feel the differences.  We even found Nemo!  A couple of Nemos actually!  The dive guide let us touch the anemone that the clownfish live in.  The anemone felt like it was grabbing and sticking to your finger when you touched it.  The dive guide later told us that the anemone was actually firing small barbs at us.  These barbs will hurt other fish and keep them away from it, clownfish are immune to the barbs and the barbs are way too small to hurt us.  He said that if we had a cut on our hand then the barbs might have stung a little but nothing too painful.  After finding Nemo, we continued on our dive and found so many more beautiful fish.  We even saw a Queensland Grouper, which is one of Queensland’s largest fish.  It was HUGE!  Way bigger than me!  After 33 minutes of being under water, we had to return to the surface since we were running low on air.  As soon as we reached the surface, I could not stop smiling at the entire diving experience I just had.



Nemo!



Next, I ate lunch as quick as I could and then went snorkeling with the family for a little while.  You couldn’t keep me out of this water.  It was too amazing to not be in it.  After snorkeling for a bit, I decided that I wanted to go diving again.  I was the only one who wanted to go on a second dive, so this time it was only myself and the dive guide.  I left the family snorkeling, and went back to the dive platform.  This time the guide took me to some other bunches of corals along the reef.  I saw more beautiful fish and coral and other organisms.  We found and picked up a live Conch Shell and some Starfish and Urchins.  We even found a Giant Clam.  The clam was at least three feet wide.  When I touched the inside of the clam it slammed shut thinking I was some kind of food.  It was so cool to see!  This time the dive lasted 32 minutes and it was just as amazing as the first time.  Diving the Great Barrier Reef was a dream come true and I was able to see things that the majority of the human population will never see unless they see it in an Aquarium or something.  It was truly amazing.  Unfortunately, when I came up to the surface this time I only had a couple minutes before the boat was leaving so I had to get out of my dive gear and change and then jump back on the boat and head back to Port Douglas.

The next day, we drove back up to Port Douglas and this time we jumped on a huge sailboat catamaran.  We were headed to Low Isles, a small coral island located on the Great Barrier Reef.  It took about an hour to get to the Island and when we arrived we jumped onto a glass bottom boat that took us to shore.  Once we were on shore, we all slipped on our snorkeling gear and headed into the water.  Once again the view was magnificent.  We were swimming right on top of a garden of coral.  Low Isles is known to be a breeding ground for turtles, and we soon found our first turtle of the day.  It was so gorgeous to be able to swim right above the large turtle that was swimming over the beautiful colored corals.  It literally looked like a picture right out of a wildlife book.  We saw three turtles throughout the day and every time it was still extremely exciting.  I also saw a blue spotted stingray which was also so gorgeous.  Then I found a stonefish, which is extremely poisonous, so I told my family to stay away from that sucker.  I was excited to find a stonefish because they are hard to see because they camouflage extremely well, but I was also a little scared.  We also saw two black tip reef sharks, we weren't in the water when we saw them, but we could safely see them swimming around right beside us when we were in a glass bottom boat headed back to the big sailboat for lunch.  It was so cool!  I found so many cool and beautiful fish, I literally didn’t want to ever leave the water.  But eventually the life guards rode out in a small boat and told us we had to get out of the water because the sailboat was about to leave.  On our way back to Port Douglas we sat out front on the boat and listened to a guy sing and play guitar.  It was definitely another perfect day out on the reef. 



Sailing there...




Low Isles




Going snorkeling...



As I said before, our next two days in Palm Cove we spent relaxing at our Resort.  We went out to some nice dinners where one night I dined on a Kangaroo dinner.  The kangaroo turned out to be a very good meal, but I don’t know if I’ll ever get it again because they are too cute to eat.  But I’ve been told that I have to try kangaroo before I leave Australia, so that’s what I did.  I would have to say that this vacation was definitely the best vacation ever.  The location, the activities, everything was amazing.  But this vacation was the best mainly because I got to see my family that I haven’t seen in three months.  It was a perfect holiday.



Kangaroo Dinner!



Family's Here!

Early on Saturday, September 24^th, my family stepped off a plane and entered a whole new world.  They have finally arrived in Australia, and I couldn’t have been any more excited.  I was greeted with big hugs and kisses, a ton of American snack food that I have been craving for months, and breakfast – a box of 6 doughnuts that they bought for $13… it didn’t take long for my family to realize just how much more expensive everything is over here. 

After reuniting, I showed them my apartment and my University.  On the tour of my school, they had their first experience with kangaroos and the tropical environment of Australia.  They were so excited to see the kangaroos and it reminded me of how excited I was when I first saw the wild animals.  When we came back to my apartment, I introduced my family to Tim Tams – an Australian cookie that is the most amazing, tastiest, wonderful cookie ever.  They immediately fell in love and we had to buy multiple boxes of the cookies throughout our vacation (Chris even bought 16 boxes to take home with him). 



Visiting my Uni!



My dad rented a car, which was an experience in itself.  Not only do you have to drive on the wrong side of the road and learn a new speed limit (kilometers per hour), but the steering wheel and all the driving gadgets are flip flopped in the car too.  Whenever my dad wanted to turn on his turn signal, the windshield wipers would whip across the shield, and it does take some getting used to walking to the right side of the car to get into the driver’s seat.   But he definitely got used to it all before our vacation was over.  So next, we all hopped in the car and I took them to my local beach – Mooloolaba Beach.  I showed them the beach and the little town, which they fell in love with.  We spent the remainder of the day there before we went to our hotel for the night.  I took a quick shower and when I came out everyone was already passed out in bed and it was only 8 o’clock!  I guess the time zone difference caught up with them after a busy day.



Ahh! Wrong Side!




Mooloolaba



Mooloolaba

The next day, everyone learned just how tropical Australia is when the loud tropical birds woke everyone up bright and early in the morning.  We got an early start to our day and we went up to Noosa.  On our ride up there we stopped at an overlook on the side of the road looking out at the ocean.  This is where my family saw their first whales!  We saw a couple of whales breaching out of the water, it was a beautiful sight.  When we arrived to Noosa I showed them around the beach and town area and then we headed to the National Park.  We took a nice long walk along the cliff on the coast line to the end of the park.  It was a beautiful walk, but I don’t think they were expecting it to be as long as it was.  Chris even said his shoes were crying with every step he took.  But we made it back to the town of Noosa and then went out to dinner.  It was my first time going out to a nice restaurant since being in Australia.  I got a nice steak dinner, something I haven’t had in a long time since steak is so expensive here.  It was so delicious and I ate so much!  Finally a real meal for a poor college student!  We made it back to Mooloolaba before sunset and went to a lighthouse point to watch the sun set over the town of Mooloolaba.



Noosa




Sunset over Mooloolaba



The next day, we headed down to Brisbane.  On our way down we stopped at Wild Horse Mountain where they have a lookout at the very top that looks out at the Glass House Mountains.  We climbed up to the lookout and I showed my family the beautiful landscape of the famous Glass House Mountains.  We then continued our drive down to Brisbane.  When we arrived we checked into our hotel and then took a ferry, called the CityCat, down the Brisbane River and into the heart of the city.  We went to Queen Street which is kind of like New York’s Times Square.  I showed my family around the city and we did some shopping.  Then we hopped back on the ferry and saw the city all lit up at night along the riverbank.  When we got back to the hotel we got in bed to get ready for the next day.  The next day we would have to get up early and drive to the airport to catch a plane to our next vacation destination – Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef.



Glass House Mountains




Brisbane River ferry




Brisbane at night