The trip home felt like it took a million years and it was so great to get home and see my family! My sleep patterns are screwy beyond belief as I cope with the jet lag, but in the end it was so worth it!
Showing posts with label Australia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Australia. Show all posts
Friday, January 30, 2009
Australia Part IV - Brisbane
A city? What the?? After several days of island hopping, it was strange to return to a city. With only one night in Brisbane, there was much to do and little time to do it. First up? Shopping. Then? Drinks. Followed by? Dinner. To make the most of what little time we had, I took an early morning stroll the next day before we departed. I ended up on the South Bank, where Expo '88 (the world expo) had been held. Sadly, the ferris wheel wasn't running that early in the day, but I managed a few cool shots before packing my bags and heading home.
The trip home felt like it took a million years and it was so great to get home and see my family! My sleep patterns are screwy beyond belief as I cope with the jet lag, but in the end it was so worth it!
The trip home felt like it took a million years and it was so great to get home and see my family! My sleep patterns are screwy beyond belief as I cope with the jet lag, but in the end it was so worth it!
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Australia Part III - Fitzroy Island
Sadly it was time to leave Lizard, which would be my favorite of the tree islands we visited. Random factoid - the Great Barrier Reef has 600+ islands. Which obviously means I need to start planning my next trip!
We flew from back to Cairns and from there, hopped a ferry to Fitzroy Island, and island which we would sadly be on for less than 24 hours. But we packed a lot in, lemme tell ya!
The tropics are so... tropical.
First stop? Nudey Beach. Get your mind out of the gutter; it's not a clothing optional beach. It is, however, blessed with great snorkeling. It was here that I was thrilled to see my first - an only - sea turtle on this trip. After stripping off our snorkel suits, we headed to the next logical place - the pool bar!
After a few sun-soaked hours, I headed off to my room for a shower and a nap. I emerged just in time for sunset, dinner, and drinks. Is my timing impeccible or what?
All too soon it was morning and we ferried back to the mainland and headed to our final destination - Brisbane.
We flew from back to Cairns and from there, hopped a ferry to Fitzroy Island, and island which we would sadly be on for less than 24 hours. But we packed a lot in, lemme tell ya!
The tropics are so... tropical.
First stop? Nudey Beach. Get your mind out of the gutter; it's not a clothing optional beach. It is, however, blessed with great snorkeling. It was here that I was thrilled to see my first - an only - sea turtle on this trip. After stripping off our snorkel suits, we headed to the next logical place - the pool bar!
After a few sun-soaked hours, I headed off to my room for a shower and a nap. I emerged just in time for sunset, dinner, and drinks. Is my timing impeccible or what?
All too soon it was morning and we ferried back to the mainland and headed to our final destination - Brisbane.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Australia Part II - Lizard Island
Early the next morning (and I do mean early!) we were airborne again, en route to Lizard Island. As we were heading North, the cyclone was heading South, so we flew into gorgeous weather. From this point on, it was nothing but sunny skies.
Lizard Island is home to two things - a high end resort and a research station. The research station focuses on reef studies and we were sadly unable to visit it during this trip. No worries though, we just suffered through more time at the resort. Suffering at Lizard Island Resort consists of cocktails, massages, and long walks on the beach.
Me? A mere 30 minutes after arriving on the island I was off and shooting. Always on the search for a better angle, I was climbing some rocks which divided two of the island's 24 beaches. WHAM! Down I went. No bones and, more importantly, no cameras were broken. I did, however, end up with a bruise that oddly resembles the continent of Australia. Hmm. Dinner involved some self-medicating at the bar and, miraculously I felt almost perfect the next day!
Maybe it was the massage. Or the snorkeling. Or both. Can a day really get any better than that? Somehow I doubt it. Water visability was still a bit cloudy and choppy (residual affects from the cyclone) and this was my first time shooting underwater. I'm less than stoked with the results, but had to show you the giant clam. These things are unbelievable!
After snorkeling it was off to shoot the chef. No, dinner wasn't bad! Food photography and portraits of the chef were on my afternoon agenda. Can you believe their chef - who's certainly easy on the eyes - is only 20 years old! And the food, well, it was out of this world!
After dinner we may or may not have invaded the staff bar and played slightly tipsy darts much to the amusement of the staff. And, if photographic evidence of this evening exists, well, it won't be appearing on the blog any time soon.
Lizard Island's namesake
Coming soon, Part III in which I may have shed a tear while leaving Lizard Island.
Random shots from around Lizard Island
My humble abode on Lizard Island
Am I the only one who sees a profile of a human face in the reef?
Lizard Island is home to two things - a high end resort and a research station. The research station focuses on reef studies and we were sadly unable to visit it during this trip. No worries though, we just suffered through more time at the resort. Suffering at Lizard Island Resort consists of cocktails, massages, and long walks on the beach.
Me? A mere 30 minutes after arriving on the island I was off and shooting. Always on the search for a better angle, I was climbing some rocks which divided two of the island's 24 beaches. WHAM! Down I went. No bones and, more importantly, no cameras were broken. I did, however, end up with a bruise that oddly resembles the continent of Australia. Hmm. Dinner involved some self-medicating at the bar and, miraculously I felt almost perfect the next day!
Maybe it was the massage. Or the snorkeling. Or both. Can a day really get any better than that? Somehow I doubt it. Water visability was still a bit cloudy and choppy (residual affects from the cyclone) and this was my first time shooting underwater. I'm less than stoked with the results, but had to show you the giant clam. These things are unbelievable!
After snorkeling it was off to shoot the chef. No, dinner wasn't bad! Food photography and portraits of the chef were on my afternoon agenda. Can you believe their chef - who's certainly easy on the eyes - is only 20 years old! And the food, well, it was out of this world!
After dinner we may or may not have invaded the staff bar and played slightly tipsy darts much to the amusement of the staff. And, if photographic evidence of this evening exists, well, it won't be appearing on the blog any time soon.
Lizard Island's namesake
Coming soon, Part III in which I may have shed a tear while leaving Lizard Island.
Random shots from around Lizard Island
My humble abode on Lizard Island
Am I the only one who sees a profile of a human face in the reef?
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Australia Part I - Hamilton Island aka "The One in the Middle is the Cajun Kangaroo"
So...Australia. Where to begin?
We landed in Brisbane at the crack of dawn (ok 7am or so) and took yet another flight to Hamilton Island. After mere moments to get cleaned up (after traveling for, oh, two days), we hit the ground running with a tour. I'm yawning just writing about it since I was so. damn. tired. at that point. Tooling around in a buggy (aka a golf cart) on the left side of the road did nothing but add to my dazed and confused state.
After yet another brief respite, it was time for drinks and dinner. We dined at Qualia, the island's foremost luxury property. It was there that I had my first taste of kangaroo. Yes, you read correctly, kangaroo. Cajun kangaroo actually. And in my delirious state all I could think of was the Judy Blume book "The One in the Middle is the Green Kangaroo". The One in the Middle is the Cajun Kangaroo. Makes no sense whatsoever, I know. I wish I could tell you that dinner was delicious, but I honestly can't remember what I ate. I remember enjoying it, so that's a plus. But - and, how unlike me is this? - I skipped out before dessert. I figured it was less rude that falling asleep at the table!
But one thing that did stick in my memory from dinner that evening was Tourism Queensland's launch of the Best Job in World Contest. The lucky new employee gets to live on Hamilton Island for 6 months and serve as caretaker to the Great Barrier Reef. What does this entail? Snorkeling, swimming, meeting the locals, and blogging about it. As if that's not enough, there's a salary of $125,000 AUD (about $98,000 USD).
Day 2 on the island brought lousy weather. I wanted to throw myself on the ground and flail and scream like a two-year-old. This was the ONE day of the entire trip that I wanted, no, I needed good weather. On the agenda for day 2? A seaplane ride over the Great Barrier Reef with a landing at Whitehaven Beach. It was that day that I learned that there was a cyclone a bit north of us, bringing in dreadful rain. Paired with a King Tide (an extremely high tide), that spelled photographic disaster. There was a point where we didn't think we'd be able to fly at all, much less land the plane at Whitehaven, but our uber-capable pilot pulled it off.
The infamous Heart Reef
It was at Whitehaven that I discovered (to a mix of delight and dread) that it was stinger season. AKA Jelly fish season. Which means that any water activities require the donning of a stinger suit, lest you get stung. The dread part, I think, is obvious. The delight was at seeing these lovelies in their stinger suits. Every sperm is sacred anyone?
We didn't do any swimming at Whitehaven, so I was spared the public humiliation of wearing a stinger suit for another day. Our time there was brief - we shot some photos and enjoyed a bit of champagne and some fruit.
The other high point of the day was cuddling a koala. Now I know this is truly tourist cheese. But if you were me, could you really pass up the opportunity to have your photo snapped while holding one of these cuties? I think not.
Stay tuned for part 2!
We landed in Brisbane at the crack of dawn (ok 7am or so) and took yet another flight to Hamilton Island. After mere moments to get cleaned up (after traveling for, oh, two days), we hit the ground running with a tour. I'm yawning just writing about it since I was so. damn. tired. at that point. Tooling around in a buggy (aka a golf cart) on the left side of the road did nothing but add to my dazed and confused state.
After yet another brief respite, it was time for drinks and dinner. We dined at Qualia, the island's foremost luxury property. It was there that I had my first taste of kangaroo. Yes, you read correctly, kangaroo. Cajun kangaroo actually. And in my delirious state all I could think of was the Judy Blume book "The One in the Middle is the Green Kangaroo". The One in the Middle is the Cajun Kangaroo. Makes no sense whatsoever, I know. I wish I could tell you that dinner was delicious, but I honestly can't remember what I ate. I remember enjoying it, so that's a plus. But - and, how unlike me is this? - I skipped out before dessert. I figured it was less rude that falling asleep at the table!
But one thing that did stick in my memory from dinner that evening was Tourism Queensland's launch of the Best Job in World Contest. The lucky new employee gets to live on Hamilton Island for 6 months and serve as caretaker to the Great Barrier Reef. What does this entail? Snorkeling, swimming, meeting the locals, and blogging about it. As if that's not enough, there's a salary of $125,000 AUD (about $98,000 USD).
Day 2 on the island brought lousy weather. I wanted to throw myself on the ground and flail and scream like a two-year-old. This was the ONE day of the entire trip that I wanted, no, I needed good weather. On the agenda for day 2? A seaplane ride over the Great Barrier Reef with a landing at Whitehaven Beach. It was that day that I learned that there was a cyclone a bit north of us, bringing in dreadful rain. Paired with a King Tide (an extremely high tide), that spelled photographic disaster. There was a point where we didn't think we'd be able to fly at all, much less land the plane at Whitehaven, but our uber-capable pilot pulled it off.
The infamous Heart Reef
It was at Whitehaven that I discovered (to a mix of delight and dread) that it was stinger season. AKA Jelly fish season. Which means that any water activities require the donning of a stinger suit, lest you get stung. The dread part, I think, is obvious. The delight was at seeing these lovelies in their stinger suits. Every sperm is sacred anyone?
We didn't do any swimming at Whitehaven, so I was spared the public humiliation of wearing a stinger suit for another day. Our time there was brief - we shot some photos and enjoyed a bit of champagne and some fruit.
The other high point of the day was cuddling a koala. Now I know this is truly tourist cheese. But if you were me, could you really pass up the opportunity to have your photo snapped while holding one of these cuties? I think not.
Stay tuned for part 2!
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