Mick stops the SUV for some surf

After we went to Gold Coast, my mates and I booked a trip to Fraser Island. This was one of my favorite experiences thus far. There, the beaches are the roads and the tide was so low on the way home that our guide decided to drive the whole way on Rainbow Beach. We found out later it was because he wanted to surf! His name was Mick and he a part time student earning his way by being a guide there and he was my favorite Australian I’ve met thus far. I saw such excitement in his eyes as he quickly grabbed his board from atop the Landrover and sprinted into the water. Might I add that it was so rough that NO ONE else on the beach was in the water. It was so exciting to watch him out there and he only caught one wave! I climbed on top of the hood of the Landrover and laid back on the windshield, happy as could be from this stellar trip, and watched him struggle. He explained to me how even though it was rough, they weren’t great waves because they were quick and coming from all directions. He explained that it’s ideal to have waves that last long and don’t turn over as fast. Makes sense!

King Tut Put

<!--[if gte mso 9]> Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4

So as I chased my rugby player to the Gold Coast, I took some of my mates with me and we had some fun by the beach. Besides soaking in sun by the beach, we explored the town a bit. We compared it to a beach city back at the states in Ocean City, Maryland. It was full of your typical commercial retailers and mini golf spots. So we decided to see what Australia had to over in the putting realm. We joined a group of three college students from Bond University and to my surprise had a lot of fun. We mingled with the staff a bit and like all the staff we’ve met thus far, they were welcoming and down to have some fun. They even gave us a free game on the house. I think it was mostly because the place was pretty deserted due to the time of the year and they were bored. Nonetheless, you’re hearing from the champion of King Tut Put! We added up our scores mid game and realized that it was going to end up being between two of us. It came down to the last stroke, but I won my FIRST game of mini golf. Thank you, King Tut!

Jungle Surfing in the Rainforest

I realize that zip lining isn’t considered a true Australian sport. However, with a nickname like Jungle Surfing and the experience I had, it sure felt like one! Whilst my mates and I were in Cairns, we took a trip to the Daintree Rainforest where we went ‘jungle surfing’. I had been on a single zip line course before, but this one was so much cooler. It had sever courses and ones that were steep and ones in which you had to ride upside down. One thing I did notice about zip lining here that was different than the course I had done in America was how much more laid back the staff was.The guides that helped us were natives of Aussie and were so friendly and joked around the entire time. Having such hospitality on my travels in Australia has made my trip quite wonderful. They gave each of us helmets with funny nicknames on the top. Mine was Cat Woman. I felt like Cat Woman as I zoomed down the lines!

My very own rugby player

I’m going to be THAT American girl right now that writes about a man she meets abroad. During my spring break trip to Cairns I met a man that played rugby for a team in England. The picture above is one he sent me of his teammates and him, he’s the one with his fist in the air. We hit it off and I became quite smitten with him that I actually went to see him in the Gold Coast the following week. He had been living there whilst he travels a bit on his year off venturing abroad. I had dated guys in the states that played football before, but the scars on his face and legs vouched for the increased roughness in the sport (as you can also see my the missing teeth of his teammates in the pic). He was impressed that I was actually taking a class here that was teaching me about the sport and taking me to several matches. He was playing in a semi-pro league when he first got here, but couldn’t afford to for long. He explained to me (as we discussed in class) that rugby players in Australia don’t make that much money and he needed to find a better paying job to support his travels. In England, he was able to play and support his lifestyle and own his own home on his salary. I was sorry to hear this, but he said it was time for him to move on anyway. I found this attitude on stopping quite different than my friends that played college football in the states. He supposedly has plans to visit me in N.Y. next year, maybe I will take him to an American pro sport!

Bungee Jumping in the Jungle

<!--[if gte mso 9]> Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4

This was by far one of the top five things I did thus far abroad. I had done solo sky dives before and quite a lot of other adventure activities so I was pretty calm waiting my turn on the platform. The men that were up there suiting us up and giving us instructions loved their jobs and were so cool and funny. Then again, most of the men I meet here are! I was all strapped up and at the edge of the platform and it hit me. Holy cow, was it a long way down. I got this videotaped and in the video you can hear the camera man say “oi! it appears that the lassie seems a bit scared” haha I laughed so hard when I watched this. Nonetheless, I did indeed jump and plunged into the water below up until my knees. My mates didn’t even touch the water so they were laughing so hard when they saw how drenched I was. I deserved it I suppose for making fun and goofing with all the employees so much. I got to check bungee jumping off my bucket list, but I doubt it’ll be the last time I go!