June 17, 2011
We started to head home in the U.S. at around 4 in the morning in Sydney to get on the flight home. We started Cairns to Sydney where we apart with our tour guide. Then we left Sydney to LA and that took 15 hours. Then from LA to Chicago, I was asleep most of the flight between LA to Chicago, and the entire time we spent flying was 25 hours that is a long time. After I got home it was 4 to 5 in the afternoon, and the rest of the day I just relaxed from my long flight.
June 7, 2011
We started off by loading on the bus to the airport to go to New Zealand, it was a long flight. We first stopped in LA to transfer to an international flight and that flight took about 13 hours, it was long. Most of the time I was either watching a movie, some TV, or reading my book, I didn’t get much sleep on the plane because it was uncomfortable. That is what the flight to Auckland, New Zealand.
June 14, 2011
The day started by flying to Cairns, when we arrived we went to the hotel. When we got to the hotel we got changed to got to a pool near a beach, we couldn’t go in the beach for one reason because the water was at low tide and there was 50 feet of sand between the water. We all had fun at the pool and later we went back to the hotel to get change and walk around the area. When we got back to the hotel for the night to get ready to go to the Great Barrier Reef in the morning.
June 16, 2011
During the Australia and New Zealand trip there was a lot of things I like and here are the top ten. Number 10; The Duck Tour, the Duck tour was fun because we learned how duck-boats were built and what they were used for, also the boat is also a car. Number 9; The Opal Museum, the Opal museum showed us how opal was created in the Earth, what types of opal are there, and they showed us a collection of opal. Number 8; The Hangi Dinner, it was a cultural dinner and it showed us many of the culture of the Maori people. Number 7; The Ogo,ogo is very similar to zorbing and the place had a stationary ride and it was a blast. Number 6; Luging, a luge is a non-motor go-cart and you go down a hill, it was pretty cool. Number 5; Meeting the New Zealand students, meeting the students and learning about how their school and grading system work is pretty neat. Number 4; Whaka, Whaka has some history of the Maori and we learned the properties of the geothermal mud and springs that are still used today. Number 3; The Sydney Aquarium, because we couldn’t go whale watching then some students and I went to the aquarium and saw all kinds of fish, some fish we saw were at the Great Barrier Reef. Number 2; The Sydney Wildlife World, there they had all kinds of animals including Kangaroos and Kolas. Finally number 1; The Great Barrier Reef, I saw so many types of fish and all kinds of coral, I even saw some squid, it was amazing. And those are my top 10 things I liked on the Australia and New Zealand trip.
We all took a train ride that could a few hours to get to, then we went and got some lunch. Then we took a bus to get us to this gondola that took us to the top of a mountain. After that a guide started talking about all the trees and animal that lived in the rain forest, and when we were all done we went to an Aboriginal park. At the park we saw a creation video about what the Aboriginal people believed and they showed us the tools they would of had and I got to throw a spear. After we got back to the hotel to spilt up into small group to go around the town, my group went an ate at a place talk Kani’s Restaurant, that is the same place where I had my kangaroo streak, and I had coral trout fillet and it was good. Then we started looking a round before we headed back to the hotel to get ready to go back to the U.S.
June 15, 2011
First everyone got on the boat and headed to the reef, on the way there the waves got really rocky. When we got to our destination we got ready to go snorkeling. When I got in the water it was like seeing a whole other world As soon as I looked into the water it was teeming with life, there was all kinds of fish, cora,, and plant life. I saw fishes of different colors, shape, and sizes, I even saw this huge fish near the scuba diver. I saw so many fish and coral, although at the bottom of the water it was covered with dead coral but the corals had amazing colors. After a good swim I went in for some food, I was freezing and the food was good. After I was done eating I went back into the water but due to the shrinking water levels I was unable to swim as much as before. While in the water I got to see some squid. Then we all got back on the boat and went back to shore, the reef was a lot of fun, I saw all kinds of fish I never knew about before and it was just so much fun that if I could do it again I would.
We left for the Great Barrier Reef, when we got on the boat it first headed to an island to drop some people off. After that we started heading to the reef, the waves were very rocky. When we got to the reef it was a lot of fun, there was all kinds of fish and marine life, we even got to hold a starfish. After a few hour we got back on the boat and back to the hotel to regroup, everyone got in their own little groups and travel the area. There I had kangaroo steak, it was good. Then we headed back to the hotel for lights out.
June 13, 2011
I believe that if I were to travel alone I would do quite well, I am good at organizing (packing), I am smart with my money, and I think I would do well if I know what I am doing. There are several things I would need to plan for ahead, pack every thing I would need, and not buy too much. First, I need to plan so I have to know where I am going, get my tickets, and book hotels, then I would need to know how much the trip would cost. Next, I would need to figure out what I would need to bring and how am I going to bring it all, I would make a list in order for me not to forget anything, then I need to know how to fit everything I would need into my bag. Finally, when I am at my destination I need to make sure I leave some money for food, and everything I buy I need to bring back so I should not buy a lot of things. If I follow all these steps then I would have a very successful trip to other countries, other states, or even other cites, and if I don’t do everything I need to do then it is going to be one long trip.
Because of the rain I was unable to go whale watching so instead we went to a mall. We then left to go get something to eat at the market place we were in the other day. Then everyone but six people, including me, went climbing the Sydney Bridge. The rest of us went to the Sydney Aquarium, we saw sharks, fish, and we even went on a glass bottom boat. Then we went to the Sydney Harbor to see the light show it was cool. We then got back to the hotel to get ready for the flight to Cairns the next morning.
June 12, 2011
I have faced many challenges on this trip if it maybe trying new things, living in the moment, or being a little more social. The first challenge is trying new things, even though I have tried some new things I feel as if I could have done better. Another challenge I face is I need to live in the moment and have fun, I feel that I have been taking to many pictures and I feel that I am not getting into some of the activities. Finally, another challenge I face is that I don’t really talk to people that much. Even though there are some challenges there are also some improvements like learning more about a culture and starting to try new things. Something that was positive was learning more about the countries’ culture and society. Also, another thing that I learned was the properties of the geothermal springs and the mud pools. Finally, I have started to try new things like kiwi, but I haven’t tried somethings like veggie mite. All trips have their ups and downs, their comforts and challenges, and in order to enjoy traveling you need to enjoy the little things in life and push though the challenges, that is what a true traveler does.
We went to a cliff, then we went to the opera house to find some food, but we were only able to find food on the other side of the harbor. After everyone had ate we went on a cruise ship tour of the harbor. When we got off we went to the Sydney Wildlife World where we saw kangaroos, koalas, crocodiles and all kinds of animals, it was fun. We also ate at the Wildlife World and the food was good. Then after we ate we headed back to the hotel for the night.
