Coral Coast

I had been getting on and off the Greyhound for five days by the time I arrived in Coral Bay and had met some very nice people already. My French friend Stephane who was on month nine of his year long around the world trip and two German women, Andrea and Stefanie, who were taking time off work to travel for three and six months respectively. We met three more French people and one Swiss at our hostel that we hung out with as well. It was nice to have so many people to lie out on the beach and snorkel with, in addition to eating meals together.

The soft white sand and crystal blue waters were quite similar to Monkey Mia, but Coral Bay was so much larger. The beach went on for miles and was extremely wide during low tide (which this picture does not show).

Just past this rock was the best spot for snorkeling.

I taught the French boys Patrick, Stephane, and Benjamin how to play beer pong. I obviously won-- after all, what kind of American would I be if I didn't dominate in drinking games?

A few days later, Stephane and I both headed to Exmouth for Easter weekend. There isn't a whole lot to do in Exmouth (this tends to be the case in many west coast towns) if you aren't into scuba diving. Lucky for me, I am. Now, I hadn't been diving in four months and I was a little bit nervous my scuba skills would be rusty, but as it turns out diving is a lot like riding a bike, once you know how to do it you never really forget! I did two days of diving, with two boat dives each day. The first day we went to Cod Spot and Whalebone, just off the coast of the Muiron Islands. On the first dive I went down 17M (55 ft) which is the deepest I've been to date. The second day were both reef dives at Lighthouse Bay. I saw a lot of blue spotted rays, a sea turtle, an eel, a puffer fish, lots of crabs, etc... In addition to the great dives, I met some very nice people on board. I really liked my instructor Vicki, she was only 19 years old, originally from England, and had been a scuba instructor for a year Thailand before moving to Exmouth in March. I also met three Americans, which never happens! One woman originally from LA who has been working in Sydney the past two years and a couple who relocated to Perth a few months ago.

On Easter Sunday it was Stephane's birthday, so I took him out to dinner to celebrate. The next day, I was sad to leave because I was heading off to Broome by myself and Stephane was flying to Bali. I am very happy I met him; I had fun teaching him American expressions, practicing my French, talking about anything and everything, and just having someone to eat meals with and go to the beach. I was worried about doing the west coast by myself and by the Greyhound instead of an organized tour, so it was definitely a pleasant surprise to meet nice people along the way.

Exmouth Harbor

On board the Pro Dive boat.

Muiron Islands

Mom & Dad visit: Australia

My favorite day in Hamilton was spent sailing to Whitehaven beach. During the summer months in Queensland (the state Hamilton Island is located in) it’s necessary to wear stinger suits in the water due to the high number of jellyfish. Although this made my Mom nervous, she and Dad were both troopers and came snorkeling with me. It was definitely my favorite snorkel spot so far; I couldn’t believe all the different types of fish, rays, and turtles we saw! On Sunday we took a ferry to Airlie Beach and spent the afternoon eating an eight- course brunch at Deja Vue. We were so stuffed we didn’t even bother going out for dinner that night! The last day we were there it did rain a lot, but that didn’t interfere with Dad’s early round of golf or mine and Mom’s full body massages (ahh the perks of vacationing with your parents) so we had no complaints!

Sailing the Whitsundays.

Whitehaven Beach.

Unfortunately, not very many pictures turned out well from my underwater disposable camera, but at least I was able to capture this friendly sea turtle.

Dad helping out on the boat, what a natural!

The Yacht Club, where we had dinner our last night in town.

Cockatoos were everywhere on the island, here's one just chilling on our balcony.

Upon arriving at our hotel in Sydney, the receptionist told us we had been upgraded (Mom’s favorite word) to the penthouse. Not a bad way to end our vacation, eh? Our first day we spent walking around Sydney Harbour, eating lunch at a café in Circular Quay, taking a ferry ride over to Manly beach, and then having dinner with Brooke and Jay in The Rocks. I was so happy my parents could meet some of my friends! We woke up bright and early next morning and headed to Hunter Valley for a wine tour. If I remember correctly our favorite vineyard was called Iron Gates. Dad had them ship a dozen bottles or so back home; I made him promise he would save at least one bottle to drink with me. As a Christmas present I bought my parents tickets to a show and tour of the Opera House, which is how we spent our Saturday afternoon. We all loved the tour and enjoyed listening to the music during The Man In Black: The Johnny Cash Story. Our final day, Mom and I did some serious shopping at the markets before having a lovely Valentines day dinner in Darling Harbour. I couldn’t believe how quickly three weeks passed with my parents. I loved every minute of them being here. I would highly recommend my siblings going abroad, if only to have our parents to come and spoil them crazy during their visit!

The view from the penthouse... not too shabby.

Just a couple of beach bums hanging out in Manly.

Interior of the Opera House... We actually learned on the tour that due to some political issues, the Danish architect Jorn Utzon never saw his finished product.

They've had everything from operas, concerts, and wrestling matches take place in the main hall.

Thanks Mom and Dad for the best trip ever!