Byron Bay Trip

On Wednesday I woke up early to be at the bus stop at 8 so we could depart on the orientation trip to Byron Bay. On the way there we stopped a at wildlife sanctuary and got to see koalas, crocodiles, lots of birds and got to pet kangaroos.


We then got back on the bus and headed to Byron. We unloaded our stuff at the hostel where we were staying, relaxed on the beach for a bit, then set off on a hike to the lighthouse on the point. The point is the most easterly point in Australia and the lighthouse is the oldest in the southern hemisphere. The hike was longer than expected and it didn’t help that most of us were in flip-flops, but the views from the top made it worth it.

After many photos and some ice cream we headed back to the hostel. Later we went out to a bar/ restaurant for dinner and some drinks but we were all still very tired from the night before and traveling we went back to the hostel to get some sleep fairly early. The next day we woke up early to go sea kayaking at 8 am. The water was pretty choppy so it was pretty hard to get out through the waves. I was glad I was experienced with kayaking in the ocean because the other person in my boat was Sami, a girl from England who had only been in the ocean a few times and never set foot in a kayak. I ended up doing most of the paddling cause she got tired but I didn’t mind cause it was lots of fun, especially on the way in when we could catch waves. After kayaking we went back to the hostel, ate some lunch and lay on the beach for a few hours, then we walked around town for a while. That night there was a barbeque at the hostel, which I thought was delicious and also lots of fun. They had a guy playing some songs on guitar and a fire, which created a fun atmosphere. The next morning we hung out the on then beach until we had surfing at 2:30. It was very windy out so I was freezing cold before I even got in the water and once I got in a was really wishing I had brought my wetsuit from home, but I did manage to get a few waves before I got too cold. After that we took a bus back to Gold Coast and I just hung out in the apartment and got to bed early.

Cairns to Brisbane to Gold Coast

The next morning I woke at around 7 and lay in my bed trying to sleep more until 8:30. I then went outside and walked across the street to look out on the bay. I had breakfast at the hotel, which was very good, showered, hung out for a while and then got a taxi back to the airport for my flight to Brisbane. While waiting for my flight in the terminal I had some Hungry Jacks which I think must be owned by burger king because they have pretty much the exact same menu (whopper, Chicken tender crisp) and the logo is exactly the same as burger king’s except it says Hungry Jacks instead. My burger and fries also tasted very similar to BK but I’m not complaining because it hit the spot.

Downtown Brisbane

My flight to Brisbane was pretty uneventful but once I got there I realized that I had given my university the wrong time at which they were supposed to pick me up, so there was no one there to give me a ride. After stressing out a bit I found a door-to-door shuttle that took me to my apartment. I got checked in, met my roommates and went to the barbeque that was going on. I had a fun night and meet a lot of new people. They next day we had an orientation meeting on campus that was pretty boring. Then Sarah, Jenny, Cooper (DU Kids) plus Lorelei (from Ohio) and myself went down to the Main Beach and hung out of a while.

I went in the water, which was a bit chilly but felt so good. It’s hard to believe that is winter down here. After walking around a bit we then found Thai place to have dinner. It was byo wine so we went and bought some, which was pretty sweet as it was my first time in a liquor store. Dinner was good, I had duck, which was also a first and then we went back to our apartments and I passed out pretty soon afterwards ( I think the time change was starting to get me).

Flying to OZ/ First Post

After just 3 and half hours of sleep I woke up a 3:15 am, showered, did one last check of my room and pack my bags in the car. My strategy for this trip is less is more so I am only taking one bag, which will be checked. My backpack, camera bag and tripod will come on the plane with me.

Its pretty amazing I'm bringing less than I usually bring on a week long trip to go live in a foreign country for 4 months but the way I think of it is, the less stuff you have, the less you can lose. Both my parents drove me to the airport where they (more my mom) reluctantly sent me off. I got checked in no problem and headed through security to the terminal to wait. To get to Australia I will be traveling longer than I ever have in my life. I start in Baltimore then go to Houston (3 hours) then to Hawaii to change aircraft (8 hours) then to Guam (7 hours) and then to Cairns (4 hours), which is located on the northern east coast of Australia. I will spend the night in Cairns and then take on more flight the next morning to Brisbane (2 hours) where I will be picked up by my university and driven 45 min south to Gold Coast.

Thanks to my wonderful God Mother, I was first class all the way to Cairns with would make life easier. On the first flight to Houston I had some fruit and cereal for breakfast. During the flight I edited some video I had shot during my time in Mantoloking earlier this summer. I will post that up as soon as I can. I had about an hour and a half after getting to Houston after getting to before my next flight. So I just hung out and charged my computer and read. On the flight from Houston to Hawaii the seats in first class where huge, I had so much legroom I could hardly reach the seat pocket in front of me. The seat also had a leg rest, which folded out, and the seat back went back extremely far back so you were pretty much also most flat if you wanted to sleep. But before I could sleep I had to eat the endless food and drinks provided by the stewardess. Before we even took off I had a stewardess asking me if I wanted a drink and was not happy until I ordered a sprite. Once a cruising altitude I had another sprite along with some heated mixed nuts. Next was a salmon appetizer, which was delicious, then a salad with fresh bread that was also good. For the main course I ordered the chicken breast, I can’t remember how it was prepared but it was good. Then came dessert in the form of an ice cream sunday, which I tried to convince myself I didn’t need but ultimately had to have. After that watched movie on my computer and then slept for a while until we landed in Hawaii. After a lay over in Honolulu it was back on the plane to Guam. This plane also the big seats and I once again was bombarded with food and drinks. This time I had a some nuts, a salad, a rice bowl, and wine and cheese for dessert, I passed on the ice cream sunday this time.



After a few glasses of wine and watching some CSI I passed out for around 4 hours (Im sure the wine helped with that). Once in Guam I only had 20 mins till my next flight so I went directly to the gate after getting off the plane. This plane was smaller and did not have the huge sleeping seats and of course this would be the flight that I would want to sleep the most. I could defiantly start to feel some jet lag setting in. I had no idea what time my body was on and just wanted bed to sleep in. I did manage some sleep but not in much comfort. Once in Cairns (arrived around 11 pm local time) I when through customs feeling like a zombie, which is probably why I forgot I had some granola, bars in my backpack, which I had to declare and did not. So my bag had to be searched but the woman was extremely nice and I got off with a verbal warning (could have been a $222 fine) Even in my sleepy state I was already so impressed by the friendliness of the Australian people. As soon as a stepped outside the airport and felt the cool and calm air I was no longer tired,. I got a taxi to my hotel, which was only a few minutes away. Checked in to my room, took a shower, watched some tv and eventually got to sleep though I wasn’t really tired.

That's it for now, ill post the rest of my journey soon. sorry for the super long post ill try to keep the others shorter.

-marshall-