Odd outback facts

We haven't completed the journey home yet. We're stuck in L.A. airport, with a 3-hour layover on our hands. *sigh*. More on this post's topic, there are some odd things about Australia that I'd like to share with you.

Fake Money

Australians seem to use fake board game money as currency. Not only is it colorful, it also has a plastic feel to it. See for yourself:

Mashed-up Greeting

Australians will often use the phrase, "How're you going?", seemingly a combination of "How are you doing" and "How's it going".

Two Seconds

The phrase "two seconds" doesn't mean the same thing in Australia as it does in the U.S.A. It simply means a short amount of time, like "just a minute".

Time difference

We have experienced a 30-minute time difference twice. In case you didn't know, most of the world goes by hours only.

Everything there can kill you

An assortment of facts here:

1. The primary language is screaming in terror.

2. If something looks cute and cuddly, it probably evolved that way to lure you close.

3. There are over 100 species of poisonous snake in Australia.

4. Of the 25 most venomous snakes in the world, 20 are in Australia.

The interesting thing is, the last two are actually true. And the second one is likely.

Outback Outtakes

Fast fact- I'm blogging from 33,000 feet, flying through the sky at 628 mph, more or less. Anyway, there were a few funny photos that never made it on the blog... until now. Here they are in all their glory...

I blast dad with my patented InvisibleRayInYourHand Deluxe.

The pilot gets some help from his passengers.
We really did push the plane.

We found out that our favorite restaurant
from England was also in Sydney. Less than
a block away from our hotel.

All they served the dugongs at the aquarium was lettuce.
The staff had set up a fake restaurant for the dugongs, complete
with a charming little menu.

Instead of fruit juice, I received a potion.

This was my kid's menu at a restaurant that we went to. You
pulled the lever to change the picture.

That's all for now!

Back in Sydney- last Australia day

We arrived back in Sydney late at night yesterday, and ended up going to bed at midnight. Needless to say, I woke up something less than completely rested. Despite this, I managed to drag myself over to the Executive Lounge for another free breakfast.

After we had filled up, we headed out into the big city. We decided to revisit all of our favorite things about Sydney. This included the playground and our favorite restaurant and smoothie bar.

Later, we went for a walk in the Botanic Gardens. There was an overwhelming amount of plant life, including cacti and bamboo. On the way to the Gardens, we saw a man making huge bubbles.

While we were headed back to the hotel, something caught our eye. A giant chessboard! My dad and I decided to have a match. Before we finished, the museum that owned the chessboard decided to go ahead and close. We played some turbo chess until we really had to leave, then my dad declared me the winner and fled.

Thanks again for following my blog! There will be more, I assure you. I intend to publish a couple more posts about Australia, which could pop up at any time. 

Final Australian wildlife report:

Captive koala (sleepy & cute)

Aidan, Lisa and Brian

"Thank you, everybody!"

Aboriginal Adventures

We started off the day by relaxing at the beach and pool. Not very exciting, I know, but we made up for it later in the day.

After we finished relaxing in the pool area, we headed to a place called Tjapukai (jah-puh-kiy). Here, you can learn about Aboriginals, the native people of Australia. You can paint stones, learn to throw boomerangs and spears, and take a didgeridoo lesson. We tried all of these activities. I was pretty surprised that the boomerangs worked as well as they did. They would often come back to within ten feet of you.

Wildlife report:

Orange and green ant

Two turtles

Lizard Island

Today we flew out to Lizard Island,another island within the Great Barrier Reef. Unfortunately, we flew there on a plane, which is a lot less exiting than wings. At least we didn't have to steer, and there were amazing views of the Great Barrier Reef.

Once we arrived on Lizard Island, we were quick to get in the water and snorkel. The water was warm enough to don a shorty wetsuit, a kind of wetsuit without full arms and legs. We saw a great number of fabulous fish, from hordes of tiny blue fish rushing past to large, coral-munching purple fish. On our second trip out, after a break for lunch, we saw a turtle and a stingray. My mom broke off from the group partway in, and of course saw another turtle.

Survival on the island was hard.

Liquid was scarce. Here I am

trying to break open a coconut.

Our pilot worried me. I'm

pretty sure that's an iPhone in

the picture. Do texting & driving

rules apply to planes?

Wildlife report:

Monitor lizard

Australian leaping clam

Note: hoax.

Not photographed:

Seagulls

Note: these should have been in

several previous reports. I apologize.

Two sea turtles

Stingray

Fish. Many, many, many fish.

Small but courageous lizard

Note: ran across my mom's foot!

Wildlife report cont.

Wildlife report (continued from yesterday's post):

Every fish

Humongo Grasshopper (or maybe cricket)

White-tipped reef shark

Sea turtle

Not photographed:

more fish (including sergeant majors, brave fish who swam right next to us!) 

another turtle

THREE days in one post!

Sorry about the lack of posting for the past three days- my parents have kept me very busy.

Monday

Monday was mostly a travel day. We traveled from Kangaroo Island to Adelaide, and then from there to Cairns. These flights covered a bit more distance than a flight from Miami to Boston.

Tuesday

On Tuesday, we took a boat out to one of the Low Isles, two islands along the inner portion of the Great Barrier Reef. We went snorkeling along the reef, but were hindered by one teeny factor- the water was extremely, excruciatingly, icicles-piercing-your-skin COLD. My parents, ever the superheros, didn't seem to mind, but I was shivering from the start. However, we did see some very interesting aquatic wildlife. Despite all the fascinating fish, one of our best experiences was when a shark swam past not ten feet away from us. The best part is, we were just wading in shallow water when it happened!

We were offered Lycra suits, slick black suits that protected us from  stingers and the sun.
Of course, the black was hot in the already warm sun. Why couldn't they be light gray, or perhaps a
nice shade of blue?

Wednesday- today

Mom didn't puke on the boat ride yesterday, so today we decided to go farther, to the Outer Reef. It was a similar experience, but with two main differences: one, the boat docked at a floating, artificial platform instead of an island. Two, thanks to a last-minute wetsuit purchase, I was a lot warmer.

We also took two tours on a semi-submersible ship. On the tour, people sat in the submersed part of the ship, where the walls were primarily glass. The ship moved along slowly, allowing you to view the aquatic life. And boy, did we view some aquatic life. Some of the best sightings included a white-tipped reef shark, two turtles and a barracuda.

Wildlife report:

Pelicans

Lemon shark

HUGE school of baitfish (the dark spot)

Note- I walked in there!

More of the report tomorrow- we are experiencing photograph upload issues.

Final day of Kangaroo Island

Today, unfortunately, was our last day to enjoy Kangaroo Island. We revisited sand boarding, to ensure we got the most possible fun out of it. Because we're too crazy to stop after one try.

But something interesting happened on the way there. We stopped at a rocky area with several tide pools. My dad noticed how huge the spray was in one area when waves came, and decided that it would be a good idea to have his picture taken with the spray.

Then, as he was walking back, a giant wave came and knocked him over. He had to take off his shirt, pants and socks and hang them from the car windows.

It wasn't a packed day like usual, so that's just about everything interesting that happened today.

Wildlife report:

More kangaroos

Extremely brave bird (it landed on our car!)

Not photographed:

Dad in his underpants

Sandboards and more

Today was eventful, as always. We started off with sandboarding. A lot like snowboarding, but with- you guessed it- sand instead of snow. I opted for the toboggan. Most of the sand dunes were huge, and the initial rush of starting down the hill never stopped being scary.

Next, we went on an ATV tour. An ATV is a bit like a motorcycle, but with four wheels. We were, for some reason, required to wear hairnets.

Wildlife Report:

More kangaroos

Two koalas

Echidna (cute)

Horrifying ant

Wedgetail eagle

Not photographed:

Brush-tailed possum

Another echidna

Wallaby