Facebook won't let me add all my photos, so here you go:

View of Byron Bay, New South Wales:


Byron beach:












Then we went to Surfer's Paradise. First time in Queensland. We partied like rockstars (in cowboy hats):







Then we went to Brisbane (Brizzy):





Swam in the city lagoon/beach (many of times):



They like their crazy bridges:

*PHOTOS COURTESY OF MY FRIEND SARAH. SHE'S AWESOME.*

Love,

Michaela

'Nuff Said.

Maggie Island.

Also, here is an interesting PDF that shows the history behind the suburbs of Townsville/Magnetic Island. A lot of them are Aboriginal, since they inhabited these areas first.

Click Me!

Also, there is this bird on the island that is rumored, based on Aboriginal tales, to be the host of souls of the dead Aboriginals. This is the reason Aboriginals don't live here, they live in Townsville or neighbouring Palm Island.

The haunting, eerie, mournful sounds heard at night on Magnetic Island are the cries of the Bush Stone-curlew. Stone-curlews belong to family Burhinidae represented throughout the world by nine species in two genera. Two species are found in Australia, one from each genus: the Bush Stone-curlew (Burhinus grallarius) and the Beach Stone-curlew (Esacus neclectus).The Bush Stone-curlew, also known as Bush Thick-knee, Southern Stone-curlew, Southern Stone-plover, Weeloo, Willaroo, Angelbird and Scrub curlew, was once found across much of Australia, except for very arid regions and heavily forested areas. It is now rare to totally extinct in closely settled parts of Australia and dwindling in numbers elsewhere. In some states it is listed as vulnerable or threatened. Ground-feeding, ground-nesting woodland birds that are larger than 500 grams are the bird species most endangered in Australia and the Bush Stone-curlew fits every one of these criteria. This bird is the emblem of Moorabool Shire in Victoria because Moorabool is local Aboriginal for 'the place of the curlew' or 'the voice of the curlew'. But for the last 50 years curlews have not been seen there. SOURCE

"I'm gonna call you Dorthy, cause I like your shoes."

Just when I thought Super Cockroaches were the worst, I have now discovered Super Crickets. Now, I don't mind crickets normally. They are one of the bugs that you love to catch as a kid. Plus, they're musical. But, here... they're MASSIVE and they FLY! Crickets back home jump, with a little bit of forward motion that could possibly be considered temporary flight. The things here, they take off and flap their wings and go for a considerable distance. They aim for areas, such as you, and can't be bothered to be shooed away. Super Crickets... who woulda thought?

Sitting on my bed tonight (Thursday Night) I was attacked by one of these Super Crickets. One of the girls I work with/livve in the same room with squealed as I squealed, and we then spent the next ten minutes of our lives shooing it away, curled up in the corners of our top bunks, afraid for our lives.

Australia has Super Ants, Super Frogs and Super Oppossums. This is already added to the list of the spiders, bats and cockroaches that inhabit this continent.

The ants here are ridiculous. Magnetic Island (Maggie Island, as the locals say) has these brown ants that grow to be like 2 cm long. A little excessive, don't you think? I see them crawling in the kitchen that I have to clean, on my bedroom walls and even in my bed. Hot water kills them... it's the ONLY thing that kills them. I think even an atomic bomb wouldn't do the trick. They don't really hurt you, they sometimes bite, but they won't kill you. Although, I'm sure they are really staging a massive takeover. I imagine that scene in the third Mummy film where those killer ant-bug-mammoth sized things eat those bad guys from the inside out. There are enough of them for that, that's for sure.

The first day that I arrived here, I began working. This was after a 23 hour bus ride. No, that is not a miss type. I actually rode on a bus for 23 hours of my life. It's not something I plan on repeating any time soon, nor do I recommend it.

Anyways, I sat down my bags and go to the kitchen to begin my work. As I'm elbow deep in a mountain of dishes, from the dinner rush, I look to my left and see the most beautiful scenery. The hostel sits straight on the ocean, just south of Picnic Bay on the island. Literally, I'm about 30 feet from the ocean when I'm working in the restaurant. There are mountains and greenery and the most pristine blue-green ocean I have ever seen. It looked like glass, rippling only so slightly on the smooth sand. There aren't big waves up in Northern Queensland due to the Great Barrier Reef blocking the tide. The water sits on a flat plane and seems to fall off the edge of the earth at an unknown point miles off the coast. Big, green mountains reside to the right and left of the glassy water. When I looked at that moment, the sun was setting at the point where the sky was a mixture of pale blues, oranges, pinks and whites. The sun was low in the sky, somewhere behind me. It was breathtaking.

I'm calling this place home for about 2.5 weeks, then I head back to Sydney for a few days. No idea where to next...

I fall asleep with my friends around me

Only place I know I feel safe

I'm going to call this home

With the way that I live, you have to find a little piece of home in every place you go, especially if you're staying for more than a week, otherwise you'll lose your sanity. You have to appreciate your top bunk, super creaky bed. Your roommates (anywhere from 3 to 30 other people, depending on the room you bought) might snore or have sex in the room or not speak English. Your pillow is pater thin and your mattress caves in the center. The bathrooms are lined with lots of toilets and showers with only two sinks at the front. You push and shove to to get to the front to spit your toothpaste out. The kitchens are crowded and you keep all your food in one tiny bag shoved in the back right right corver of the industrial sized fridges. You have to do a five minute hunt every time you want to eat. You may be situated in a big city or a tiny little island. There might be air conditioning or there might not. If there is, you embrace it and try to curl up under the one little thin sheet they give you for warmth. Or, you don't have it, and you become very good friends with all your roommates very quickly as you sleep, sprawled out in your underwear on top of your bedding in an attempt to not die of heat stroke.

It's a funny way to live, but as I lay up in my top bunk, where it creaks any time I slightly move, I remember back to when I was a kid and everyone fought for the top bunk. It's like a fort.

I'm so cool... I'm 23 and I live in a bunk bed-fort. All that is missing are my stuffed animals and footy pjs.

Also, there are A LOT of Canadians that travel here. Americans and Canadians have this friendly rivalry... more it's like Canadians think all Americans are idiots. Which, is probably true in SOME sense... but, most Canadians I've met aren't the brightest out there, either. They are known for being pot heads. Every Canadian I meet smokes pot, knows where to get it and is most likely a dealer. They tend to offer this information up without even being prompted.

But, I have found I gain a little respect from my friends from the Northern Country because I like hockey. Now, I don't claim to be an expert. I don't know most players and can't talke incessantly about it or have any real argument. But, I like the Blackhawks, I watch the games and was truly upset at the USA vs CANADA game for Gold. We were SOOO close! Canadians like... no, love... hockey, and they really get excited when they meet an American... or, anyone really... who likes it too.

I never used to be a hockey fan. Growing up in Kansas, no one plays it and we don't have a team. When I was thirteen, my boyfriend Kevin and his dad took me to a KC Blades game, the minor league team. They were only around for a few years. But, when Kipp and I started dating, it's all he talked about, so I somehow soaked up the knowledge. I didn't really enjoy it or particularly care. I just listened and nodded a lot. But, we went and saw a game last March and it was awesome! I'm a sucker for any sports arena, with rabid fans. There is a particular energy that you can't get anywhere else. It's magnetic.

We broke up shortly after, but I started following the team myself. I knew when were doing well and when we sucked. I love talking hockey.

Two good things came out of that relationship: hockey appreciation and Australia.

On a side note, I'm also thankful for Mars bars, Cadbury chocolate bars, Caesar Salad flavored potato chips, sweet chili sauce, and Tooheys.

****

Fast forward to Sunday morning...

On Friday, I worked the morning shift, got off at 12 and went back and some how fell asleep reading my book. I was awoken to the receptionist in my room telling me to hurry up and wake up cause she had a surprise for me. Being half-asleep and a bit weary, I made my way to the receptionist desk, questioning this surprise. She kept trying to make me go around the corner, but I was afraid of what might be there. So, Aiden grabbed me and pushed me around the corner, and out popped Sarah and Will (from Sydney)!

They had come to surprise me!

After Sarah was here for an hour, she loved it so much she decided to get a job here as well and will be here for the next two weeks with me!

On Saturday we rented a car (although I couldn't drive it sense it was stick...) and drove all around the island. We went to a tiny zoo here and I got to pet a wombat and a turtle, I held birds, lizards, a crocodile, a python, and a koala!

I also learned that koalas aren't actually drugged from the plants they eat, this is a myth. The reason they always look so sloth-like is because they're diet consists of about 5 grams of leaves a day, which only has about 10% of energy in them. So, if that's how much energy you were getting from your diet, you'd sleep 16 hours a day as well.

And, I held a large python for a good five minutes, letting him slither all over my body! Amazing.

God Bless Australia.

Love,

Michaela

p.s. I was wearing bright pink shoes one night, and a guy I work with thought they were red and he called me Dorthy. I proceeded to tell him how funny that is sense I'm from Kansas, so now my coworkers ask me how Toto is on a regular basis.

Pictures!

New Pictures... the LAST TWO pages are new.

It's when I went to Queenscliff, Victoria (about 2 hours south of Melbourne) and swam with dolphins and seals in the middle of the ocean.

Enjoy!

Ready, Set, REBOUND!

"As the blood runs red down the needle and thread, someday you will be loved." -Death Cab for Cutie

I went and saw The Rebound tonight, with Catherine Zeta Jones and that hottie from The Hangover.  Now, I usually hate chick-flicks and would rather see a nice action or zombie film, but I saw it because: 1. it was 9.50 and Alice in Wonderland was 19.00... 2. the friendly cashier lady recommended it.  I think she was 15.  3.  I was alone, had sushi in my purse, so what other type of movie would me look so cool, all alone on a tuesday night?

I laughed, I cried... I ate sushi.  I consider it a good night.  Go see it!  

Today, Lizzo left to head north for Cairns.  She had been here the last two days, and we will meet up again in 3 weeks in Sydney.  We didn't do anything too mentionable, except hangout, eat good food, and gossip.  

Saturday night, the day before Lizzo came, was an interesting one.  One of those "pinch me" nights where you look around and think "I may only have $1,000 to my name and one backpack of belongings, but life's alright."  

That day I went down to the lagoon with Evan and Nick, got some sun, splashed around, and read my book.  I used to remember feeling really uneasy about the way I looked in a swimsuit.  I never even used to wear shorts/skirts/dresses a year ago because I hated the way I looked.  But, ever since this summer, I'm comfortable.  I'm not at my skinniest and I'm still pretty pale, but I have never felt more comfortable in my skin:  sprawled out on the sand or splashing in the waves with two really cute boys I just met a week earlier.

That night I went down to the hostel bar and grabbed a few drinks with a few Scottish fellows from the hostel.  Now, usually I can't understand a damn word the Scottish say.  I stare blankly, blink a few times, and mutter an "I'm sorry, but are you sure that was English?"  But, they were well spoken and we enjoyed a good laugh.  But, I got tired and went down to my room to lay down and figure out what to do with my night.  It was 10pm.

Evan and Nick shake me and tell me to get up, cause we're going swimming.  "At 10pm?"  "Yes, get dressed! Let's go."

So, Evan, Nick (Nova Scotia), Mary-Anne (Holland) and Rory (Ireland) walk down to the Lagoon I talk about all the time.  My swimsuit was still wet from that afternoon.  It was beautiful.  The water was lit up in a rainbow of colors, the sand was cool under my feet, and the city looked magnificent all lit up in front of a black backdrop.  I could even see a few stars.

We swam and splashed around and even became 13 again for a moment and played chicken fights.  That's where you get up on another person's shoulders and try to push the other person off.  It was me on Nick's shoulders and Mary-Anne on Evan's.  Now, Evan is about a foot taller than Nick.  Nick is my height.  So, their strategy was to back us into the deep end.  I'm proud to say they only pushed us down twice, out of the three times we played.  We won one!  

It soon got cold and real dark, around 1am, so we walked the 20 min walk back to the hostel.  I don't think I have laughed so hard and had such a good, random time in a very long time.  Well, in probably a week.  But, when I think my life couldn't get anymore sweet, it some how does.

And, what's funny, is I will probably never see these people again.

We all said goodbye the next morning, the Nova Scotians going to Manly (a beach about 45 min east of here), Mary-Anne went to Noosa Heads (north), and Rory is working here for awhile... so I'm leaving him!

For a moment, when I saw Nick and Evan walking away, I got a little sad at the thought that I would probably never talk to them again.  We didn't exchange phone numbers, and we made a promise to facebook each other, but most likely we still will never meet up again.  You get over it in a few minutes, but still... strange, isn't it?

What's even more strange, is my first night in my new hostel room (went from a 12 share UNair-conditioned room, mixed sex, to a 6 share air-conditioned, all girls), a girl brought a boy back and had sex ALL NIGHT LONG.  I didn't wake up, as I sleep like a dead person, but the rest of the room was up all night long, so we got her kicked out the next day.  Who wants to have sex, loudly, with five other people within 5 feet of you?  Seems a little dirty.

Oh hostels, you never quite know what you're going to get.

The funny thing about travelling and living the way I do, is you learn to expect nothing and everything all at the same time.  What I mean is that I don't expect when I wake up for my life to be any different than it was the day before.  I have no expectations.  I rarely make plans and I try to say "yes" to everything.  But, you expect anything, as people are weird, and you meet all of them while you travel.  For instance, some people like to be exhibitionists! haha

Good night, everyone.

On the back of a motor bike 

With your arms outstretched trying to take flight 

Leaving everything behind 

But even at our swiftest speed 

We couldn't break from the concrete 

In the city where we still reside

And I have learned 

That even landlocked lovers yearn 

For the sea like navy men 

'Cause now we say goodnight 

"We're much too young, we're much too rich... so let's go out tonight and live like this."

Brisbane likes bridges.  I mean, REALLY likes bridges.  I can see about six in one go, each of them completely different from the next, connecting South Brisbane to North Brisbane, over the Brisbane River.  Most of them look like your normal bridge-type bridges, but there is this one that I'm pretty convinced the architect was on drugs.  Probably acid.  It's got wires and cords and poles galore.  It's stark white, but at night it changes colours: from blue, to purple, green, pink, yellow, etc...  It's an eye sore, that only a Brizzy local could love.  However, it does have these amazing little coves off of it that you can sit OVER the river and read a book, or if you're my Nova Scotian friends, enjoy the best water you have ever had out of a convenient water fountain.

Speaking of water fountains, they have a lot of them here, which I hadn't seen until this city.  Before I was convinced that only Americans had water fountains, however Brisbane has adopted it as well.  But, for us it's about convenience, for the Aussie's it's about conservation of water.  They use recycled water in most of the taps here and advise you to not drink out of the taps, use the fountains.  Saving the environment... by recycling our toilet water.  Yum!

Also, toilets really do flush the other way.  Nifty!

I went to the Casino last night with Evan and Nick and lost $10.  I'm quite the big spender... playing the dollar slots.  They don't have penny or nickel slots, as they don't have those types of money here.  So, I won $5 then lost it all again.  I watched my friends play the "big boys and girls games," but find myself easily bored and confused.  I like the flashing lights, pictures, and sounds that come out of the slots.  I'm like a 5 year old.  

After the tree of us were defeated, we walked home and I read more of my book "The Lost Continent" by Bill Bryson.  It's about American as the lost continent, and he road trips all over it, finding out what American is all about.  It's a good laugh.

Today I went to the art museum and saw a hat exhibit!  The word "free" lured me in.  

There were hats from all over the world, displayed as art.  There were your normal hats, some with feathers and fancy do-dads hanging off of them.  

Then there were some that I'm not sure deserved a place in an art museum: like the helmet.  It's description?  "Bike Helmet."  Thank you Mr. Sign, I had no idea.

Then there were the weird ones, where you question if anyone has actually ever worn it.  If they did wear it, why?  And, most importantly, what was the person on when they made it?  There was a knitted hat that had a whole breakfast knitted on top of it: eggs, sausage, bacon, even ketchup (tomato sauce).  

Oooh!  Then there was the hat that had a man and a women made out of woven straw (looked much like intricate voo-doo dolls), in quite a compromising position.  The label?  "Sex on the Brain Hat."  Clever!

There were a good three rooms of hats!  Wonder what the cat in the hat would've thought about that!

Then, I laid out in the lagoon area, which is a manmade beach right on the river... read my book and got some sun.

What a life!

Oh yea... I applied to some jobs too!  Might be moving up to Rockhampton to clean a hostel for awhile (13 hours north)!  *Crosses Fingers*

Love,

Michaela

"All the crazy shit I did tonight, those will be the best memories."

"Live for the power of love, not the love of power." -- I saw this on a sign a homeless man was holding. Ironic?

Brisbane is a sweatbox. Brisbane also likes to do this thing we call "shrane," which means it's completely sunny, not a cloud in the sky, but it's raining. It does this at least once a day.

I smell lovely, let me tell you.

Also, I haven't straightened my hair in over a month... I think I've actually only done it 10 times here.  I wear my hair down and curly 90% of the time.  I used to hate my hair, but I embrace it now.  

I have highly considered not washing my hair and getting dreads, however, as shampoo and conditioner are disgustingly expensive.

Actually, this whole country is disgustingly expensive! 

The crazy thing about moving to a place 9,000 miles away from your home is that you know you have to leave it eventually. There was nothing permanent about this situation, thus I knew all the friends I met would have to leave me one day. Nothing good lasts forever, but our memories sure do.

Last night Annie, Will, Sarah and I had a last fling, consisting of karaoke! We sang "Summer of 69" by Bryan Adams and had the whole bar singing! What's funny, is songs that I grew up on (and my parents grew up on) are sung all over the world. A bar filled with 50+ backpackers, and every face was singing their heart out. We come from all over the world, yet somehow we all know how to make a fool out of ourselves with a microphone and some classic hits.

Man we were killin' time

We were young and restless

We needed to unwind

I guess nothin' can last forever, no

Australia is a funny culture, in this way.  It's geared toward backpackers... millions of people flock here just to find a little bit of solace from their own lives for one to two years.  Sure, some stay, but most go home, back to the daily grind of what we had.  But, as I was talking to a new Canadian friend (Nova Scotia), nothing ever changes back home... it's you who changes.  So, I know once I go home, I will do something with those changes.  I know I can never go back to Des Moines, Kansas City or Nashville to live.  I'm too restless.  

The damn travel bug has bitten me... it's highly infectious.

Possibly my new life plan consists of moving to California.  Sounds good, eh?

Random Aussie trivia:

*Their Internet consists of how much bandwidth you use in a month... it's not unlimited.

*They don't say "Crikey," nor do the majority of them dress like Crocodile Dundee.

*Sunscreen is really expensive and you go through it like it's your job.

*If you see a meal below $10, consider it the best find of your life

*They love Subway.  It's literally on every block... you may think I'm exaggerating, but I promise I'm not.

Random things I've learned/grown accustomed to:

*Gas grills... I LOVE them now... I used to be terrified

*I spell like I'm British sometimes... and secretly I like it, but don't tell my British friends.

*I eat ice cream out of the cone now.  Why did I spend 22 years of my life hating them?

*I like raw oysters.

To me, Australia hasn't been about all I can see and do (because really, there isn't THAT much to see and do here... it's not Europe or Asia!), it's about all I can experience.  And, all people I can meet and talk to.  

But I would walk five hundred miles

And I would walk five hundred more

Just to be the man who walked a thousand miles

To fall down at your door

All right, time to get going.

Love, 

Michaela

*EDIT*  Also, Australian money is waterproof AND tear proof.  Genius!