Spring Break in Australia!!

I'm a little sad writing this post because I'm still trying to comprehend the fact that the best week ever of my life is over. I really don't know how I'm ever going to leave this place! Considering tossing my passport into the ocean...

Me holding a Koala!!

The first day we went to the Australia Zoo, which is in memory of Steve Irwin. I've already done the zoo thing in Australia but this time I got to lie down right next to kangaroos and take pictures with them and HELD A KOALA! The photo I got of this is definitely my most prized possession. I won't lie and say that I liked holding this koala...I actually almost dropped it when it was placed in my hands because its butt was wet and I thought it was peeing on me...but sooo worth the picture.

We then headed to Fraser Island, which is the largest sand island in the world. This island is interesting because the vegetation goes from younger to older as you go across. You can literally see the trees getting older and older. We drove around in a giant vehicle meant for driving on the sand, so it was a very bumpy ride! But very fun. We saw a dingo as well and learned that these dingos have never left the island and have never been introduced to any other type of dog-like species and so are in their purest form. This island was known to the aboriginals as paradise and they said that anything that doesn't swim or fly is part of the paradise and should be protected.

White Haven Beach, Whitsundays

We then headed to a resort in Whitsundays. White Haven beach is the most photographed place in the world. We kept saying that we felt like we were in Pinterest...this place wasn't real, it was so beautiful. An aboriginal that was on this tour with us showed my friends Molly, Sam and I some sting rays and sharks which was really cool. We went snorkeling, which was a pretty big deal for me because for some reason I can't handle having any sort of mask put on my face, but I faced my fear and did it. The first breath under water was really scary and I needed a moment to calm down but after that I couldn't stop! Seeing all sorts of gorgeous fish and the reef was amazing, I felt like I was in an aquarium swimming with Nemo!

Resort we stayed at

We also went white water rafting...which would have been SO much more fun if we weren't being eaten alive by this certain type of fly that only comes around for 2 months out of the whole year (lucky us). There were literally millions of them and we all left with so many bug bites. We were definitely entertained by our guide though. He was a bit of a pathological liar...he told us that one of the other guides had a sex change, that another one is a registered sex offender and tries to grab girls boobs when they fall out of the boat, and threw in some very perverted jokes along the way. He also made us all lie on top of each other in pyramid formation at the front of the boat, going face first over a waterfall. He told us we wouldn't flip.....yeah, we flipped. But hey it was fun and something different from what all the other boats did!

Me skydiving!

The next day was the day of all days...I woke up at 7 in the morning knowing that in the next 24hrs I will have skydived and bungy jumped. I really wasn't nervous at all for the skydiving, but the bungy jumping...my stomach turned every time I thought about it. Sky diving was my absolute FAVORITE thing of the whole trip. I was the second to last person of my group to jump out, and most people hated watching the others jumping out but it actually pumped me up even more. We jumped out and began spinning and flipping everywhere, and finally we were free falling for 60 seconds which was insane! The only thing I didn't like was I couldn't get my ears to pop which hurt really bad, but other than that I saw amazing views and felt like I was flying! He even let me steer the parachute for a little bit! As soon as we got to the ground I wanted to turn right around and go again.

A couple hours later, we arrived at the place where we were going to bungy jump. Somehow all my fear of jumping off a platform at however many feet with just a cord attached to my legs disappeared. I was SO excited to do it! I'm very thankful that I went skydiving first, otherwise I don't think I would have been this relaxed. The initial jump and free fall was probably the most terrifying thing of my life...it was a very unpleasant feeling. I also thought that I jumped with a perfect swan dive form but upon watching my video afterwards I realized I basically ended up pencil diving, which snapped me forward and hurt a little but not that much. It was still a very exhilarating feeling! Next we went on the highest and fastest giant swing in the world, which was SO FUN! By the time we went it was dark out so as we were being pulled up we could see the city with all the lights, and then we were let go from however many feet, rushing at however speed, laughing and having a great time. It was a day filled with adrenaline rushes and definitely the best day of my life.

Me and my girls!

That night also ended up being a great time too! We were taken on a party bus to several different bars and got a free shot at each bar and there was a competition at each one. I ended up playing a game called Knights, Cavaliers, Vikings where you are with a partner, and when the caller calls one of those three positions you have to get into it as quickly as you can and if you fall over or get in the wrong position than you're out. My partner and I ended up winning!! It was so much fun and we won a free hour of wakeboarding!

Overall the craziest week of my life...not sure how I'm still alive...my next big trip is Melbourne at the end of October!

Cheers!