Jessica's Reflections

As I sit in the San Francisco airport, waiting to get home, I cannot help but wish I was still in Australia, as anyone else would. Yet, I feel I am very fortunate and blessed to have had this opportunity to travel to such a fascinating country. In the planning stages of the trip, I had hoped to be able to visit so many more places and had a long list of places to run by Marcee for approval, suggestions, or changes. Even though we did not visit all the original sites on my list, I think our time exploring the east coast of Australia was well spent. When asked where my favorite place is in Australia, I do not have just one.

To sum up the places we went: Bells Beach was beautiful, and my first experience of a surfing competition was new and exciting. Melbourne is a city with a lot of character. It was great meeting Amy in Sydney and exploring there. The Sydney Opera House was an architectural novice for its time and still holds its uniqueness and beauty today. However, I like the city of Melbourne better than Sydney. Hervey Bay is a city that is simply a gateway to Fraser Island and besides the Esplanade, it is quiet and quaint. Cairns is a party and tourist city, and a beginning destination for trips to the rainforest, the reef, and for any tourist activity like skydiving, bungee jumping, water skying, etc.

However, for me, my favorite places are those involving nature and God's creation and of World recognition. The World Heritage Sites: the Sydney Opera House, Fraser Island, the Daintree Rainforest, the Great Barrier Reef, and the Blue Mountains are undoudtedly named properly on this list and compile my favorites.

In Sydney, I loved cuddling Shawn, the koala and interacting with kangaroos. I loved touring the Opera house and seeing up close the intricacies of its architecture and learning about the struggles and hardships of its construction. The Blue Mountains offered ancient rock formations and stunning mountain views and waterfalls. For those of you who do not know me well, waterfalls, wildlife and rainbows are some of my favorite things in life. Thus, Katoomba Falls and Leura falls were very pretty and peaceful.

I had hopes of seeing marine life and many other creatures on Fraser Island, but did not see any marine life due to choppy seas. There were many spiders, which I like, and dingoes. However, what was most fascinating to me was the amount of fauna that existed and a rainforest growing completely in sand. The deserted beaches and few people makes Fraser Island ideal for me.

While everything we had planned was exciting for me, I was probably most excited about the Great Barrier Reef, and though the weather did not cooperate, I was still thoroughly impressed. Of course, on my next visit to the reef, I hope the weather is perfect, and I hope there are sharks involved in the dive I do. (I love sharks, in case you didn't know). Yet even with bad weather, I was still able to see many vibrantly colored fish, see giant clams that with my touch clamped shut, touch smooth and slimy coral, and experience a new world under the sea.

Lastly, I was surprised by the magnificence of the Daintree rainforest when it is raining. Yes, that sounds somewhat like a contradiction, but I hadn't ever seen it before. As rain drops trickled through the thick layers and canopy and as light peaked through the few openings in the thick forest, everything glistened.

When I travel, I normally keep a journal, but very few people ever read it. The blog has provided not only a reference guide for our travels, but it allows us to share our experiences with all who read. I hope you all have enjoyed reading the blog as much as Marcee and I have enjoyed seeing it firsthand. More pictures will be posted in time, and facebook will also be updated with pictures.

Until the next time, thanks for reading our blog and sharing our trip with us!