Whale Watching

So it is the week before some of my bigger finals and I have been studying really hard but all this studying has been driving me a bit crazy and in order to keep myself sane I have been doing some fun things sprinkled in all the studying. For example, I am learning how to surf this weekend. One thing I decided to do was go whale watching. Whale watching is something I have wanted to do since I was little but every time I have gone I have not been able to see whales. However, this time was completely different.

The whales that are passing by Sydney right now are traveling up from the Southern ocean near Antarctica where they have been feeding all summer. They are traveling to the equator in order to breed and have babies however they travel right by Sydney this time of year.

I decided to take a whale watching tour on an extreme raft jet. Which is essentially a boat that has these massive inner tubes under it. The driver can go really fast which makes the boat fly across the waves which was really bumpy.

When we got to the location where the whales were traveling north. Two Humpback whales threw their bodies out of the water right in front of us right away. This is called breaching. Scientists still aren’t sure why whales breach, some think it is a form of communication, others think it is to express emotion or just have fun.

We followed that pod of whales for a long time seeing some incredible breaching. One whale even swam under the boat to get a closer look at us and then resurfaced about 5 feet away from the boat.

After those whales settled down we switched to a different pod. These whales typically change pods up to 4 times a day and have no long term attachments. They are the social butterflies of the sea. This pod was filled with younger whales and there was about 3 of them that were surfacing all around us.

As we were watching those whales, another pod caught up to the pod. The driver explained that when two pods merge there can be some really exciting whale activity. When the whales caught up to the younger whales, one of the younger whales through himself out of the water doing a spin and then his buddy did three head bobs out of the water.

The whales were just really happy to have new mates that they were throwing themselves out of the water.

All of this happened about 50 feet away from the boat. It was really cool to see and one of the highlights of my trip.

After this, our time was up and we waved goodbye to the whales. After, a really bumpy ride back to Sydney, I headed home still shaking because of how cool the experience was.

They are such beautiful, happy creatures. I was so lucky to get to see them. It was definitely a bucket list item crossed off.

Vivid Sydney

In late May and early June, Sydney hosts a massive citywide light show called Vivid Sydney. This light show happens all across Sydney in key locations including Darling Harbour, Circular Quay, and the Taronga Zoo. It lasts for about 3 weeks and shows every night no matter the weather.

For about a week before I went to see the show, I saw lights shining in the sky at night. It wasn’t until I go there that I realized that the lights were part of the light show at Darling Harbour, people were actually controlling the colors and the direction of these lights shining in the sky. They kind of reminded me of the bat signal and people could point them into the night sky and draw pictures or just swing them around.

Later in the show, I walked down to Darling Harbour and took a boat ride around the Sydney Harbour to see the harbour all lit up. However, Darling has its fair share of lights. Darling has this spectacular water show in the middle of the harbour with fireworks, lasers, and water shooting out of the bay. It reminded me a little of the World of Color at Disneyland.

The Maritime museum also has a beautiful movie showing the importance of keeping our oceans clean. There was a massive lit-up Ferris wheel and even glow in the dark graffiti. When you shined a black light on the wall, you could see the beautiful artwork graffiti artists had drawn. The whole area is lit up including the ferry boats coming in and out of the harbour.

I took a harbour cruise around and got to see the rest of Sydney harbour all lit up. The Bridge, the Opera House, and pretty much all of the Rocks were covered in lights along with a lot of the buildings surrounding circular quay.

The Opera House and the Museum of Contemporary Art had colorful projections on them, showing different abstract art. The Opera house had a video showing different aspects of biology in an abstract way.

I watched it for a long time just watching the video change from one thing to another. The Museum of ContemporaryArtt showed more of crayon drawn pictures being drawn on the old architecture.

I also walked through the Botanical Garden which had Christmas lights strung up all along the trees and glowing sunflowers lining the path.

I even got to be part of the show. There was one installation where they handed you glowing headphones that changed color with the type of music you were listening to while we took in the glowing show around us.

Vivid Sydney is such an important part of the city. It is a massive party shared by both the locals and the tourists. It is different every year and it was really cool to have seen it while I was here. If you are traveling here in winter definitely take the time to check it out.

The Outback

What a trip! I have done things that people only dream of all in about 4 days. Also, I am sorry for the length of the article I did a lot in those 4 days. I flew into the outback on Sunday into the Uluru airport which is the smallest airport I have ever been in. In total it has about 15 people working there and they are switching off duties so the person checking you in might also be the person loading the luggage or serving you food at the snack bar. It was actually really cool to see an airport that small because I am used to the massive terminals like in Sydney.

Uluru from the sky  

Day 1:

I had arranged for a tour right as I got off the plane so within a matter of minutes I had gone from the plane to heading towards my first hike. I got picked up by my tour guide whose name was Oscar. We headed to Kuta Tjuta which is described as the crazy uncle of the outback. When I got to the outback I had no idea that there were other rock formations besides Uluru. I guess I just didn’t think about it. Kuta Tjuta is a massive rock formation that looks like a sea of heads popping up out of the red desert sand. It is along about a 30-minute drive from Uluru.

Long ago there used to be mountains in the outback. Rocks would roll down the mountains and get stuck in river beds. Eventually, the mountains wore down and the outback was flooded with water from the sea creating a massive lake. The rocks that had been stuck in the riverbeds were heated by pressure causing the rocks to stick together forming one massive rock. When the lake dried up the plates that had formed the mountains pushed together and the massive rock formations pushed up out of the ground creating the massive structures like Kuta Tjuta, Uluru, and Mt. Connor. You can even see the individual stones within the structures which are pretty cool.

When we got to Kuta Tjuta we took a hike through the canyon created by two of its largest “heads”. Fun fact: Kuta Tjuta is actually 2 meters taller than Uluru.

It was very pretty and cool seeing the tall formations and it was really cool to finally get to be in a desert.

I had missed the dry climate. While the others complained about the dryness, I felt like I had come home a little bit.

After the hike, we drove to an Uluru viewing spot to watch the sunset over the rock and have some champagne. It was really beautiful.

Then we headed to the town of Yulara to our campsite where we had an Australian Barbeque set up. I got to try Kangaroo which was really good and have some really good chicken wings as well as get to know other people from the group better. We had a really fun group. People from all over the world, from Korea, Canada, The UK, the Netherlands, and Germany. I was the only person from the US and by far the youngest but we all had a good time.

We got to sleep in swag which is actually really warm. You snuggle into a sleeping bag and then zip yourself into a swag which essentially in a canvas bag that you zip yourself into and then close the top, kind of like a person very cramped tent, but it was actually really warm especially if you slept by the fire. It was my first time sleeping out under the stars as I had always camped in tents so it was kind of a special experience.

Day 2:

The next day we got up super early because we were in a race against the sunrise. We were to walk around Ayers Rock, Uluru just as the sun was rising.

It was honestly one of the coolest experiences I have ever had. It was absolutely stunning as the colors of the rock changed with the different amount of light.

It's a little blurry but you can still see the colors

You understand how the Aboriginal people thing that the rock is sacred because of how beautiful Uluru is when the sun is rising.

It took about 2 hours to walk completely around it. I walked mostly with the Canadians because we were all similar in age.

We then got to hear an Aboriginal story that was actually the cause of the aboriginal people politically claiming the rock as a national park and their sacred land. I am not allowed to write it here, as it is sacred and is much better in person so when I get back I would be happy to share the story but I am not allowed to share it on the internet or electronically. We also got to see the Aboriginal people painting which was very cool.

This cave in Uluru was part of the Aboriginal Story

We then had camel burgers and drove out to Kings Canyon. I slept most of the trip as did most everyone else. We slept again in swags but in Kings Canyon, you have to keep both of your shoes in the swag because there is a Dingo that the locals have named Banjo that only steals left shoes. I got to see a wild dingo but as he wasn’t wearing any shoes I don’t think he was Banjo.

Day 3:

The next morning we got up early again and hiked the rim of Kings Canyon and got to see the sacred Garden of Eden. This area looked a lot like Sedona.

Kings Canyon 

You had to hike up a massive hill but the views were worth it and the Garden of Eden, which is a natural pool had a ton of wild birds flying around. It was really peaceful and really neat to see.

I had to switch groups at this point as I was heading to Uluru when the rest of the group was heading to Alice Springs. I switched buses but missed out on lunch. Oscar, our guild promised that if he found me again he would deliver a burrito. Well, he did end up catching up with us at a rest stop before the junction between Kings Canyon, the road to Uluru, and the road to Alice Springs and I got my Burrito. I was really touched at how much the group cared for me. They were all really nice and we became this weird Outback family.

Mom look we found Wolfie in the outback (he was a Dingo-wild dog mix)

I then headed back to Uluru. I got a quick view of Mt. Connor (the same type of structure as Uluru but it is privately owned and looks like a toothbrush) and the salt lakes.

Mt. Connor

 The salt lakes

I also got to pet some native birds and hear the story of the early settlers in this area. I got back into Yulara, the small resort town outside of Uluru where I checked into my hostel and then headed to the field of lights.

My hostel. one of 4 hotels in Yulara 

I cannot tell you how beautiful the field of lights is. It is this massive solar powered, art structure put in right below Uluru with thousands of glowing bulbs that change color every five seconds.

It makes you feel like Alice in Wonderland. All of these lights are below the stunning milky way and honestly one of the prettiest night skies I have ever seen. It was truly beautiful and left me stunned.

The pictures don't do it justice and I couldn't get the night sky either but it was so pretty

I stayed for about an hour before I headed back to my hotel, grilled up sausages (thanks, Dad I would have been lost if you didn’t teach me how to grill) and listened to the live music. Exhausted, I headed to bed.

Outback Pioneer Live Music

Day 4

The next day I got up early again and got picked up for my sunrise camel ride. The camel farm has over 60 wild camels that are all well cared for and spoiled. I got to ride on the back of Trevor.

Trevor

I got to see the beautiful sunrise of Uluru again and got to chill on the back of a camel. Everyone told me that when they get up, that it is terrifying as they get up on their back legs first but I giggled the entire time. It was really quite fun.

 Trevor, Uluru, and I

All of the camels in the farm actually started off wild (or feral) as they call them. Camels were originally used as the pack horses of the outback, carrying all of the railway needed to bring civilization to the middle of nowhere but when the work was done the camels were released and now there are millions of camels just wandering around central Australia.

They are now considered a pest, even though there are debates over how dangerous the camels are to the environment. No one actually knows but no known species have been impacted by these creatures.

He smiled for the picture lol

I then was dropped off in Yulara and just kind of explored to the small town. I then took a shuttle to the airport and headed home.

It was the adventure of a lifetime and I highly recommend you check out the Outback if you ever come to Australia. It was by far one of the best things I have done here. Beware of the flies though they are crazy.

Saturday is Market Day

Saturday is market day here in Sydney, sometimes you can still get some good deals by going on Friday or Sunday but most of the big outdoor markets are only open on Saturday. Basically every Saturday, Sydney becomes this giant craft festival where all the vendors come out and show their trade as well as sell to locals.

The cheapest by far is Paddy’s Market which is more like a giant souvenir shop than a craft festival but it is a great spot for deals. I talked a little about Paddy’s market several other times at the beginning of my trip because I stumbled across it the first week I was here.

The other market that I really love is the Rocks Market. The Rocks are the historical district in Sydney. The Rocks were built during the first European settlement in Australia in 1788. Soon after it became an area of high Gang Activity from the notorious Rock Push gang which later contributed to the name of the area. The population at the Rocks was almost wiped out completely in the 1900’s by the plague but it still has a lot of buildings that were built soon after as almost all of the buildings were demolished in hopes of eliminating the disease. The Rocks reside mostly under the Sydney Harbour bridge which so happens to be the spot of the Rocks Saturday Market.

The Rocks market

This market I have visited more times than any of the others because I love the vibe. They invite local artists to play, blues, jazz, and folk in the street alongside the stalls. So you walk down a brick street with music playing around you and live wizzing by on either side. It is one of my favorite things in Sydney. All of this takes place under the bridge and alongside historical buildings. In my opinion, it is a must do in Sydney and really lets you feel the Sydney culture. The vendors are all really nice and even if you don’t buy anything, sometimes it is fun to just talk to them. They appreciate people getting to know them and learning about their craft.  

Paddington Market

Another market to mention is the Paddington Saturday Market has been going in 1973. Whether it is raining or sunny, you can stroll through the market, get some delicious food and check out the vendors. I think that the vendors, for the most part, were better at the Rocks but it was still a fun market to visit and I even found a taste of one of my favorite Polish treats.

This is a Chimney cake. I first had one in Poland last summer and I found a Polish vendor here in Sydney

I have been to a couple other Australian Markets like the one in Manly and the one in Cairns and it is one of the coolest things in my opinion. They don’t have anything like that in Arizona and it is truly something I think everyone should experience.

Public Transportation

Public transport in Sydney is great. It has a really great public transportation system that can take you anywhere in Sydney or the surrounding areas usually within an hour.

The trains are double deckers so a lot of people can fit, even in rush hour. They have chairs that can switch directions depending on which direction you are facing

On the bottom level of a train

as well as wheelchair accessibility (For the most part, Sydney isn’t a very wheelchair friendly city in my opinion). I live fairly close to Central,  the main train station in Sydney so this is my main source of transportation. They are usually clean and the newer trains are graffiti free. I love the trains, Sydney is one of the best cities when it comes to transportation that I have ever been in. There are apps that people can get to tell you departure times, which line, and when to get off.

One of the underground trains heading towards Central 

The other main source of transport is buses. A lot of the schools use the buses as school buses so many people avoid them in the city but if you are going later in the day the buses can be really handy to get around. They can also take you places that there are no train stops like Bondi beach and some places in northern Sydney.

The main way to get to Darling Harbour is the light rail which I usually don't take because I like to walk but the light rail is just a single decker train that runs above ground. The light rail is usually really crowded but it is a good way to get to Darling Harbour if you don't like walking. It also goes right by Paddy’s market and Chinatown.  

The last piece of public transport is the ferry which is mostly between northern Sydney and the city center. This is how you get to Manly and a lot of the other beaches. However, these should be avoided on Sunday as Manly is a tourist trap that draws the tourists like honey on Sunday (Sundays are the cheap day in Sydney as all transportation for the whole day will only cost you $2.50). The ride is usually nice and sometimes you can even see dolphins playing in the waves behind the ferry. My favorite ferry ride is a little beach called mission bay which is a local’s beach (most tourists bypass it in favor of Manly) but I think it is one of the prettiest beaches in Sydney.

And of course another great way to see the city is byt walking. It is a hard walk if you are like me and like to stroll and see the whole city, but a lot of places are actually in walking distance of train stations or bus stops, so it is another great way to see Sydney.

Walking is the standard method of transportation for a lot of people 

All of the public transportation is run on an Opal card. This is a free card that you can get at any convenience store and you just put however much money you want on it. It should be the first thing you get in Sydney, as it will become your life while you are here.

I love the public transportation here in Sydney and wished that there was more public transportation like that in the States. Even in some of the bigger cities, the transportation isn’t as good as it is here in Sydney.