Australia: Yungaburra

Right now we are in Yungaburra staying in a hostel for backpackers. This is the first hostel I've ever been to and I must say it is truly amazing. The sense of community here is incredible. There are only four toilets and four showers for the whole place (eeek!) but no one is really complaining. This place is all about serenity and happiness and you can see it radiating throughout the whole place. Our group has basically taken over the whole upstairs with 6 people to each teeny tiny room. But again, no one is upset. Our group has become so close and we always have a good time no matter what we are doing which is something I've only experienced on mission trips. There is also a huge group of backpackers camping outside in the backyard and we all get to hang out in our down time. During lunch I met a girl from Denmark who is actually studying biomedical engineering! Go figure.

Last night (6/25/12) we went night canoeing which was one of the coolest experiences I have ever had. The only sounds you could hear other than the voices of nature were the sounds of your paddle with the water. It was very eerie and I kinda felt like we were on our way to Howarts. We went on this venture for about 3 hours and we are were given "tourches"(flashlights/headlamps)to spot wild animals. Our group, in multiple canoes, was paddling along when our guide gave a quick whistle. This signaled to us that he found something worth viewing. We all frantically paddled to see what is was and it turned out to be a Amethystine Python! It was insane. It was just chillin in a tree and then he "docks" his canoe and goes up and grabs the thing. I felt like I was on the discovery channel or something. Long story short, I touched and got a picture with this beautiful creature. We also saw tree kangaroos, possums, and cane toads.

June 26, 2012

On this day we did a lot of educational hiking and sight seeing. There was so much green everywhere! I loved it. The tree pictured below reminded me of the tree that Totoro lives in. No one else had seen the movie which was a bit of a let down when I started rambling about it. The tree was awe-inspiring and so mysterious. It actually consists of 4 different trees that grew together.

After all the hikes, we did a service project where we weeded a corridor that would later be planted with trees. This helps decrease the rainforest fragmentation. We are just saving the world, no big deal. It was the most fun I've ever had weeding. We made a ton of progress in the whole process and the leader thanked us profusely. It was an incredible experience.

Us walking to the weeding site.

June 27, 2012

Today was our "free"day which we could either spend reading and doing work or going to see waterfalls. I think you know which option we all chose. We went to three different places, but they all had one thing in common. Scratch that, two things in common - beautiful and freezing cold water. Despite the low water temperature, everyone jumped in without hesitation. YOLO. I have included the pictures below. Tomorrow we head to our farmstays. I'm pretty pumped about this upcoming experience.

Oh, and I found a leech on my foot after swimming in one of the lagoons today. I see it as just a Australian version of a tick which I've had plenty of experience with in Maryland. They must love my American blood. Awww yeah!

Ready to go! We are dorks.

Right behind where that water is falling lies a cave. That's why we formed a line. I felt like I was waiting in line at theme park or something. It was tricky getting in there. Someone went in and reached out their hand through the water and you had to jump and hope you grabbed hold of their hand. It was quite scary and I couldn't breathe very well, but it was totally worth it!

Everyone got pictures of their own Herbal Essence hair flick. It was our bus driver, Paul's, idea. I'll take my commercial offer now.

Dinner time. Food = yummmmm