Sydney

Our trip to Sydney, what can i say? It was only for the weekend and by Sunday morning we were all ready to head back home. We left Thursday night, driving from the Gold Coast to Sydney on a coach bus...with no bathroom. Unfortunately not everyone understood the concept that if you drink your going to have to use the bathroom. We had to stop within the first 30 minutes...and that was only the first of many, especially when someone sitting in the back puked all over the floor. We had to sit and smell it for the remaining 9 hours.

 We finally made it to the hostel, which smelled so bad when we walked in that I contemplated staying at another place. Unfortunately the weather wasn't so great for our first day in Sydney, especially for our walking tour around the city. We walked around seeing different churches, the botanical gardens, and the bench where Forrest Gump was filmed.

After wandering around, we walked our way to the bottom of the city where the Sydney Opera house is. We spent time taking pictures and roaming around the inside and in the gift shop. A few girls actually bought tickets to an Opera that night and said it was very entertaining. With the weather not being so great, most of the pictures came out grey, but we still had fun and it was warm with no rain.

We then made our way to the Harbour Bridge, which is directly behind the Sydney Opera house. Luckily I didn't book the bridge walk because even walking up to the bridge viewing platform was enough of a workout. Stairs, stairs, stairs, and more stairs to the look out location which is said to be half the height of the bridges' total height. Our entire group was up their with us to the platform was extremely crowded and difficult to walk around but we were able to see a lot and get some fun pictures.

We had the afternoon to our selves and were able to walk around the market place, which had the cheapest clothing and costumes, which was perfect for the Halloween cruise! There were about 300 people on our Halloween cruise and dressed up in all types of crazy costumes, it was our group from BOND, students from Griffith and random people who bought tickets. It was quite a time.

Saturday was our big trip to the Blue Mountains. It was a long drive up but really beautiful sights. It was also a lot bigger than I expected, there are small towns, schools and even a college. There's a community so it's not like a national park. We had 4 destinations that we were visiting and had to drive between all of them, gave us all a break from all the stairs we had to climb. We first went to a beautiful look out and then went to visit the three sisters, which were three large rocks that you had to walk down very narrow steps to, which was very difficult because there were a lot of people that day and the stairs could only fit one at a time. The story was that 2 aboriginal tribes were fighting because the three sisters fell in love with 3 brothers from the other tribe, and so they were set in stone. Apparently the sisters bring good luck if you touch them. 

We were told we would be going to a grotto and cliff jumping, but unfortunately that was cancelled due to the weather. Although the weather seemed to be fine. The most memorable part of this trip and probably of all of Australia is that our two guy friends, "The Ryans" called us and said "were on the Harbour Bridge!" They flew to Sydney for the night to surprise us! We were all so stunned and didn't believe them until we actually saw them later that night. We all celebrated by going to a club that our trip was hosting and had a great time...unfortunately filled with some interesting drama. The boys left early the next day and we packed our things up and got back on the bus to go back to BOND but had a day full of activities on the way. We first took a ferry to Manly beach where we were going to lay out and catch some rays but it was very windy and not too warm so we decided to do some souvenir shopping for our families.

We also stumbled upon the cutest 10 yr old who was playing his guitar in the middle of the square and singing a wide range of songs. He was amazing! Definitely going to be famous one day.




Next we drove to Bronte beach and did the famous long walk to Bondi beach. There also happened to be an art exhibition going on so there were art works set up all along the walk. It was really crowded as well, made the walk a lot slower. But the sun had come out and there were great places to take pictures. We also got a lot more gifts and I was able to find one for everyone back home.

The beaches were the last destinations of Sydney and to end the trip the funniest thing happened. A girl went on the Griffith bus to use their bathroom and while she was in there the bus drove off! We were all dying of laughter. Unfortunately one of the tour guides came on the bus and told us that at the last minute he had told her not to do so and had her go to another restroom. But if it had actually happened, our trip would have had the most interesting start and finish!

Springbrook National Park

Another amazing adventure, this time the three girls and Ben took the hour drive to Spring Brook National Park. I figured there would be a lot of hiking, some great waterfalls and views, but I had no idea that it would be so HUGE! I assumed you would park and spend the entire day hiking, but this place is soo spread out you definitely need a car to drive from one destination to another. And I was warned that the drive would be scary, narrow and windy roads, but I still couldn't have mentally prepared especially after the physical party the night before.

 The natural bridge  is a naturally formed rock arch over Cave Creek. It was formed from a waterfall which came beneath the cave and dug a pothole on top until the two joined and created the arch. The cave is also home to glow worms which live inside the caves, but you have to visit at night to see them. (That'll be the next trip)

Next we headed to an amazing cliff. We climbed over the bar to walk out and really get a better view. Crazy Ben decided to lie down and peek over the edge, he claimed it was around 300 meters down. But boyyy was he wrong. I have no idea how high up we were, but im pretty sure I could not see the bottom and when we moved to the look out side, I was very glad to have not looked off the edge of the cliff.

The last stop was the Best of All Lookouts, we obviously had to check it out. It was a bit of a drive and difficult to find but once we got there we knew it was completely worth it.

Great Day and cant wait to go back!

Graduation

Congratulations to Ben!

We are so proud to say that finally  he has gotten his first degree in business. May have taken longer than expected but as a college senior he's still way ahead of me. 
Any excuse to party and the American's are lining up. We dressed to the nine's and started our night at varsity shores, taking pics with the proud graduate. 

 From there the details get a bit hazy from all the goon and the bottle of Marker's Whiskey we got him as a gift but over all the night was a success! Except for the fact we left one important mate home by mistake. Some how in all the craziness we didn't realize our friend Aj was no in the cab with us and we took off without him! Poor Aj came down all dressed and pumped to go to find the house completely empty. To make it even worse, non of us realized until he told us the next day, oops! The group spent the night dancing away at shooter's night club that was themed out for the special occasion.

 Looking sharp as always these boys. Some how most of the group managed to go home together. Luckily Aj and Ry were nice enough to come out at 3 am to pick us up. Perhaps the funniest moment of the night was as we were driving home when someone asked where Ben and Corinna were? And just like a movie, out the window of a cab driving next to us was Ben hanging out the window! Of course Kraig has to roll down his window and lean out to give him a hug. Luckily they did not succeed otherwise we would have had a much more eventful night than needed.

Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef

What everyone's been waiting for since we got here, a weekend getaway to Cairns to go visit the Great Barrier Reef. We met the rest of the group that was coming with us the airport and failed to realize that the group was 4 other girls and only 2 guys, 6 girls and 2 guys, things were bound to be interesting. We arrived at the Cairns airport and were to be picked up by the hostel's shuttle. Unfortunately they were a no show and so we boarded the first maxi taxi we could find. We were told that the hostel was only 5 minutes away yet the driver had other stops to make in less than desirable spots in town. When we got to Gilligans it was 11:30pm and the line waiting outside to get into the bar was almost around the corner. We all rushed to get to our room so we could go out and check out the scenery. 8 people in one room with only one bath and shower is not an easy thing to do. I could tell from the start that it was going to be an interesting weekend, given the wide range of Aussie's that our hostel was attracting.

7:30 am Friday we boarded a large cruise ship to head to the Great Barrier Reef unfortunately we were accompanied by 62 other people, something I had not anticipated. It was cold and rainy and forced us to spend most of the morning sitting inside and staring out the window. By the time we had reached the reef the sun had come out and the rain had been chased away. We jumped into the ocean with our snorkel gear, putting our faces in the water to take  a look what was going on. Unfortunately it wasn't too much, the water, corals and plant life were very gray and dull, unlike what i had seen in pictures. And considering I hadn't been swimming in months i was so tired that I could only last in the water for 20-30 minutes. I did however see some different plant life and types of fish, luckily no sharks. We spent the rest of the first stop on the front of the both sun tanning and spotting the water for animals...we were lucky enough to see a giant turtle!

We headed out another 2 hours to another reef spot, a bunch of us were so exhausted from the boat and people getting sea sick that we decided to hang out inside and have a siesta! Those that did attempt to go diving were slapped with an extra 65 dollars for some complicated reason. One of them had ear problems like myself but decided to attempt the skills for diving anyway. He ended up only making it 2.5 meters before having to come to the surface and asking to no longer continue. Surprisingly he did receive a certificate for at least attempting the skills test. Which was quite impressive considering he was swimming directly next to a barracuda who had been attracted to the boat from the fish that the captain had been throwing over board. Ryan freaked out and jumped right back onto the boat. I tried to capture a photo of this, but unfortunately he was already back on board. 

We had a girls night out that night, yet there were a ton of rugby teams staying at our hostel so it was like walking into the lions den. On the other hand we didn't have to pay for a single drink all weekend...even our American boys who were with us. 6:40 the next morning we were picked up in front of the hostel. There were still people drinking in the bar...aussies are crazy!
We had to take 3 buses up to the rafting place. The first stop was the rafting company store 20 minutes away to sign away our lives and pay the surprise 30 dollar national park tax fees. We then had to drive an hr and a half up to a hostel where
we received our shoes and wet suits. Then the last half hour up the mountain to where the rafting began. It was the first time for most of us so we were all pretty excited. We lucked out with a really cool rafting guide who taught us all about the national park and told a ton of great jokes. Unfortunately this one was crazier than others that I had done so I was in for a big surprise. We swam in different parts of the stream, people jumped off cliffs and were even sucked down into different whirl pools where they were pulled under and then resurfaced further down the stream. Our guide even had us purposefully tip our boat, which I got completely stuck under and had to be pulled out. It even happened the second time when we were going over a huge rock and we all fell over board. Luckily we all survived our level 4 tour and made it out only with bruises and a few painful eardrums. Next would be a level 5 which our guide said is a 4 day camping trip in the mountains where the only way to get there is by helicopter!     

 

(Sam, Ryan, Jordan, Kelli, Ryan, Nicole, Corinna, Me)

Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary

   

FINALLY, we made it to the zoo! Took a few weeks between getting settled in at school and having the wrong date on the groupon, but the day came and it was amazing! Got off to a rocky start at first though. The guys were lazy about getting up in the morning so we took the 12 o'clock bus, the only problem was that I knew where we were going, but not what stop it was. I had the second bus number and the time and that's about it. We don't have public transportation in my town. Luckily the boys were smart enough to be able to  read a map and get us to currumbin. Unfortunately we missed the second bus and had to wait for the next one. By the time we arrived it was 2pm and the ropes course last group was at 3 so we rushed over to get our 2:30 spot.

They gave us some pretty cool outfits to act like monkeys climbing and swinging from the trees. 

  

  There was zip lining...

               And tunnels...

And sooo much more!! (for more pics look on facebook)

Most importantly were the animals, first stop was the kangaroos...

The largest crocodile in the southern hemisphere...

the cutest koalas...

And even a tazmanian devil and a dingo!

   The most important part is that at the end of the day we survived the rope course and got to pet a kangaroo...now if only we weren't late to hold a koala :(

Bondstock

                          BONSTOCK

A week of fun filled activities that are sure to keep bond's students distracted from their school work. The down side; tickets are EXPENSIVE. For the full week they are around 250 AU dollars and then each event is sold separately. The only free events are the two public speakers visiting the university.

While some decided to blow all their money at once, my friends and i made the economical decision to choose one event to go to, the one that was sure to be worth the cash. The Secret Location Party is held every year as apart of Bondstock during the week. This year's cost was 95 AU, which turned out to be 103 American when ordered online. The details were kept secret until we arrive, all we were told was cocktail attire, unlimited drinks and free food. 

 

 

Movie World  was revealed to be the location of choice and we had the place to our selves. Security was smart in fencing off part of the park so people didn't run wild. We had access to Scooby-doo's castle and ride and a bar/cafe across the street.

  




(line for the roller-coaster ride)












(bars, video screens, fountains, light up tables and chairs)






Being not such a fan of roller-coasters I was hesitant to try it, but because it was indoor I assumed it was a smaller one that I could handle. Boy was I surprised, most would still say it was small, but for an indoor ride it was really something. It was almost complete darkness, 4 people per cart, and you dropped down several hills, zig-zagged back and forth and had "creepy" images popping out at you. It was unexpected but a thrill, especially for it being a school function.

(Ryan C, Ryan R, Ben, Corinna, Jane in front of the cinema)

(me and my girls in the cafe/bar)









The night ended around 11:30 (or so we thought), we assumed that there would be at least a few buses heading back to campus, while the others headed into surfers for the after party...BOY were we wrong. We hopped on the bus and surprisingly didn't fall asleep by the time we got to shooters. Probably because there were no seats so I was standing the whole time, trying not to fall onto people, while the whole bus screamed the lyrics to, call me maybe...

Shooters was fun,  had a run in with the "bad" bouncer that kicked me out my first night at bond, but was luckily able to still get in. Plus being a bond student secured us at least one free drink when we arrived. We stayed and danced until the crowed formed a circle where a dance off was taking place. Surprisingly I actually knew one of them...

Gary....an HPU representative!!!

Not a bad ending to a pretty epic night...

3 Steps to Surviving Infestation

Campus Concierge take note, THIS is a weekly schedule. BOND has proven that they have the most activities offered by their student organizations. The downside is money. As an international student from America we came here to experience the culture and have fun, not spend all our money and return home broke! Each event at Shooters night club costs roughly between 10-20 dollars entrance fee, and that's without the drinks. This week the law club is holding their "Illegally Bond" night at a club in town, the baseball team is holding a fundraiser at shooters called "Jersey Bros & Sporty Hoes", it's opening night for the semester at Don's Tavern Thursday and Friday night is the grand finale of "Zombies & Survivors" Pub Crawl. Now as a new student to Bond and that it's the first week of classes where no one really does anything I wanted to attend everything.

Tuesday-$10
Wednesday-$10
Thursday-$10 (if you have not paid for your SAN sticker)
Friday-$30

That is a grand total of $60 dollars minimum. Granted to you locals that might not seem that much but when you factors in additional drinks, emergency taxi rides and late night cravings, your bill will increase significantly. So for those of you who are planning on taking day trips around the Gold Coast, a weekend to Sydney or a vacation to the Great Barrier Reef, be sure to pick and choose which activities you participate in during the week that way you can return home with more than just a beer gut.