Anyway, back to mid-semester break. I flew back from Fiji a day earlier than everyone else so that I could join the rents in Sydney. That day, we toured the Opera House and then went back to my apartment to show them where I was living. The Opera House was quite interesting. I don't have any pictures of it though.
The next day, we were off to Cairns. The first day in Cairns, we headed out to the Great Barrier Reef. The water was much choppier than when I went in February. My dad and I headed out to go scuba diving. Unfortunately, my dad couldn't clear his ears on the first dive and skipped the second dive. Instead he went snorkeling with my mom. He made it down on the third dive, although he generally stayed above everyone else. I had no problems adjusting my ears this time around. The reef was phenomenal, just like last time. I'm glad I had the opportunity to go a second time. I would go again in a heartbeat. There's nothing like diving at the Great Barrier Reef.
The next day, we headed to the rainforest via the Skyrail. They had some difficulties while we were there with loose belts. We were lucky enough to not be on it during the longest stretch of problems. After the skyrail, we walked around the top of the rainforest. Nothing too exciting really. Then, we took a train down the mountain back to the outskirts of Cairns. The Skyrail came highly recommended by various tourist groups, though I definitely wouldn't recommend it unless you have little kids. Quite a boring experience. Had I known, I would've taken my parents to the rainforestation. At least we got to see wildlife there. No picture of this either. You gotta hit up the rents for pictures.
I do have pictures of our final destination though. Our final stop was Uluru, or Ayers Rock. It's what people expect Australia to be like...orange. It's the Outback. It's not a desert however, as they'll have you know. It's a semi-arrid zone...so a desert. Anyway, that night, we headed out to the middle of nowhere for dinner. Literally, it was just a buffet and dining area in the middle of nowhere. Of course, Uluru is in the middle of nowehere. The night was called "Sounds of Silence." We watched sunset at Uluru and then had dinner under the stars. A local star expert gave us a talk about the stars. It's too bad only one thing he pointed out is visible in the northern hemisphere (Orion). Oh, and there was plenty of alcohol. I swear they were targeting me cause every single time I finished a glass of wine, they were there filling it up. They never even gave me a chance to say no. I felt bad if I didn't drink what they gave me, so I grimaced and drank it. I didn't get any pictures of the sunset.
However, I did get pictures of sunrise the next morning at Uluru. Sunset and sunrise are virtually the same at Uluru.
After sunrise, we had a vehicle based tour around Uluru. The tour guide told us several Aboriginal stories about the rock. Nothing really interesting, if you ask me. Of course, after taking a class about Aborigines and their problems, my interest in all things Aboriginal is virtually nonexistent. Here are some photos of the rock.
After our morning tour, we headed back to the hotel to catch up on some sleep. That afternoon, we headed out to Kata Tjuta for a sunset tour. Well what can I say, more rocks. Don't get me wrong, it was interesting, although I don't think I would ever go back. A day is long enough for viewing some rocks. Here are some photos of Kata Tjuta.
After the sunset tour, we ate dinner and headed in for the night. The next day, the rents were off to Kangaroo Island. I was off to Sydney, as I had classes the next day. That wrapped up my two-and-a-half week mid-semester break. Unfortunately, that meant it was time to get back into school mode. Yuck
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