First things first:
Happy Birthday, Scott!!!
We started our morning with a wake up call at 2:45 ...and yes, that's 2:45 a.m.... early...way early! Now, Scott was 15 years old when he woke up...it was July 19 - at least it was in Australia... but sometime along the day, he said he reverted back to being 14.. and then back to 15 ... all because of the International Date Line. Here it is 10:35 p.m. and Scott is STILL celebrating! He has had what is probably the longest birthday on the planet! The delegates were to be ready...meaning dressed in their P2P uniform - early.. and then at 3:15 A.M., the leaders went around to check the rooms to make sure delegates weren't leaving something behind. Then down to the bus with their baggage they went. When the coach was packed, off we headed to the Cairns airport...and said our good-byes to Chloe. Chloe was such an incredible delegation manager! I'm sure you've already heard about her.
The first leg of our flight was from Cairns to Brisbane...where we then had to switch to the international terminal. Before I left for the International terminal, we all said good-bye to Victoria, who was flying back to Sydney to visit with some of her family that lives there. Two hours later, off we took for our flight to LAX...12 hours, it was. The last 4 hours seemed like an eternity to me! I was walking around a little and Kirsten and Aly R., said the exact same thing.
Once we had endured the 12 hour flight, we were all so excited to have a 5.5 hour layover at LAX (totally kidding on that statement!) Some delegates just walked around or sat and played cards..and some ate! I ate...at Chili's ! YUM!!!!
After our 1 hr flight, a HUGE thank you to our greeting company who welcomed us as we walked through the airport, and helped direct us!
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Monday, July 18, 2011
A perfect ending
We woke up to an absolutely beautiful day! We headed north to a Crocodile farm... We climbed in to two boats, with glass on the sides, to keep the crocodiles from jumping up to eat an arm or two! We saw so many crocs...some of them were enormous! The driver of the boat would put some raw chicken on the end of a long bamboo pole, dangle it over the croc, and then he/she'd jump up to grab the chicken. It's amazing how high a crocodile can jump out of the water.
We also looked at some fresh-water crocs (don't eat people), and did our service project. We planted 9 trees, helping to restore the area back to it's native plants.
One of the rangers then pulled out an incredibly huge snake - a python???? - not sure, but most of the group took turns wrapping it around their neck with 15 cameras taking photos! After a little bit, the ranger came back out with a little crocodile...and again, we got to hold it...and again, there were at least 15 cameras taking photos! One more animal came out...something like a blue tongued lizard...or something like that.
Next we were off to Rainforest Station...which is incredible. It's in the wet rainforest...and there is SO much there! We saw an aboriginal dance performance, an aboriginie demonstration of spear throwing, digeridoo playing, and boomerang throwing. Each of us also had the opportunity to try throwing the boomerang. Only one person at a time is allowed in a caged area to throw...since a boomerang is a weapon. We each had the opportunity to do some Aboriginal art...using the only four colors they use - rust, yellow, white, and black.
We also rode in an army duwk...petted and fed kangaroos... and other animals too! We all had our photo taken with a koala...they are so CUTE!!!
We had dinner there....along with another P2P delegation. There was a band - well, I guess a duet, playing and singing for us. After eating, most of the delegates started dancing....and having a grand time!
So here we are...our last night in Australia.... it's 10:40 p.m. and our wake-up calls will be at 2:45 a.m.! Should I even go to sleep? I know a lot of the delegates will try to stay awake so they can sleep on the plane.
What a journey this has been! Check back in later for photos...lots and lots of photos!
We also looked at some fresh-water crocs (don't eat people), and did our service project. We planted 9 trees, helping to restore the area back to it's native plants.
One of the rangers then pulled out an incredibly huge snake - a python???? - not sure, but most of the group took turns wrapping it around their neck with 15 cameras taking photos! After a little bit, the ranger came back out with a little crocodile...and again, we got to hold it...and again, there were at least 15 cameras taking photos! One more animal came out...something like a blue tongued lizard...or something like that.
Next we were off to Rainforest Station...which is incredible. It's in the wet rainforest...and there is SO much there! We saw an aboriginal dance performance, an aboriginie demonstration of spear throwing, digeridoo playing, and boomerang throwing. Each of us also had the opportunity to try throwing the boomerang. Only one person at a time is allowed in a caged area to throw...since a boomerang is a weapon. We each had the opportunity to do some Aboriginal art...using the only four colors they use - rust, yellow, white, and black.
We also rode in an army duwk...petted and fed kangaroos... and other animals too! We all had our photo taken with a koala...they are so CUTE!!!
We had dinner there....along with another P2P delegation. There was a band - well, I guess a duet, playing and singing for us. After eating, most of the delegates started dancing....and having a grand time!
So here we are...our last night in Australia.... it's 10:40 p.m. and our wake-up calls will be at 2:45 a.m.! Should I even go to sleep? I know a lot of the delegates will try to stay awake so they can sleep on the plane.
What a journey this has been! Check back in later for photos...lots and lots of photos!
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