Full (semi) Circle

After about nine months going in a big circle that covered half of Australia we're back to the place where it all started: Sydney (or 'Sidooonie' as the Japanese seem to call it). It's wintertime here, and it shows... Continuous rain and cold weather has turned Sydney into a somewhat depressing and melancholic city. A big contrast to the lively, colourful and warm city it is in summertime. We've heared that Belgium is 'suffering' from a heatwave at the moment, so we're looking forward to it already :)

Luckily we were blessed with excellent weather during our final weeks travelling on the eastcoast. It has been really great. The eascoast is known to be the most touristicly developped part of Australia. There is so much to do here. Everything can be catered for if you've got the cash. Skydiving to snorkeling, kayaking with dolphins to luxury 5 star resorts, boat cruises, big themeparks, little idyllic islands, bustling nightlife, famous surf beaches, ... you name it, they've got it. A lot of backpackers don't even make it past the eastcoast. They start their journey there, make and spend their money there, and end up partying there until their visa's expire. Luckily we've got more sense and that didn't happen to us :) We started out in the north-eastern corner and made our way down to Sydney, getting a taste of what the eastcoast is all about.

There were so many things we saw and did I could write about, but a few things stuck out. Number one has to be the scooba dive i did while sailing the whitsunday islands. The instructor took us out on a small beach on one of the islands and talked us through the basics of diving. We did a few exercices to get used to breathing under water (very strange experience that was... humans aren't ment to do that... no gills you see...) and then set of into the coral. It was amazing. A whole new world just opened up. Beautiful and eery at once. Totaly mesmerized by my surroundings i followed the instructor. I didn't realize how deep is was untill if felt my head getting squashed by the waterpressure. Remembering the "don't forget to pop your ears regularly or you might die a painfull death"-speach i got on the beach from the instructor before entering the water, i quickly resolved the problem and looked up to the watersurface 8 meters above me. A surreal experience for a first time diver. The underwaterlife was just as colourful and beautiful as you might imagine it from watching a national geographic documentary. Stunning experience and I hope to be able to do it again one day.

Experience number two was seeing humpback whales in the ocean on a small 5-metre long boat. Due to regulations the whale watching boats are not allowed to go right up to them. The boats get up to about 50 meters of where a pod of whales is swimming, follow them in a parallel line, and then it's just up to the whales if they feel like coming over and checking the boat out. We were lucky and got to see 2 small pods of 2 - 3 whales from very close. One of them passed the boat at no more than a few meters. It's a humbling sight to see these huge creatures peacefully swimming by. You see them come up for a few big breaths of air, arching their huge back and dorsal fin out of the water, throwing their tail up in the air and then disappear again. We were especially lucky to see a newborn whale close on the tail of its mother. Our guide, a marine biologist, said it was very rare to see such young a whale in the area. After seeing a couple more of these magnificent creatures it was time to head back to land and wish the whales good luck... 'cause they will need it next year... Our guide told us that the humpback whale has been protected for many years and have thrived in the region. All good was it not that when they reach a certain number whalers are allowed to hunt down and kill a couple hundred of them. It is unbelievable that a human being could pull the trigger and launch a harpoon at such a magnificent creature... Sad.

I could go on and write loads about the adrenaline rush and feeling of horror i got rafting in a small 2 person raft down the Russel river, or about swimming in the crystal clear lake Mckenzie on Fraser island, or about the beauty of Whitehaven beach, or about racing through the tropical rainforest of northern Queensland on an unsealed road in a mini-car not really built for those conditions, or about all the rest... But i prefer telling it to u guys in person and showing u the pictures when i get back home. We're leaving tomorrow at noon from Sydney and arriving in Paris the next day at 6.25 in the morning. I'm actually rather looking forward to the flight. Malaysia Airlines know how to take care of their passengers: with an entertainment system with loads of movies, games, music and television shows built into every seat the flight will be very enjoyable :)

That's it from me. Home sweet home, here I come!