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Going Down Under
https://archive.holyworlds.org/viewtopic.php?f=26&t=5611		 Page 1 of 2
Author:  Calenmiriel [ February 15th, 2012, 11:55 pm ]
Post subject:  Going Down Under
That's right, I'm heading to Australia for 2 weeks. :o I'm scared about the flights (my concern is someone or myself with throw up on the plane.) *phobic about vomiting* But I'm looking forward to being Down Under. *hopes to pick up an accent but doubts it*

Sadly, I won't be able to visit Bushmaid and Dairymaid. :( My grandpa is taking my brother and I as a "last adventure with grandpa" before we get full time jobs and families. (He's also getting up there in age at 71.)

I'm afraid I will have zero access to Holy Worlds until March 4th at the latest. We leave this Sunday, February 19th.

I hope everyone has a good time while I'm away, and try not to cause any trouble for my wonderful green comrades and blue buddies. ;)

~Calen
Author:  Ophelia MirZA Mimetes [ February 15th, 2012, 11:58 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Going Down Under
Wow, that is exciting! :cool: :D I hope you have a wonderful time!

~ZA
Author:  Aragorn [ February 16th, 2012, 12:27 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Going Down Under
Wow. That's quite an adventure. :D I'll pray you have a good trip, and don't encounter certain unpleasantness. ;)
Author:  Crushmaster [ February 16th, 2012, 12:27 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Going Down Under
We'll try not to burn anything down. :wave: Have a fun, safe, and blessed time. ^_^
God bless,
Joel ><>.
Author:  BushMaid [ February 16th, 2012, 2:25 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Going Down Under
*sniffle* :'( So close, yet so far...
Author:  Lady Elanor [ February 16th, 2012, 3:40 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Going Down Under
I hope you have a wonderful time, Calen! Take lots of pictures. :D
Author:  AzlynRose [ February 16th, 2012, 7:20 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Going Down Under
Have fun, Calen! We'll miss you. :buhbye: Come back safe! *Hands Calen brownies for the trip*
Author:  Elly [ February 16th, 2012, 9:08 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Going Down Under
Bye, Calen! I'll try to keep GD all tidy for you! *hugs* Have a wonderful time. :D
Author:  Captain Nemo Marlene [ February 16th, 2012, 9:45 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Going Down Under
Don't run into any mysterious islands on your way! We wouldn't want you getting eaten by a giant lizard or stung by a giant bee! But, if you did land on it somehow, bring us back some gold, k? :D

Have a wonderful adventure! I understand about having older grandparents. My grandpa just turned 91. We took him to Washington and the Grand Canyon before he couldn't travel anymore. And my parents took him to England with them. I know it means a whole lot to both my family and my grandparents to have been able to go on trips like that.

Enjoy yourself, and completely forget about HW! You wouldn't want a writing forum bogging you down on a real life adventure! :D
Author:  Elly [ February 16th, 2012, 10:32 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Going Down Under
Captain Nemo wrote:
I understand about having older grandparents.

I don't have any grandparents left. :(
Author:  J. Grace Pennington [ February 16th, 2012, 2:51 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Going Down Under
We'll miss you, Calen! It's sad you won't be able to visit the Maids! But I hope you have a wonderful adventure, and a lovely time with your grandpa and brother! :wave: I'll take good care of our room for you!
Author:  Calenmiriel [ February 17th, 2012, 1:09 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Going Down Under
Thanks for the well wishes everyone!

@Jonathan: Ha, yeeeah. :roll: Me too.

@Crushmaster: Well, keep a fire extinguisher near, just in case. ;)

Oh, you can be sure I'll take lots of pictures, Elanor! I bought a card that can hold 1,400 pictures and have a spare that holds 480 pictures. I just hope I don't run out of room.

Azlyn: Aw, thank you! *gingerly takes brownies so she doesn't muss the fragile flakiness of the brownies which is her favorite part* I'll be sure to share them with my grandpa and brother. *grins*

Elly, I believe GD will be as beautiful as ever in your capable hands. ^^

@Nemo: Hopefully not! Especially since we're flying! *floating islands sounds appealing in a way* I'm more concerned about the massive spiders that live there. :shock: Isn't there a limit to how big a spider should get??

I've enjoyed the chances we've had to travel with Grandpa John. I've been blessed to still have all my grandparents and one set of great-grandparents left. (They are 88 and 90 years old and still young!) :D They still live independently as well.

*gasp* Holy Worlds bogging me down?!? Nah. My doubt lies in how long we'll be at Internet cafes. Not too long, methinks. Grandpa is kind of a get-up-and-go kind of guy.

@Elly: I'll share mine with you! My great-granparents are especially hilarious. They make me laugh.

Grace, thank you for taking care of things while I'm gone. I really appreciate it.

~Calen
Author:  Aragorn [ February 17th, 2012, 1:34 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Going Down Under
Calenmiriel wrote:
I'm more concerned about the massive spiders that live there. :shock: Isn't there a limit to how big a spider should get??

It's not the size of a spider that you have to worry about, but rather the potency of its venom. ;)
Author:  BushMaid [ February 17th, 2012, 3:03 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Going Down Under
Don't listen to Jonathan, or any other stories you hear about horrible spiders in Australia, Calen. :roll: There aren't hoards of them waiting to devour you, ;) we rarely ever see venomous spiders that are dangerous. I'd be willing to give you a dollar for every venomous spider you happen to see out of where they are normally found. ;) :D
Author:  AzlynRose [ February 17th, 2012, 11:27 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Going Down Under
Calenmiriel wrote:
Oh, you can be sure I'll take lots of pictures, Elanor! I bought a card that can hold 1,400 pictures and have a spare that holds 480 pictures. I just hope I don't run out of room.
Good plan! Always take a spare camera chip when going on exciting adventures. :D
Author:  Lady Elanor [ February 17th, 2012, 12:12 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Going Down Under
What fun! Lots of photos then! :cool: Can't wait to see them. :dieshappy:
Author:  Calenmiriel [ February 18th, 2012, 2:17 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Going Down Under
BushMaid wrote:
Don't listen to Jonathan, or any other stories you hear about horrible spiders in Australia, Calen. :roll: There aren't hoards of them waiting to devour you, ;) we rarely ever see venomous spiders that are dangerous. I'd be willing to give you a dollar for every venomous spider you happen to see out of where they are normally found. ;) :D
That's a relief. :D I'm only used to ones the side of my thumbnail (with legs spread out) or occasionally garden spiders which get large enough to cover my palm in size with legs out. *shudders* Eek.

@Azlyn: Yup, yup!

@Elanor: I'll be excited to post them ^^
Author:  Lady Elanor [ February 19th, 2012, 5:58 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Going Down Under
I could never go to Australia because of the spiders! Don't look them up on You Tube, Calen; you'll not want to go. :rofl:
Author:  Calenmiriel [ February 19th, 2012, 9:40 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Going Down Under
Ah, I think I'll be okay. Bushmaid has reassured me. ;)

Off I go! See you all in a couple weeks!

~Calen
Author:  Lady Elanor [ February 19th, 2012, 9:40 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Going Down Under
Byee! *waves sadly*

:buhbye:
Author:  Aragorn [ February 19th, 2012, 6:27 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Going Down Under
Calenmiriel wrote:
I think I'll be okay. Bushmaid has reassured me. ;)

Just the fact that BushMaid is still alive has to be a little bit comforting. :rofl:
Author:  BushMaid [ February 19th, 2012, 6:37 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Going Down Under
Wow, thanks. I love the confidence y'all have in my country. :roll: :P
Author:  Lady Elanor [ February 19th, 2012, 6:43 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Going Down Under
Jonathan Garner wrote:
Calenmiriel wrote:
I think I'll be okay. Bushmaid has reassured me. ;)

Just the fact that BushMaid is still alive has to be a little bit comforting. :rofl:



*Laughs out loud* Brilliant, Jon!
Author:  Aragorn [ February 19th, 2012, 7:23 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Going Down Under
BushMaid wrote:
Wow, thanks. I love the confidence y'all have in my country. :roll: :P

Whatever we think of some of the wildlife, we have plenty of confidence in some of the people. ;)
Author:  BushMaid [ February 20th, 2012, 8:06 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Going Down Under
Why do I get the feeling people visualize me in a safari suit with a saber and high powered rifle? :P
Author:  Aragorn [ February 20th, 2012, 8:32 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Going Down Under
I don't visualize you that way. :rofl:
Author:  Lady Elanor [ February 21st, 2012, 3:33 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Going Down Under
BushMaid wrote:
Why do I get the feeling people visualize me in a safari suit with a saber and high powered rifle? :P


*Laughs* :rofl:
Author:  BushMaid [ February 21st, 2012, 5:39 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Going Down Under
:roll: :D
Author:  Calenmiriel [ March 6th, 2012, 1:13 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Going Down Under
I am officially back! :D

We actually came home on March 1st, but I wanted to spend the weekend settling back into the home routine and unpacking before getting too involved online again. (I have zero access in Australia unless I wanted to pay to use a public computer.)

Here's a attempt at summarizing our trip:

We flew from Minneapolis to Phoenix, Arizona to Los Angeles, California to Melbourne, Victoria in Australia. The flights went fine although the first was was rough. I took dramamine to prevent feeling air-sick, but my stress levels were so high that someone else may vomit on the plane that I struggled with an anxiety attack for the first hour and a half of the 3 hour flight. :P After that I was fine and didn't have any attacks on the trip. :D

We landed in Melbourne earlier in the morning and stayed at the place we rented in town for the night. The next morning we flew to Alice Springs in Central Australia and strolled around the city during the day. (It's rather dangerous to be out after dark because of gangs.)

Our guide came to pick us up for the Safari at 5 AM the next morning. On our Safari tour there were five Germans, three French, and Swedish guy. My grandpa, brother and I were the only Americans and our tour guide, Todd, and the cook, Andrew, were the only Australians. The prayers of me and my brother were answered as two of the Germans were 19 years old--two friends, Susanne and Philipp, touring and traveling around Australia for three months to refine their English skills. The rest of our party was over 50, except the Swede who was probably in his late 20's.

The Safari was great. We woke up at 4:15 AM the first three days and got to "sleep in" until 5:15 AM on the fourth day. We woke up that early so we could set out on our hikes around landmarks such as Uluru (Ayer's Rock), Kata Juta, and Kings Canyon before the midday when temperature topped out at nearly 100 degrees fahrenheit. (Or late 30's early 40's celsius.)

Grandpa held up well during all the hikes. We were given a 1.5 liter water bottle to drink on our hikes. They suggested about one and hour, but I usually drank 2 1/2 - 3 a day. Bathrooms (or toilets over there) weren't easy to come by when you're halfway through a 3 hour walk across a canyon. :P

Some of the animals we came across in the wild were kangaroos, wallabies, wild horses, dingoes, and large lizards. (And there was a very large and scary spider in the bathroom of our campsite one night. I think it was a Sydney Funnelweb. Not pretty. :pale:

After the Safari we flew back to Melbourne and walked around downtown, visited Queen Victoria's Market a few times, rode the trams and trains, and visited the zoo.

We had one less flight coming home, so that was nice. (We skipped the stop in Arizona and went straight from California to Minneapolis.) Mom and dad picked us up and it was a happy reunion. :' )

A few random comments about our trip:

Oh my goodness, everything's expensive! Granted, maybe not if you live and work there, but for American's our money doesn't go to far. For $100 American currency we got $73 Australian back. :shock: As for how expensive everything from food to clothing, the minimum wage is $15 dollars and hour compared to our $7.25 an hour here, so I suppose it all evens itself out there.

The Outback was pretty in a rustic way, and the stone formations we great. ^^ The landscape and heat strongly reminded me of Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas. Kansas and Australia are both quite flat, Australia and Oklahoma share the red dirt/sand, and Australia and Texas are very hot.

Sadly, we never made it to the ocean, though we looked at it from the tallest building in the Southern Hemisphere. : )

So there is a poorly summarized story of our trip. If you have more questions about it feel free to ask. (I tend to be too detail oriented, so I tried restraining myself here.) ;)

I will try to get some pictures up, but I'll have to decide which ones to post out of the 700+ I took...

~Calen
Author:  Aragorn [ March 6th, 2012, 1:44 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Going Down Under
Welcome back! :D

Calenmiriel wrote:
I took dramamine to prevent feeling air-sick, but my stress levels were so high that someone else may vomit on the plane that I struggled with an anxiety attack for the first hour and a half of the 3 hour flight. :P After that I was fine and didn't have any attacks on the trip. :D

Good. I was praying for you. :)

Calenmiriel wrote:
So there is a poorly summarized story of our trip.

It seemed nicely written to me. Sounds like it was fun. :D
Author:  BushMaid [ March 6th, 2012, 2:20 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Going Down Under
Welcome back, Calen! :D I'm glad you had a good time on my side of the globe. :D

Calenmiriel wrote:
(And there was a very large and scary spider in the bathroom of our campsite one night. I think it was a Sydney Funnelweb. Not pretty. :pale:)


:shock: :blush: *meekly eats her hat* I shall have a word to that spider when I catch it... with my book. :evil: ;)
Author:  Aragorn [ March 6th, 2012, 2:40 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Going Down Under
Bush Hasah Mimetes wrote:
Calenmiriel wrote:
(And there was a very large and scary spider in the bathroom of our campsite one night. I think it was a Sydney Funnelweb. Not pretty. :pale:)


:shock: :blush: *meekly eats her hat* I shall have a word to that spider when I catch it... with my book. :evil: ;)

I was thinking about that. ;) Be sure it's a big book. :book:
Author:  Lady Elanor [ March 6th, 2012, 4:31 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Going Down Under
Welcome back, Calen! :) I shall come back with questions later, I haven't time right now.
Author:  AzlynRose [ March 6th, 2012, 8:14 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Going Down Under
*Throws glitter around* Yay, you're back! :D

Calenmiriel wrote:
We flew from Minneapolis to Phoenix, Arizona to Los Angeles, California to Melbourne, Victoria in Australia.

Does that mean you live in Minneapolis? *Might just be going there next year* :D
Author:  Calenmiriel [ March 6th, 2012, 7:13 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Going Down Under
Thanks, Jonathan!

Quote:
Good. I was praying for you.
I really appreciate that. ^^

Quote:
It seemed nicely written to me. Sounds like it was fun. :D
Really? Well, thank you. I was hoping it was well organized for the most part and not rambling. ;) 'Twas fun indeed.

@Bushmaid: I had a great time. ^^ When we landed my thoughts were, "So close, yet so far away..." ;) Awww! Don't be upset, as I re-read what I wrote about it, it doesn't come off scaredy-cat-ish like I wanted. Ah, well. The damage is done. I should have used these faces --> :o :shock: instead. That was my actual reaction. (Although my face contorted to a gasp/grimace/frown/surprise face. :rofl: I've attached a picture of it for you to smash your large volume on it.

@Elanor: Thank you. ^^ Sounds like a plan.

@Azlyn: Ooo! It's been a while since I've seen glitter in a welcome back thread! Hurray!

I lived in Minneapolis *counts on fingers* fourteen years ago. I actually live south of it. :) It would be so cool if we could meet up someday!

~Calen

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Author:  Lady Elanor [ March 6th, 2012, 7:17 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Going Down Under
*Screams*

Oh. My. Word! Did you sceam when you saw it, Calen? I would have screamed so loud. In fact, I am sure I would have died of shock. :D *reminds self never to go to Australia*

My Aunt lives in Victoria. :)

I am glad the flight went well.

Oh wow, were the wild horses in herds? That I would like to see. :D I'd like to see a Kangaroo as well.
Author:  Aragorn [ March 6th, 2012, 7:50 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Going Down Under
Calenmiriel wrote:
I've attached a picture of it for you to smash your large volume on it.

Nice picture. :cool:
Author:  Lady Elanor [ March 6th, 2012, 7:50 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Going Down Under
Jonathan Garner wrote:
Calenmiriel wrote:
I've attached a picture of it for you to smash your large volume on it.

Nice picture. :cool:


:roll: :rofl: My immediate reaction to your post, Jon. :D
Author:  BushMaid [ March 6th, 2012, 8:02 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Going Down Under
Calenmiriel wrote:
@Bushmaid: I had a great time. ^^ When we landed my thoughts were, "So close, yet so far away..." ;) Awww! Don't be upset, as I re-read what I wrote about it, it doesn't come off scaredy-cat-ish like I wanted. Ah, well. The damage is done. I should have used these faces --> :o :shock: instead. That was my actual reaction. (Although my face contorted to a gasp/grimace/frown/surprise face. :rofl: I've attached a picture of it for you to smash your large volume on it.

I was thinking of you whilst you were over here! :D

Oh my word. :shock: I'd have sent in my troop of brothers to exterminate that monster if I'd have been there! :pale: I'd print it out and jump up and down on it for you if my printer was working...
Author:  AzlynRose [ March 6th, 2012, 10:38 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Going Down Under
Waaaooh! That is quite the spider! :shock: I do not like bugs. At all. And judging from the other bugs in that picture I would have fled that bathroom in about 0.2 seconds. :shock: *Shudders and closes tab that contains picture of spider*

Calenmiriel wrote:
@Azlyn: Ooo! It's been a while since I've seen glitter in a welcome back thread! Hurray!

I lived in Minneapolis *counts on fingers* fourteen years ago. I actually live south of it. :) It would be so cool if we could meet up someday!

*Throws extra glitter around for good measure* ^_^

Yes, very neat! I will let you know if I end up going there next year. :D
Author:  Aemi [ March 6th, 2012, 11:01 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Going Down Under
Welcome back! I'm glad you had a mostly good time. (Man, that spider is HUGE.) I love hiking.
Author:  Calenmiriel [ March 15th, 2012, 11:51 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Going Down Under
I know I promised pictures, so please be patient a little longer. I have to choose from over 700 photos and I want them to be worth it. :D
Author:  Aragorn [ March 16th, 2012, 12:16 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Going Down Under
*will be patient* :cool:
Author:  Airianna Valenshia [ March 16th, 2012, 8:29 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Going Down Under
*refreshes page *
Author:  Lady Elanor [ March 16th, 2012, 12:03 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Going Down Under
Airianna Mimetes wrote:
*refreshes page *


*Laughs*

Looking forward to them, Calen!
Author:  Calenmiriel [ March 20th, 2012, 10:47 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Going Down Under
Alrighty, at long last! Here's some that I picked out without any of us in the photo. *took many pictures with her brother and grandpa* :rofl:



























Author:  Aemi [ March 20th, 2012, 10:50 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Going Down Under
Wow, awesomeness!
"Vegemite"? What's that? :rofl: And the wilderness scenery is ruggedly beautiful. :)
Author:  Aragorn [ March 20th, 2012, 10:59 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Going Down Under
Very nice pictures, especially Sunrise at Uluru. :D
Author:  BushMaid [ March 20th, 2012, 11:38 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Going Down Under
*cough, Ayres Rock, cough* ;)

Awesome photos, Calen! :D Except for the Vegemite one. :P ;)
Author:  Calenmiriel [ March 21st, 2012, 10:23 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Going Down Under
@Aemi: Erm, Bushmaid may be better at explaining what Vegemite is. I never tried it. (I hear it's an acquired taste to many.)

@Jonathan: Thank you. :D

@Bushmaid: Yeah, I know it was called Ayres Rock, but our tour guide called it by the Aboriginal name of Uluru. We learned a lot about the Aboriginal people on the tour. It was really interesting. ^^
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