Tasmania Wrap Up
Okay first let me say that my plan to spend the night in the Sydney airport was thwarted when a worker informed me that they were locking up the terminal at 11 and it would not be open again until 4 the next morning. I had to collect my things and get up from my comfy chair and move to a metal bench outside the baggage claim area. There was no point in paying full price for 5 hours in a hotel so I just put on a couple extra layers (remember it's summer here) and read my book. The night passed rather quickly and uneventfully and I have spent today screwing around and resting up for SCUBA lessons starting tomorrow.
As I mentioned in the last post, Tasmania was wonderful! Here is a brief day by day of what I was up to:
Day 1: The highlight was climbing Cradle Mountain. Didn't quite make it to the summit because we started later in the day, but the views were stunning with blue lakes, glacial-cut valleys and patches of rainforest mixed in. An added bonus was all of the wombats and wallabies I saw at dusk. Went on a Tasmanian devil search late at night with a flashlight but was unsuccessful.
Day 2: Hiked three hours into Montezuma falls through dense rainforest along the west coast of the island. Went to a beach later in the day and I just couldn't resisit the temptation to go for a quick swim in the Southern Ocean. I mut admit that prior to that swim I was unaware of there being a Southern Ocean, but regardless, I have another ocean crossed off my list.
Day 3: There was a fair bit of driving this day with several short hikes to break up the trip. Walking through a park with eucalyptus (spelling?) trees that were 100 meters high was impressive. Rumor has it that they might overtake the California redwood as the tallest trees on the planet. Stayed in Hobart, the capital of Tasmania which seemed like a quaint city with a cool wharf area. For those of you who didn't know, the Danish prince met his wife at a bar in Sydney a few years ago and she was originally from Tasmania. The royal couple just so happened to be vacationing in Tasmania during my visit but I did not run into them. Shucks.
Day 4: We moved on to the east coast and hiked into Wine Glass Bay which a travel magazine has ranked as one of the top 10 most beautiful beaches in the world. Once again I couldn't pass up the opportunity to go swimming so I ventured into the water for a few minutes while everyone else in the group laughed. Tasmania is relatively close to Antarctica so as one might expect, the water is chilly.
Day 5: The last day, I hiked to several waterfalls and the highlight was visiting the Bay of Fires which was about as picturesque as the Wine Glass Bay.
I have been fighting off the beginning stages of what feels like a sinus infection and I am happy to report that the symptoms seem to be retreating. Anyone who has ever tried swimming laps with a sinus infection would know that SCUBA diving would be pretty much impossible. I am off now to get my medical clearance and all systems should be good to go!
As I mentioned in the last post, Tasmania was wonderful! Here is a brief day by day of what I was up to:
Day 1: The highlight was climbing Cradle Mountain. Didn't quite make it to the summit because we started later in the day, but the views were stunning with blue lakes, glacial-cut valleys and patches of rainforest mixed in. An added bonus was all of the wombats and wallabies I saw at dusk. Went on a Tasmanian devil search late at night with a flashlight but was unsuccessful.
Day 2: Hiked three hours into Montezuma falls through dense rainforest along the west coast of the island. Went to a beach later in the day and I just couldn't resisit the temptation to go for a quick swim in the Southern Ocean. I mut admit that prior to that swim I was unaware of there being a Southern Ocean, but regardless, I have another ocean crossed off my list.
Day 3: There was a fair bit of driving this day with several short hikes to break up the trip. Walking through a park with eucalyptus (spelling?) trees that were 100 meters high was impressive. Rumor has it that they might overtake the California redwood as the tallest trees on the planet. Stayed in Hobart, the capital of Tasmania which seemed like a quaint city with a cool wharf area. For those of you who didn't know, the Danish prince met his wife at a bar in Sydney a few years ago and she was originally from Tasmania. The royal couple just so happened to be vacationing in Tasmania during my visit but I did not run into them. Shucks.
Day 4: We moved on to the east coast and hiked into Wine Glass Bay which a travel magazine has ranked as one of the top 10 most beautiful beaches in the world. Once again I couldn't pass up the opportunity to go swimming so I ventured into the water for a few minutes while everyone else in the group laughed. Tasmania is relatively close to Antarctica so as one might expect, the water is chilly.
Day 5: The last day, I hiked to several waterfalls and the highlight was visiting the Bay of Fires which was about as picturesque as the Wine Glass Bay.
I have been fighting off the beginning stages of what feels like a sinus infection and I am happy to report that the symptoms seem to be retreating. Anyone who has ever tried swimming laps with a sinus infection would know that SCUBA diving would be pretty much impossible. I am off now to get my medical clearance and all systems should be good to go!
posted by Jason at
12:56 AM
1 Comments:
Oy, yes a cold would destroy SCUBA. Let me know how it goes, I've always wanted to try it.
Love ya and happy December!
Lo
By
LO, at 1:19 PM
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