Today marks the first day of the last week here. Wow! It has gone by so fast and I cannot believe that I will have to leave this amazing place or the amazing people I have met. There are so many places that I hope I will be able to visit again someday. One of my favorite places that I have been so far is Lady Elliot Island. I swam with sea turtles, manta rays and a lot of colorful fish. I also really enjoyed when we went whale watching for Humpbacks.
Swimming with turtles
Lighthouse at LEI. This is the original lighthouse and no longer used, but the story is that it’s haunted.
The first day at LEI was amazing! It was literally a tropical paradise. Although we were doing our main projects there, there was still time for free time and we still had a lot of fun. I snorkeled most of the time that I was there. Most of our group were sleeping in permanant tent like structures and had to walk to the bathroom, so that was always fun. But all in all it was pretty cool because it was five days of no internet or cell phones. We were completely secluded and it was very nice. When I get back to the states it is going to be a shock when I remember I can use my phone and internet whenever I want. One of my favorite aspects was that the island was very small and could be walked in under an hour. The water was amazing. It was so warm and clear and stretched forever.
After we left LEI we went on a whale watching tour. We got up really early and walked to the harbor. We had to go through a bunch of safety talks because we would most likely come in contact with wild whales. At first I was skeptical about the trip and was worried it wound’t be fun. Let me tell you, I was wrong! Almost immediately we had whales come up to us and start playing. We were on the water from about 7:30am-4pm and 90% of that time was with whales. They were close enough to touch and on three different occasions they breached, meaning they jumped into the air and their entire bodies were out. It was very cool =)
Swimming with humpback whales. See how close they are?
Tomorrow morning we leave Hervey Bay which is where we have been for the last couple of days. We will arrive at Fraser Island which is the world’s largest natural sand island and we are told that it is also very tropical. Everyone here says that the water is so clear that it is unreal. I am looking forward to seeing it for myself and hopefully jumping in!
Katherine
I am seriously so jealous of you right now. It sounds like you are having an awesome adventure. I am assuming that it is hot weather there too. I would love to be around whales and get to see them in their natural habitat instead of behind glass at the zoo. Were you in a boat? Did you actually get to touch one?
-Melissa
Yes, is has been an amzing trip! I hope that you have the chance to come here because I am sure you would love it. The people and the culture are amazing. The weather is very nice. It is technically their winter right now, but I am on the Gold Coast which is moderately the same weather year round. I just came back from tropical conditilaions that were just plain hot. It is funny because I walk around in shorts and a t-shirt and the locals ask me if I’m feeling alright.
As for the whales, yes, I was on a boat. We first saw Minke Whales while on a boat called Spoil Sport. It was a 3 day trip across the Great Barrier Reef and we only got to swim with them. There are laws against touching them for both our safety and the whales. The next time we were with whales was also on a boat, but that was just a day trip. We were not actually in the water with them because this time we were with the humpbacks and they are much larger and do not have the same personality as the Minkes. The wildlife is crazy here. It is normal to see a dingo running down the beach or a koala munching some leaves =)
The photos are stunning. Thanks so much for working with me to get them posted in spite of your technical challenges. And your program sounds absolutely amazing. You’re learning deeply and having experiences you could never have had in the traditional classroom. Four weeks is a short time, and you are definitely experiencing the feeling of wanting more time–“It’s too soon for it to be over–where did the time go?” Michele
Yes, I am defiitely experiencing a lot of emotions. I have made some great friends over here that I have been with for pretty much ever waking second for an entire month. This program has given me so many different opportunities that I could have never imagined. I am so glad I did it =)
Wow, this is amazing!!! I’ve been to some islands over by New Zealand before and it looks very similar to this. What a gorgeous part of the world you’re studying in! Australia is next on my list of places to go so I’ll have to take note of LEI! That is so cool you got to place with the Whales and swim with sea turtles. So many people dream of doing those things. How great is it that you get to at such a young age. I too am nearing the end of my journey studying abroad. Kind of a surreal experience. Hope you’re having a blast! Cheers.
Rachael