Trip of a Lifetime

The Whitsunday Islands and Chaka Shaka Washington

Ahoy landlubbers!... Okay, that was lame, but I have been on a boat for the last few days - My sailing trip was a whale of a success!... Okay, I'll stop now. As most of you know, I was aboard a sailing ship in the Whitsundays for the last few days, and boy did I have a great time. We were aboard the Waltzing Mathilda, a beautiful sailboat about 30 feet long (that's just a guess), with 12 other adventurers and two crew. Here's a picture of everyone just as we got back to dry land, though I definitely can't remember everyone's names... http://www.geocities.com/spiker43935/P4150068.JPG The darker girl was an American, and I mean she was AMERICAN - she complained a lot, about everything, and offered her opinion, on everything, and thought she was great (and didn't mind sharing this information), and always told you how her opinions weren't subjective, they were just... Right. I recall her talking about one of the crewmember's names, she said "What kinda name is Tristram anyway... Is he like, named after Timtams or something?" It took all the power inside my entire body and soul to stop from pointing out that not only was her first name "Chaka", but her second name was also "Shaka", just spelled differently... How can someone with the name Chaka Shaka Washington declare that "Tristram" is an oddity?... Oh right, she was American :) I had quite a lot of fun with her throughout the trip - those who know me best know I have a tendency to push buttons... And she wore her buttons in bright colors on her shirt :) Aside from the fun I had with the American, we did a ton of other things that were both relaxing and exciting - an odd combination, but that's the best way I can describe it. We went snorkeling a few times, and Vanessa and I managed to find a sea turtle, some dolphins, and a manta ray! Amazing stuff down there under the waves. The manta ray felt like a rubber boot, and it looked so cool - I can't wait to develop the pictures we got on our underwater camera! Hopefully they turned out, you never know with this kinda stuff - we might just get streaks and bubbles. But if they do turn out, we'll have pictures of giant fish, turtles, rays... Australia kicks ass :) On our trip in the Whitsundays, we went to a Whitehaven beach, which was nothing short of stunning. Having been in Thailand, I was pretty sure I knew what a world class beach looked like - until I caught a glimpse of this one... The sand on Whitehaven beach is so fine that it squeaks when you walk on it! It's made of almost 100% silica, but in reality it's just fish poop. Makes for one amazing sight though - take a look for yourselves. We got there early in the morning and so we were initially the only ones on this massive white sand beach. I'm actually making the first tracks on the beach that day, in the first picture here. http://www.geocities.com/spiker43934/P4140031.JPG http://www.geocities.com/spiker43934/P4140020.JPG http://www.geocities.com/spiker43934/P4140010.JPG http://www.geocities.com/spiker43934/P4140041.JPG http://www.geocities.com/spiker43935/P4140046.JPG http://www.geocities.com/spiker43935/P4140047.JPG This last picture is one of my favorites, though the fact that I got it is more luck than anything else - I awoke one morning to find that there was a big rainbow off the starboard of the ship, which was beautiful in it's own right, but then a ship sailed directly underneath it... Right through the middle. I found my camera quickly and took some shots, and they turned out great http://www.geocities.com/spiker43935/P4150063.JPG I also got one where the ship is right on on end of the rainbow - I wondered aloud if they should rename the ship "Pot 'O Gold"... No one else laughed. A couple of the girls were feeling seasick that morning, though they didn't ever throw up - Chaka Shaka was the only one to ever lose her lunch on the boat. Speaking of lunch, the food on the boat was brilliant, and it was nice not to have to cook for a change - not that I mind cooking, it just gets tedious at times, especially having to use the kitchens in the hostels here, most of which are pretty crap - But, when I cook, Vanessa insists on doing dishes! It's a match made in heaven folks. Anyway, I'm off to Fraser Island tomorrow, yet another World Heritage Site, and I'm rather looking forward to it. Our group pooled it's money and we bought groceries together, and of course, liquor! It should be an enjoyable time, as long as I don't get eaten by Dingos... Once again, I won't be posting for a little while, but I should have some nice pictures when I get back! Cheers, Spiker

posted by Spiker @ 3:05 am