Adventures Down Under!: Day 16 + 17 + 18 + 19 + 20 + 21 + 22 - Friday October 22

Oh man, it feels like forever since I wrote my last entry! I planned to make one much earlier this week, and I would have if I didn't start to feel sick after I visited the V8 car races on the 23rd. Luckily I've started to feel much better today so it's time for an update!

Let's start back at the beginning of the week on the 22nd which was a beautiful, sunny Friday. Initially Cameron and I had planned to go to the beach but in the morning before we left Cameron's brother Christian invited us to go to Dreamworld with him, his sister-in-law Liana, and his nieces. We decided that we could visit the beach any other day, and I wanted to see more of Dreamworld, so we changed our plans and headed there too.

Once we got to Dreamworld we quickly met up with Cameron's brother and his relatives. Cameron's brother's nieces, Alex and Annie, are two sweet little girls (aged 5 and 10). You could tell they were excited to be there as well since they were here visiting from a different part of Australia. We walked through the two different kids areas, Nickelodeon Central and Wiggles World and the girls got to go on some cute little rides. I thought of my cousin Andrew and how much fun he'd have playing at some of the attractions. One of the girl's favorite was called "The Wild Thornberries Rainforest Rampage" which is a gigantic ball pit/playground with 2 levels and big cannon-like guns that are used to shoot the balls at each other. I wished I was young enough to go play in something like that again! Unfortunately I was too big for that one, but I did go on a few kid rides with the girls. The Runaway Reptar Rollercoaster was a fun one based around 'The Rugrats' where your hanging down from the track and your legs are dangling towards the ground. It was pretty fun and quick for just a kid's ride. The other ride which all of us went on, including Christian, Liana, and Cameron, was the bumper cars. I shared my car with Alex, and we made sure to get a good hit on everyone else, especially Cameron.

Once we left the kids area we decided to venture onto the Dreamworld railway which is a much quicker way to get around the park. Now, with all the amusement parks I've been visiting, I've really started to enjoy taking the trains around. They're able to show you the entire park faster than you can do it yourself and with one round-trip you generally know what you want to ride on and see. When we got off of the train we were at the area with all of the animals, so once again I got to visit with the kangaroos and koalas. This time there was a few who were hungry, so I got the chance to hand feed them (my favorite's to feed were the joeys).

Before we left the park for the day we all had one last ride on the Thunder River Rapids Ride, and then just Cameron, Alex, Annie and I went down the Rocky Hollow Log Ride. After all of us were basically soaked we drove home to get ready for dinner. Later that night after we cleaned up we all went for dinner, this time including Christian's wife.

I had a fun day out, and I think after visiting it once again I can say that I really enjoy Dreamworld.

The next day, the 23rd,was a big day for me and the rest of the Gold Coast as well. Every October, Surfer's Paradise is transformed into a V8 Supercar racetrack for the Armorall 600. People from all over Australia and the rest of the world tuned in to watch these exciting races which I also had the opportunity to attend. Cameron and I drove down as well as Christian, Soraya, Liana, Annie, and Alex. I wasn't really super interested in car racing, but Cameron had been looking forward to the big race even before I arrived so I knew it was something I was definitely going to. To be honest, It was quite fun! It was an extremely hot day out, and I found out later that I probably should have taken that into account when I was getting ready to go.

We spent the day walking around the gigantic track, watching cars speed past so quickly that you really wouldn't be able to follow them with your eyes unless you knew they were coming. The air smelt like burnt rubber, and there were literally thousands and thousands of other people there, cheering their teams on. The V8 Supercars are real cars you could find on the street, created by the brand 'Ford' or 'Holden'. The fans who come to the races support only one of the two different brands, just like what you'd find at a regular sports game. The difference is each car is sponsored by a certain company as well, such as Jim Beam (an alcoholic beverage) or Mother (an energy drink) and there are also fans of each sponsor company. I had a really great time watching the races, I never realized how exciting it was before but the environment was one-of-a-kind. I know I'll never get the chance to watch something like that again, and I can't imagine how thrilling it would be to actually be one of the drivers. There were a few accidents throughout the day and they only make things more exciting, watching some of the cars continue to race even though half of their car seems to be missing. Luckily no one was hurt.

Unfortunately, I chose not to wear a hat to this game, and as I said before it was very hot. In hindsight, this was obviously a big mistake, but I guess I hadn't realized at the time how important it is to not overwhelm yourself with the heat. Once we got home from the race, I felt very weak and sore, as well as boiling hot and I had a bad headache. I thought it must have been sun stroke or heat exhaustion, and it worried me a little bit. I hoped it would go away quickly. This wish did not come true, as it took until October 29th for all of my symptoms to disappear. For 5 days, nearly 6, I barely wanted to move because of how sore and achy my whole body was. I missed my parents, especially my mom quite a bit during this time because of the way she used to take care of me when I was sick. Cameron, however, did his best to make me feel better and I really appreciated it. I obviously blame myself for not being more protected, but I guess it's a lesson I had to learn and I'll do my best to never let myself get sick like that again from the sun. When I went to the doctor on the 26th he confirmed that I most likely had a minor form of sun stroke, and he told me the basics; cold compress, stay in cooler rooms, and stay out of the sun. That's what I basically did this week from the 24th to the 26th, and even on the 27th and 28th I only went out briefly before coming home. Something interesting about the doctor I picked, however, was that he once lived in Camrose, Alberta! I sat down and he was told I was a tourist, so he asked where I was from. I said Canada, then Alberta, and finally Edmonton, and he asked if my current doctor (who is also named Dr. Wu) worked down Calgary Trail! It was so weird that of all of the doctors I could have went to I somehow picked the one who had lived just near my city and actually knew Edmonton. It made the world feel that much smaller and to be honest it made me feel better and closer to home.

I won't go into detail on what I did on the 24th, 25th, and 26th because more than anything else I just laid on my bed and read 2 of the books that I'd brought on the plane with me. I never felt good in the mornings so I didn't do much moving which is unfortunate because I missed a few lovely days. I am glad to be back to normal now because I remember how much I longed for those beautiful days when I first arrived and I don't want to waste any opportunity.

On the 27th, despite not feeling much better, Cameron dragged me out with him to get his new license. In Australia there are levels similar to our learner's permit and full driver's license, and he was transitioning from his 'Provisionals' (they call them 'P plates') to his open, full license. The different areas you have to pass through are considered your Learners, Provisionals, and then Opens. If you are a learner or a provisional level driver you actually have to post a small piece of paper in your car's window that says "P" or "L" and it lets all the drivers on the road know you aren't yet a full licensed driver. Cameron was excited to be able to remove his 'P' plate, among other things such as the larger number of points he has at his disposal.

To celebrate we decided to drive down to Pancakes in Paradise, which we visited once before to have our big dessert pancakes. This time we both got the 'All-You-Can-Eat' pancakes which are more simple, regular buttermilk pancakes and syrup. I was beginning to feel sick again so I didn't have many of my pancakes even though I had been looking forward to them. Cameron wanted to cheer me up, so before we went home we stopped off at the Surfer's Paradise Main Beach. The beach in this suburb of the Gold Coast is actually considered to be one of the most beautiful in the entire world, and I had never seen it on a good day before. Luckily, this Wednesday was a lovely one, and the water was the deepest blue I had ever seen. Finally, for the first time, I got the chance to walk right up to the ocean.

As we were walking down from the car through the sand I took off my shoes and got even more excited about finally getting to touch it. This sand is so different from the beaches of British Columbia and what all I've been used to because it's so light in color, nearly white, and it makes a squeaking sound as you walk through it! Not the wet sand, but the actual dry sand will squeak every time your feet hit it. Once we got to the water and I put a foot in it wasn't as cold as I had been expecting. It was near a perfect temperature, and I was beyond happy to finally feel it. When you stand in the water the waves crash up against you at different heights every time. The first one came and rolled up to my ankles, but the next one splashed right up to my knee. When the tide came in I could feel the sand underneath my feet being drawn away and when the water goes back I looked down to find my feet were suddenly buried under the water! It was totally different from anything I'd ever experienced with water before, and it was just so exciting to finally get to see it and feel it. We didn't stay too long because I was still trying to avoid the sun, but it was an experience I will never forget and I can't wait to go back. I want to go swimming next time to see what a wave feels like closer up.

Once we went home that night it was back to the usual routine of book-reading and sleep, but it was nice to spend a day out and to finally go to see the ocean after nearly 3 weeks!

On the 28th I awoke to an awful headache at 5am in the morning, then again at 11am when I woke up for the day. Cameron let me sleep in but unfortunately it hadn't gone away, though I didn't want that to get in the way of another day here. I know that I still have a few weeks left but I don't want to waste time or take any of the days I have for granted. We decided to go to see a movie we'd been looking forward to called "The Social Network", which is basically a movie about the creation of Facebook and the controversy surrounding the creator and his friends. What's really interesting is the fact that the movie came out in Canada about 4 weeks ago, but it took until just now for it to be released in Australia. A lot of the movies in theatres here don't arrive for a few weeks after they've been released elsewhere, though I don't see why it would take that long to make it to Australia. The same goes for TV shows, as the new episodes seem to be one or two weeks behind what Canada and the US receives. Either way, we were happy to be watching and it was a pretty good movie. The theater there was especially incredible and though it was a bit more expensive than I'm used to it was worth it. The cinema is called 'Event Cinemas' and it offers 3 different types of theaters: Gold Class, V-max, and 3D. Gold Class is a smaller sized theatre that seats around 30-40 people total and is equipped with reclining chairs and allows you to order meals from a menu that can be brought right up to your seat. V-max is basically an I-max screen with comfortable chairs and extremely high quality picture. The 3D is the same as what most cinemas offer, but I'd imagine they'd also have the very nice chairs our movie did. We were in a V-max cinema and it was very comfortable. The chairs we sat in were huge and made of leather, there was lots of rooms to sit, and they each came with 2 padded armrests and a drink holder. If I could have taken a picture of the seats I would have, that's how nice they were for a movie theater. Another interesting and unexpected thing was that, when buying the tickets, you are actually assigned a seat. You don't get to go in and choose your spot because it is given to you when you pay. The earlier you come in to get your ticket the better your spot will probably be. We sat in the back and had a really nice view of the movie. Overall I thought the cinema itself was something really special and I can't wait to come back to try out the Gold Class when we watch the newest Harry Potter movie.

After the movie my headache was still absolutely awful, so we ended up coming home and I didn't stay up too long afterwards.

I'd almost given up hope that I was going to get better, and part of me started to think that I was just going to spend the remaining time here feeling sick and uncomfortable. Lucky for me, I awoke on the 29th to a beautiful Friday morning, and I was feeling absolutely fine! My headache was gone, I wasn't achy or hot, and I knew it was going to be a good day. Cameron and I decided that now that I was better we'd do something really fun to celebrate. We got up and ready early and headed down to Surfer's Paradise, a 20 minute drive that is always well-worth the trip.

When I was in Edmonton I wrote up a list of a few of the spots I wanted to see and things I wanted to do and the Aquaduck was one of the things at the top of my list. The Aquaduck is a vehicle that works as both a bus and a boat, transitioning from land to water easily and offering you a one-of-a-kind tour. First we started off driving out of Surfer's Paradise as the guide explained some of the sites and attractions to look out for. We drove along the beach until we reached the river/broadwater, then we quickly turned from bus to train to begin the second part of our tour. I really preferred the boat ride, and it was so neat to be able to view the city and the river from a different viewpoint. Plus, our bus/boat is in the shape of a gigantic duck, which I thought was pretty cute as well. We floated past gigantic and beautiful millionaire's houses, one even had a helicopter pad! Further down the river we got to see the marina where all the beautiful boats are kept and the many expensive hotels along the water. It was a perfect day and I loved feeling the breeze through my hair on the water. I don't know how many times I've ever been on a boat but this was my favorite and I loved learning about the surroundings and the city. We floated down the river until we reached Seaworld, where we went back from water to land and begun our drive back to Surfer's. Along the way the guide showed us a spot where the trawlers come to sell fresh fish to customers, we drove down 'Tedder Avenue' which is a popular spot for celebrities (Pink has been spotted eating lunch at one of the restaurants there) and then returned back to where we started. I loved the tour and I would also love to go back on a boat sometime. It's a great feeling and a tour from the water is something special you just can't get on land. The most interesting thing I learnt from the tour was that an empty spot of land we passed going to the river, which was incredibly small, was valued at 9.3 million dollars! You could barely fit a house the size of ours on the lot but the space itself was worth SO much because of the location. Something else I couldn't believe was the price of a huge boat we passed, it was worth FORTY million dollars! There were people on it and I wished I could be one of them for a day. Overall I enjoyed the tour and the views and it was worth the trip.

Since we were already down in Surfer's Paradise, Cameron and I decided to go and visit 'Ripley's Believe It Or Not' as well. I knew what to expect because I'd watched the TV show a few times, but it was way more interesting than I thought it would be. The attraction was basically a big museum filled with odd artifacts, sculptures, fun facts, artwork, wax figures and interactive displays. I really enjoyed the figures of the strange people Mr. Ripley had met in his lifetime, such as the world's tallest man and the woman with the rings around her neck. They were based off of real people, so it was almost as good as actually meeting a real person with these unique features. The whole exhibit was very informative but in a fun way which was great because people of any age could have a good time at it. My favorite area was probably the different types of artwork, especially the miniature portraits. Some artists had drawn pictures on the tip of a sewing needle and a single piece of hair! I have no idea how they did it and you needed a magnifying glass to see. Some of that stuff was just unbelievable, which I guess is where they get the name. We spent a good two hours exploring there and by the time we were done it was dinner and we had to head home.

I'm happy to be back to normal now, and I definitely plan to do many more exciting things in the days to come to make up for the time I've lost. I hope to visit the beach more and actually go swimming, as that's always been one of my dreams. I love the freedom that I have here to do whatever I choose, and I just know that for the rest of my life I'll look back at this time and always cherish it and probably wish I could relive it over and over again. Lucky for me, I'm in it right now, and I don't think I've ever been happier!