Alien improbabilities..

The reason why an alien civilization has not reached the Earth (officially, that is) is actually quite simple (apart from the fact that we may really be the only planet with life as we know it):  The Earth is a tiny, tiny part of the entire Universe and happening upon it, even by accident, requires enormous luck and fortune.

Check out this video made by the American Museum of Natural History and you will truly appreciate how insignificant our place in the cosmos really is.  Carl Sagan would have simply smiled upon seeing this:

Travel: Day 5 - Australia - The Great Barrier Reef

One of the advantages of teaching at a small liberal arts institution is the freedom to design and offer courses that are close to one's heart. 

In January 2011, I taught Tropical Ecology  and, for one of the class activities, I took a group of students on a 10 day trip to Puerto Rico. (Click here to read about the trip to Puerto Rico). 

This January (2013), I am teaching Ecology of Australia and, naturally, it entails a field trip to Australia! What follows is a travelogue of our adventures together, the sights we have seen, the things we are doing, and the lessons we are learning while exploring a land far removed from home.

(You can the previous posts in this thread here).

On Day 5 of the trip, having acclimated well to the rhythms of the Land Down Under, we undertook a (mini)voyage to one of the seven natural wonders of the world - The Great Barrier Reef!

The world's biggest naturally-made structure, the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) can be easily seen from outer space.

(AFP/Getty Images)
(http://i.cdn.travel.cnn.com/sites/default/files/styles/624x468_gallery/public/2011/09/23/afp-aerial.web_.jpg)

This giant structure is the product of years and years of build-up of the skeletal shells of tiny organisms known as coral polyps.  It gives rise to an amazing ecosystem, rich in nutrients and exposed to abundant sunlight and, consequently, a tremendous variety of plant and animal life.  The biodiversity of the area is incredible and even more amazing than one can imagine.

The GBR is located in the Coral Sea and lies parallel to the north-east coast of Australia in the state of Queensland, extending more than 2600 km (over 1600 miles) and covering an area about 344,400 square km (133,000 sq miles) .

Travel to the GBR is very carefully monitored by Australian authorities and most tour operators are restricted to visiting specifically chosen reefs or islands in order to reduce the potential impact of millions of human beings thrashing their way through the area.

A short, quick trip along the Boardwalk from the hostel took us to the Cairns Marina, where the tour operator's boat was docked.

(Kinsley Shoup 2013)

After signing our lives away (or so it seemed) and listening to a serious lecture on safety features and measures, we set sail, so to speak, on a boat to the Reef.  Soon, we left Cairns behind...

Travel: Day 4 - Australia - Cairns, the lagoon, and an ecology lecture on the Boardwalk

One of the advantages of teaching at a small liberal arts institution is the freedom to design and offer courses that are close to one's heart. 

In January 2011, I taught Tropical Ecology  and, for one of the class activities, I took a group of students on a 10 day trip to Puerto Rico. (Click here to read about the trip to Puerto Rico). 

This January (2013), I am teaching Ecology of Australia and, naturally, it entails a field trip to Australia! What follows is a travelogue of our adventures together, the sights we have seen, the things we are doing, and the lessons we are learning while exploring a land far removed from home.

(You can the previous posts in this thread here).

After an exhausting and fun-filled three days in Sydney, it was time for the "meat and bones" part of the trip.  We woke up early in the morning and took a taxi ride from hell to the airport, this time we were headed to the domestic terminal for a flight to Cairns.

(Hannah Steen 2013)

We had our obligatory conch photo at the airport before boarding the flight. (I am not exactly sure what Alexa is up to, though!)

(C.S. Manish 2013)

Approximately 1500 miles from Sydney, the flight to Cairns took about 3 hours or so.

(C.S. Manish 2013 - from Google Maps)

Cairns airport reminded me of a lot of the West Indian airports I had been to.  It's a small airport, nestled among the mountains, with an approach path that takes you over the ocean.  The vegetation is perfectly tropical and the humidity and heat hit you as soon as you step off the plane.  And the smell of the ocean and rain-soaked ground is very evident.

(C.S. Manish 2013)

 A short taxicab (van) ride to the city was just the tonic we needed to get ready for Cairns!

(C.S. Manish 2013)

(Note: In order to conserve space on the blog and make it easier to scroll through, I am condensing how much of  the post is displayed.  To read the rest of it, simply click on the "Click here for the rest of my jaywalk" link below).

Travel: Day 3 - Australia - Taronga Zoo, Scavenger hunt, and Luna Park

One of the advantages of teaching at a small liberal arts institution is the freedom to design and offer courses that are close to one's heart. 

In January 2011, I taught Tropical Ecology  and, for one of the class activities, I took a group of students on a 10 day trip to Puerto Rico. (Click here to read about the trip to Puerto Rico). 

This January (2013), I am teaching Ecology of Australia and, naturally, it entails a field trip to Australia! What follows is a travelogue of our adventures together, the sights we have seen, the things we are doing, and the lessons we are learning while exploring a land far removed from home.

(You can the previous posts in this thread here).

Having figured out the joys of a ferry ride on the previous day, it was not a novel experience for us (by-now seasoned) travelers to take another one.  This time the destination was Taronga Zoo!

(Kinsley Shoup 2013)

The above photograph also serves as a portent of things to come.  Later in the day we would walk on the Harbour Bridge and make our way to the park that has the ferris wheel (look closely!), but that is a story for a little later.

For now, enjoy the view of one side, but don't forget to take in the view of the other side, as well....

(Kinsley Shoup 2013)

And here's a great photograph of the two iconic landmarks together...

(Katherine Lederer 2013)

The ferry dropped us off at a dock and we took a gondola lift up a hill, reminiscent of similar rides that I have been on at Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo and the San Diego Zoo (there seems to be a theme developing here).  The gondola lift runs from the bottom of the park close to the ferry wharf, and transports passengers to the top end of the zoo, where the main entrance is located.

(Note: In order to conserve space on the blog and make it easier to scroll through, I am condensing how much of  the post is displayed.  To read the rest of it, simply click on the "Click here for the rest of my jaywalk" link below).

Travel: Day 2 - Australia - Darling Harbour, Manly Beach and exotic pizzas

One of the advantages of teaching at a small liberal arts institution is the freedom to design and offer courses that are close to one's heart. 

In January 2011, I taught Tropical Ecology  and, for one of the class activities, I took a group of students on a 10 day trip to Puerto Rico. (Click here to read about the trip to Puerto Rico). 

This January (2013), I am teaching Ecology of Australia and, naturally, it entails a field trip to Australia! What follows is a travelogue of our adventures together, the sights we have seen, the things we are doing, and the lessons we are learning while exploring a land far removed from home.

(You can the previous posts in this thread here).

An early morning wake-up call was followed by an interesting breakfast, featuring products one normally does not see in the US. The honey? Maybe.  The vegemite?  Not so much!  All I can say for the latter is that it is quite salty and is supposed to be an acquired taste (and I did not acquire it in spite of trying it for 3 days).

(Trey Cusick III 2013)

(Trey Cusick III 2013)

On tap for the morning was a visit to Darling Harbor.  But before that we had a few minutes to kill, so a few of us went on a walk to the Sydney Harbor Bridge and, along the way, saw lots of interesting little nuggety things.

(Trey Cusick III, Katherine Lederer, and C.S. Manish)

(Note: In order to conserve space on the blog and make it easier to scroll through, I am condensing how much of  the post is displayed.  To read the rest of it, simply click on the "Click here for the rest of my jaywalk" link below).

Travel: Day 1 - Australia - To infinity and beyond

One of the advantages of teaching at a small liberal arts institution is the freedom to design and offer courses that are close to one's heart. 

In January 2011, I taught Tropical Ecology  and, for one of the class activities, I took a group of students on a 10 day trip to Puerto Rico. (Click here to read about the trip to Puerto Rico). 

This January (2013), I am teaching Ecology of Australia and, naturally, it entails a field trip to Australia! What follows is a travelogue of our adventures together, the sights we have seen, the things we are doing, and the lessons we are learning while exploring a land far removed from home.

(You can the previous post in this thread here).

At the Omaha airport, after picking up our boarding passes, the group took the first of (many) group photos.  In time, everyone got used to me signaling for group huddles with the buzzword – conch.  I am not sure how (or why) that was chosen as the group’s calling card, but it stuck a chord and so it remained for the duration of the trip. (Maybe it had something to do with Lord of the Flies Anchorman).

(Note: To see the photos more clearly, click on them and they will pop up in new window).

(C.S. Manish 2013)

The flight from Omaha to Dallas was fairly uneventful.  At Dallas airport, we took our time going from one gate to another – and then it was time to leave the shores of the US of A.  Next stop….Australia!

(C.S. Manish 2013)

The flight itinerary called for a direct flight from Dallas to Sydney, currently the longest flight of any airline in the world.  (Here's some more information on it from a personal account of the trip for Wall Street Journal).  Because the flight is so long and we cross the International Date Line, the trip from Dallas to Sydney involves the loss of a complete day.  We left on the evening of the 2nd and reached on the morning of the 4th.  Somewhere up in the sky the whole of the 3rd passed us by...or something like that.

Due to a quirky procedure the Qantas Airline flight, whilst non-stop from Sydney to Dallas, has to stopover to refuel in Brisbane on the opposite trip.  So, our first steps on Aussie soil (so to speak) were in Brisbane.  We disembarked, walked through a loooooong line at a security check point and then got back on the same plane again.

Flying into Sydney was a treat.  Those on the left side of the plane were greeted with magnificent views of the city, such as this one:

(C.S. Manish 2013)

After we passed through Immigration and Customs (surprisingly quickly) we were officially in Australia!

(C.S. Manish 2013)

We paused in front of a tourism picture on the wall and took the first "conch" photo in Sydney.  Don't let the backdrop fool you - this was taken indoors!

(C.S. Manish 2013)

(Note: In order to conserve space on the blog and make it easier to scroll through, I am condensing how much of  the post is displayed.  To read the rest of it, simply click on the "Click here for the rest of my jaywalk" link below).

Apologies

After promising a regular supply of travel-related blogs, I was unable to follow through and I must apologize for that.

The internet connection at the places we stayed at in Australia was adequate for checking emails and websites but useless for blogging, especially as the servers weren't capable enough to upload the 15-20 photos I wanted to supplement my blogposts with.

While I was tempted to simply write about the trip, I felt it would not do justice to what we saw and did so I avoided blogging altogether.

Now that I am back in the US of A and, more importantly, have access to a really fast internet service I shall continue the journey, so to speak.