Travel: Day 10 - Australia - The long road home

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). 

In January 2013, I taught Ecology of Australia and, naturally, it entailed a field trip to Australia! What follows is a travelogue of our adventures together, the sights we saw, the things we did, and the lessons we learned while exploring a land far removed from home.

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

Day 10 finally rolled around in spite of our best efforts to stave it off.  The wee hours of the night were spent in packing and reminiscing about our time in Australia. Even Marie's travel companion - Gumby - seemed a little sad that the trip was coming to an end.

(Katherine Lederer 2013)

So, it was with a heavy heart that we left Cairns early in the morning, getting onto the plane the old-fashioned way - via a stairwell to the cabin.

(Katherine Lederer 2013)

Cairns to Sydney was a short flight.  After a couple of hours, we then got onto the longer flight to Dallas. We left in the morning to bright skies, much appreciated by Gumby....

(Katherine Lederer 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 9 - Australia - Botanical Gardens and scavenger hunts

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). 

In January 2013, I taught Ecology of Australia and, naturally, it entailed a field trip to Australia! What follows is a travelogue of our adventures together, the sights we saw, the things we did, and the lessons we learned while exploring a land far removed from home.

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

In the original plan, Day 9 was to be a free day for the students to explore on their own.  However, since we had unsuccessfully tried to visit the Cairns Botanic Gardens earlier in the week, we added it to the agenda.

(Sandra 2013)

The Cairns Botanic Gardens is located about 5km from the city center.  We took a bus to the Collins Avenue entrance and began our tour of the facility.

(Trey Cusick III 2013)

The Cairns Botanic Gardens (also known as the Flecker Botanic Gardens) is a typical botanical garden containing a wide range of plants (clearly labelled with their scientific names), focusing mainly on ones found in the wet tropical regions of the world such as Southeast Asia.

(Trey Cusick III 2013)

Distributed over 38 hectares, the property was established in 1886 indicating that many of the trees are really old and well-preserved in their native habitat.  

(Katherine Lederer 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 8 - Australia - Koalas, Kuranda, and Kool ways to travel

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). 

In January 2013, I taught Ecology of Australia and, naturally, it entailed a field trip to Australia! What follows is a travelogue of our adventures together, the sights we saw, the things we did, and the lessons we learned while exploring a land far removed from home.

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

After getting a close look at the rainforest in the crane on the previous day, on Day 8 we took a more scenic path to (and through it) via the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway.

(Katherine Lederer 2013)

The skyrail is a series of gondolas that rise from the base station at Caravonica Terminal, located about 15 miles from Cairns, and traverses about 7.5km (4.7mi) over the rainforest with 2 stops along the way at Red Peak, Barron Falls, finally ending at Kuranda.  Along the way, we got a close look at Barron Gorge National Park.

(C.S. Manish 2013)

The Skyrail system comprises of 114 gondolas that travel over a path that is held up by 33 towers, the tallest of which is 133 feet (40.5m) high.

(Katherine Lederer 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 7 - Australia - Trails and Tribulations

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). 

In January 2013, I taught Ecology of Australia and, naturally, it entailed a field trip to Australia! What follows is a travelogue of our adventures together, the sights we saw, the things we did, and the lessons we learned while exploring a land far removed from home.

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

Apart from being a campus offering on-site classes, James Cook University has numerous satellite locations where research opportunities abound.  One of them is the Daintree Rainforest Observatory, managed by Site Manager Peter Byrnes.

About 140km (~ 90miles) north of Cairns, the Observatory is in a section of protected rainforest adjacent to the Daintree National Park. The Daintree rainforest lays claim to having the highest biodiversity of plant and animal species anywhere in Australia. The site is flanked to the west by coastal ranges rising to more than 1400m and by the Coral Sea to the east.  The proximity of the coral reef to a rainforest makes it a fairly unique situation.

We took the Captain Cook Highway out of Cairns, heading north in a van.This winding ocean road is as you would expect it to be - the treeline frequently opens up to reveal great vistas and lookouts along the way

(Victoria Vollmer 2013)

 The drive is littered with small beaches that were inviting us to stop but had to be saved for some other (undecided) date in the future.

(Sandra 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 6 - Australia - Dingoes, Turtles, and Australia's venomous reputation

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). 

In January 2013, I taught Ecology of Australia and, naturally, it entailed a field trip to Australia! What follows is a travelogue of our adventures together, the sights we saw, the things we did, and the lessons we learned while exploring a land far removed from home.

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

On Day 6, we hopped onto a taxi and took a short ride to:

(C.S. Manish 2013)

According to their website, James Cook University, established in 1970, is a multi-campus institution with main campuses in Cairns, Singapore and Townsville, with smaller study centers in Mount Isa, Thursday Island and Mackay. They also have a campus in Brisbane, operated by Russo Higher Education.  JCU is Queensland's second-oldest University and serves over 17,500 students.

(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).

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...

(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 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.

Travel: Day 0 - Australia - The Land Down Under beckons

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.

A couple of years ago when the trip to Puerto Rico was winding down, during a long road trip the students began discussing where I should go in the the next travel-related course I offered.  After nominating and discarding numerous candidate nations, they finally decided that I should offer a course that would require students to spend some time in Australia. They christened it Ecology of Australia and, now having done the hard work, entrusted me with the simple task of actually designing and implementing it!  Not one to shirk such responsibilities I duly went ahead and began preparing for it.  Apart from reading about Australia and its unique environmental and ecological attractions, I also decided that I needed professional help if I was to provide a proper experience for the students. So I contacted many organizations that specialize in student-based travel trips and study abroad programs.  After listening to what many of them had to offer, I finally selected CISabroad as the organization to partner with.  CISabroad was the be the organization that offered the best mix of on-site offerings and quoted fairly reasonable prices.

So, a course two years in the making finally bore fruit and a group of 8 Midland University students left cold, freezing Omaha on January 2nd.  As always, an obligatory group photograph was taken just after we checked-in at the airport.

(C.S. Manish 2013)

Standing (from left to right): Craig, Alexa, Christine, Richie, and Sue
Kneeling: (from left to right): Fred, Marie, and Leann

In the coming posts, I shall describe some of the highlights of each day as it unfolded during the trip.  So, until then....here's a brief preview of one of the things that is to come on Day 1.

(C.S. Manish 2013)

Our first stop in Australia was in Sydney. I leave you, for now, with a view from our plane as we prepared to land at Sydney airport.  The Harbor Bridge and the Opera House were clearly welcoming us and we were ready for it!

(C.S. Manish 2013)