I've just returned to Sydney from Magnetic Island. We had a fabulous week. Liz and I caught up, hiked, cooked, swam, and relaxed on what turned out to be a sleepy holiday island. Our holiday house, Ascot Cottage, was old school Queensland architecture with (mostly) modern appliances and lots of charm. I'll be posting pictures soon. I got to meet some of Liz's Aussie friends at a BBQ, and we had some great conversations about Australia - I had no idea how much I didn't know (get it?). I have to say, the two most memorable days happened right at the end. On Wednesday, we took a hike through the dry tropics of the island into a small pocket of micro-climate rainforest. The difference between a few feet, or a different side of a hill, were stupendous. After that, we walked to a headland where a group of rock wallaby live. Rock wallabies are like tiny kangaroos. They are marsupials, and right away, I caught a glimpse of a Joey in his Mama's pouch! Then I was able to feed a couple of them with wallaby pellets, sold locally - but it was all in the wild, on the rocks - amazing! His little hands held mine while eating, and he was so unique, such a cool mammel, I could barely contain my excitement. As we walked away, I told Liz if it weren't for my planned Great Barrier Reef dive the next day, that would've been the highlight. However, I didn't realize I was about to have one of the worst days of my trip. The weather was rough, the water was choppy, and the three and a half hour boat ride to the reef made me so unbelievable ill I was exhausted when we got there. I've never had motion sickness, and I hope never to have it again. I wasn't the only sick person on the boat, everyone was given a bucket just in case, but I was by far the sickest. Upon arrival, the tour leaders took me to a sand bar and put me on "solid" ground, but as the tide was coming up, the sand wasn't going to last long. I was able to do some snorkeling, but sadly, I wasn't up for a scuba. That will have to wait for another time. I must say, the reef was beautiful, and the coral varied. I saw some amazing fish, both small and large, as well as a giant clam, and what one woman claimed was a small shark. For all of these reasons wrapped together, Thursday was a very memorable day. I layed out on the bench, reminding myself that "this too shall pass," and thought of my wonderful wallaby friend. I'd highly recommend both activities (the reef and the wallaby), but I'd also recommend motion sickness pills, taken hours before you get on the boat. I'm told they help. Today I'm feeling much better and looking forward to going out to dinner with Liz and Jim for some Nepalese food. Their neighborhood has so many greath shops and options - it's been a pleasure to explore. Tomorrow, we're off to Jim's Cricket match where Liz and I will be relaxing in the cheering section.
