::scipio's adventures

I went to Sydney and joined up with a bunch of Austrians I knew from home. Those guys have been traveling the country for the last 3 months and they know the place.

For my birthday I popped a champagn-cork into the Sydney harbour, standing next to the opera house. Stylish birthday. Just the way I like it.

After my diving trip I still had some time left and went for a quick trip to Cape Tribulation, a protected area of rainforest north of Cairns. Wasn't very exciting. But they had good icecream.

In the evening I gave Reef Teach a visit. It's a presentation about the life out on the reef. Tailored to divers and snorklers. VERY informative, but the guy there was acting too much of a clown than a biologist.

Spent 3 wicked days cruising and diving Great Barrier Reef. I'm an Advanced Open Water Diver now. Means I can dive down to 30 m. I picked Underwater photographer as speciality. (Pictures about to come soon) We also did navigation, buoyancy and computer diving.

This morning I saw a White Tipped Reef Shark (about 3 m) and a Green Turtle.

When doing a night dive the greatest attraction is the Red Bass. It will follow your torch and eat anything you point it at. Finally I can be god and decide about life and death *bruhahaha*

On the ship (Kankuroo Explorer) they had a pretty tough timetable. Every day we got up at 0530, did a morning dive before the sun came out, hat breakfast, did 2 more dives in the morning, one in the afternoon and one at night. When you go to bed you can virtually feel the nitrogen making you tired. But it might be as well the beer.

Next thing to do: In Cairns there is an organisation called Reef Teach. They talk about the fish you find out there. I think I'll pay them a visit once I had 8 hours of sleep in a row.

I managed to get a reasonably priced (380 AUD$) flight from Ayer's rock to Cairns. The climate is much warmer here in the North than in Central Australia. I guess that I'll stay for a week or so to explore the Great Barrier Reef and the Rainforest.

I'd really love to upload some pictures, but I can't resize them because this internet cafe has restrcted access to the command line. Be prepared for some pics to come very soon.

Uluru is a sight for itself. It's just a rock in the outback and it looks best when you are about 1 km away from it. Once you get closer there are many holy sites, the Aboriginal people used for different ceremonies.

Accomodation: I'm staying in the Pioneer Outback Hotel. The only normal priced rooms you can find here, apart from the campsite maybe.

I just got back from the best tour ever. The group and the guide were awesome. Everything was great. We saw crocs, climbed on a cliff, swam in the waterfall, BBQed and painted each other. I think I've also overcome my antipathie against Frenche people. There were two French guys in my group and they were really great people to go on a camping trip with.

After the trip we met at the guide's flat and got pissed at the Vic. Awesome evening. Now I'm hopping on a bus to Alice Springs. Though I didn't really plan to visit Uluru it's the best option I have at the moment. I hope that I can get to the East Coast somehow, once I'm in Alice.

This morning I arrived in Darwin, Northern Territory. I arrived at the hostel at 5am and they wouldn't give me a bed till 10am. I hadn't slept all night. That really pissed me off. Don't go to the Cavenaugh!! Finally I slept on a couch in the lobby and went for a little sightseeing tour from 9-10am. Then I slept a little bit and spent the night on the pool. I'm staying in a 20 bed dorm. That's definitely too much. There is guaranteed someone to snoar.

Next thing I did was booking a tour to Kakadu National Park. I'll departure tomorrow because otherwise I have to wait for 2 more days and there isn't really too much to do in Darwin. And I'm really eager to hit the outback. Of course, I booked a hardcore tour, ie camping, hiking, self-catering and a small 4WD.

At the moment it's high season here. So it's not as easy to get transportation, tours and accomodation. To get a cheap flight you have to book about 2 weeks in advance. At least it's cooler than in Thailand and Singapore.