Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Brisbane

After Uluru, we headed to Brisbane, where my friend is doing exchange. It was such an awesome city and I really enjoyed my time there. I liked getting to experience another city in Australia that was so different from Sydney.



the main building on the University of Queensland campus





The campus was so full of nature, I was very impressed. So different from UTS for sure!

right before I arrived in Brisbane, the ferries reopened. I loved riding the ferry, it reminds of the ones in Galveston that I miss so much.











such a gorgeous day to be outside!







the walking bridge that connects South Bank with the city centre


South Bank, where all the artsy stuff is... so favorite place? YES!



bye bye first ferry ride


Nepal Peace Pagoda



ferris wheels are always awesome!





Buddha's Birth Day Celebration. All the food reminded me of Japan and all the dishes my brother and I tried. delicious!





I wish all libraries were open-air!

now for our adventures in the balloon room...








SO MUCH FUN! I really like bending down, hiding, and moving behind my friend and then scaring her. lol. I love acting like a little kid sometimes :)





creepy cube thing. we had to wait in line in order to get inside...I wonder what's in there?!?

neon balls, a tiny path, and water on the sides. good thing my clumsiness did not make an appearance while inside.



a slide, A SLIDE!







the Gallery of Modern Art where all of these fun times took place.






the State Library, very funky...

probably the most beautiful building in Brisbane. It is a casino, but I wish it was something cooler!









the Pancake Manor, like Pancakes on the Rocks (see earlier blog posts for that story!)

the other side of Brisbane...








the Maritime Museum. a recreation of the Endeavor, the ship Captain Cook used to discover Australia






the Stone Bridge, which you can climb. This bridge is nothing compared to the Sydney Harbor Bridge!

the second prettiest building in Brisbane, I think. owned by the University and used for receptions. There was a wedding there when we passed by!







look look Mansfield is a suburb in Brisabane! yay!

sunset from my friend's apartment. Pretty amazing!






we went up to Mt. Coot-tha to view the city skyline.


Brisbane was a pretty cool place, I wouldn't mind going again.

Monday, May 9, 2011

DAY 2 - Uluru (Ayers Rock) and Kata Tjuta (the Olgas) Trip!

The second day at the Ayers Rock Resort started at 5:30am! That's when the bus came to pick us to go see the sunrise over Uluru. Our activities included the sunrise viewing and a cultural walking tour around the base of Uluru.

oh and I don't think I mentioned this is the post before, but Ayers Rock and the Olgas are the European names given to these Aboriginal sites (just in case you were confused by the two sets of names) and after going and seeing them in person, I kind of feel weird using the European names... Aboriginal culture is just so wonderful.





still too dark...I'm so excited for sunrise!






love that I could get the moon in this shot.

 








the lighting is pretty awesome!






Kata Tjuta in the distance





yay! the sun has risen!









Now, the tour around the base of Uluru with wonderful Aboriginal and European history lessons. 












the Smile Cave, where people were sent to solve disputes and couldn't leave until they had smiles on their faces (haha kind of corny, but cute)







cave art used in storytelling



the Wave Cave







inside one of the caves... it was such a lovely day outside!












 
big foot print looking shape in the rock
Uluru is actually blue but rust has made it red! Pretty crazy to think about on this massive of a scale.


eating my Outback Burger in the Outback. haha :)






our hotel - The Lost Camel's reception desk









the entirety of the Ayers Rock Airport







flying into Sydney for our connecting flight to Brisbane






such a great view!


Goodbye Uluru, it was nice seeing you!