http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/Lisa-Marvin/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Lisa Marvin en-us Mon, 09 Nov 2009 03:29:08 +0000 Mon, 09 Nov 2009 03:29:08 +0000 After I returned from the Outback I had exactly 36 hours to wash all my clothes that had turned red during the week repack my bags for a more waterfriendly environment and of course write a paper I'd done zero research for. But it was all worth it. My Marine Environment class was going on a Field Research Trip to Lady Elliot Island a coral cay on the Great Barrier Reef. Originally we wer http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Queensland/Great-Barrier-Reef/blog-172258.html 10 days and 9 nights traveling in the back of a 4WD and sleeping in tents with Dingos howling in the distance. Not how most college seniors spend their final Spring Break. But I'm not most college seniors. I arrived in Alice Springs without any sleep the night before too busy finishing up papers and working until 1am at the Cricketer's Club. The things I do for travel So I was not in the best http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Northern-Territory/blog-163024.html Headed even further down under to Tasmania for a weekend of more walking than I ever imagined. On our first full day we walked around Dove Lake which is at the bottom of Cradle Mountain. It rained off and on all day but when it stopped gorgeous rainbows stretched out across the water making the downpours worth it. Around lunch time the rain had let up so our guide suggested we stray from the pat http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Tasmania/Cradle-Mountain/blog-157019.html We spent St. Patrick's weekend camping in Jervis Bay New South Wales a national park along the Eastern Australia coast. After celebrating our favorite holiday early at Scruffy Murphy's in Sydney and then waking up early enough to run 10 blocs to see the Bridge and Opera House we drove 3 hours to the Park. This was my first camping experience and I was excited to meet the Aboriginal community t http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/New-South-Wales/Jervis-Bay/blog-155413.html Ok so I realize I'm really behind in my entries and I sincerely apologize. The internet in our apartment is on and off and I have a small quote of bandwidth I can use on campus. So I'm going to do my best to catch up on all the traveling I've done so far. Straddie is an island off the coast of Brisbane and we got to go there as part of our study abroad program with Arcadia. We had a blast The http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Queensland/North-Stradbroke-Island/blog-143552.html After two and a half months of sweet nothingness I have finally started to attend classes again for possibly my last semester. Since I've completed all of my required courses at PSU I have decided to take courses that are really of interest to me and will also give me a better understanding of the country I am living in. So my schedule consists of Contemporary Australia Indigenous Art Ant http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Queensland/Brisbane/blog-137882.html After four days of nonstop activities and seemingly endless flights and bus trips we finally made it to our new home for the next five months Brisbane. Also affectionately referred to as Brisvegas and Brisneyland because of the high rate of gambling as well as tourists making their way to the Gold Coast. Sounds like the perfect place to do a study abroad if you ask me Above everything I was http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Queensland/Brisbane/Toowong/blog-135862.html On our last day of orientation we piled back onto the buses and headed to Melbourne where we would be staying the night before flying to Brisbane in the morning. Everyone was really excited to be back in civilization after being on the coast and to finally experience Australian nightlife. Luckily our hotel The Oaks on Market which is a 5 star hotel The rooms were massive and very modern with http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Victoria/Melbourne/City-Centre/blog-135534.html I finally arrived in Melbourne Australia after 15.5 hours on an airplane as well as an additional two hour emergency landing in Brisbane to refuel because of weather conditions. It was so painful to be in Brisbane to be in Australia and still be stuck on that airplane. All the students were restlessly walking up and down the aisles and trying to catch glimpses out the window since the majorit http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Victoria/Mornington-Peninsula/Sorrento/blog-135145.html Before heading for Australia my parents and I spent two days in LA where we met up with my Aunt Kathy and Uncle Norm. I've never been to LA despite traveling through the airport on numerous occasions so we tried to see and do as much as we could in the short time I had there. After settling into the hotel we jumped into our rental car to take in some sights. From my backseat window I saw the L http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/California/Los-Angeles/blog-135138.html