11 December 2007

I've fallen in love

With myself, the ocean, and Cairns! "I" am the only person I can fall in love with over and over again and never get tired of. Also fell in love with about fifty hot men in the course of my one week trip :-) Yep, plenty of those up there in the jungle. Nothing like these sickening, suit-wearing, expensive cologne-smelling, snotty executive types in the city.

The past week was the best ever I've had in Australia. I snorkeled, scuba-dived, went white water rafting and jungle surfing, jumped into a very deep river with no thought of what was going to happen to me (I can't swim), fed Kangaroos.... I spent a lot of time in the water, and I'm terribly proud of everything I did in the water because I'm an air baby, and for me to jump into the ocean or the raging river, it takes an extreme amount of willpower.

Snorkeling at the Great Barrier Reefs - it was terribly scary so I had to force myself to stop thinking. So I donned my protective suit (jellyfish season) with a non-functioning brain, and jumped with a non-functioning brain.
And it was so easy! And everybody said I snorkeled like a pro :-) I can't say the same for diving though..

However, I ace in the air, always! :-) I was so good at this that when it was over and I had to get out of my harness, the staff were teasing me about how I should take the harness home with me.
Cape Tribulation - We skipped our fancy prepaid lunch and fed on coconuts on the beach instead, used rocks as tools to break them open and I laughed so hard my sides ached. And even though I hardly ate, it was one of the best lunches ever. The beach was completely deserted, and with the rainforest on one side, it felt like we were the only people there - shipwrecked and stranded. I thought of 3 people - Robinson Crusoe and his man Friday and Tom Hanks...
Also went cruising on the Daintree river and who did we run into? Mr Crocodile the monkey-eater!
One of my most favorite spots was this strip near the beach house where we stayed in Cape Tribulation. Hauling my massive survival kit bag - books, pens, pencils, ipod, camera, sunscreen, change of clothing and I'd sit there writing, sketching, taking pictures, whatever I wanted to, and it was just impossible to want to be anywhere else on earth.
I never stepped into the water, as inviting as it was, because of fear of stingers and stray crocs. Got all the sun that I missed in Sydney. So much so that this one guy at a club we went to refused to believe that the the girl in the picture on my passport was me and almost denied me entry. But in the end, he finally agreed that I've just been spending a lot of time in the sun.
Also, I was a little paranoid by the time I got there because on my entire way there, all that our driver talked about was how dangerous the area is, full of creatures on land and sea whose bite/sting is always "potentially fatal" :(

But despite all this, I loved Cape Trib! If I were to pick a place to live in next to home, I think this would be it. I know it's a little hot, a little humid, a little "rustic" but I think I can live there and be good and happy and satisfied.
It looks a lot like Mizoram, maybe that's why I fell in love with it so easily.

I have a secret plan that if it works out will be the coolest thing ever - and will be as helpful and enlightening as Edison's light bulb. How to make traveling here for any length of time as easy and affordable as buying a bottle of beer :D - for anyone!

I hope I'll figure it out in about a year or two. Well, I have it already figured out, but I need enough time off work, around 3 months to a year, to test my idea and see if it works. So start saving, the only expensive part will be the air fare from India to Australia :P

20 comments:

Mizohican said...

Beware of the sting ray that took the life of one of my fav entertainers - Steve Irwin :-(

Hey, who is that hot babe in bikini on the beach? Mind if you ask her her phone number for me plzzzzz? :)

I am dying to do all the things you mentioned too. Lucky you!

Jerusha said...

Kim - I see no bikini clad babe! And like I mentioned, save for the air fare, the rest is as easy as inkawibah :-) btw, will I be seeing you in Mizoram this Christmas?

Puia said...

Wow, hei chu romantic tawka chhiar ka tum a, mahse, ka trap em lo ve..lolzz. Tunlai i zin leh pek em ni? i reh ruih.. i ngaihawm vung vung thin e, kristmas i hawng dawn bik elo, awh-awm bik ve aw..)

Jerusha said...

puia - nia, kar hmasa khan Cairns ah holiday ka han hmang a, I thought I needed it because people started using 'workaholic' to describe me - something I never want to be.

Nia haw dawn Christmas, ka chak tawh bonra tawppppppp tih mai loh chu sawi dan ka thiam lo. Rawn haw ve hram tum la, ruai kan theh ho dar dar ang chu :)

Puia said...

Sawi teh suh, ka chak bon top. Lunghnur tawkin Krima(krismas pawh ka ti peih tawh lo, krima ti hram dawn..lolzz) ka hmang dawn a nih hi kumin chu.. Nikum tun ang hunah te chuan leng kual nasa thei raps kha a nia..:) rawn hawng ila chu ruai mai pawh ni lovin kan party hap hap tur. Kima hi DJ ah kan hmang ang a, tha dawn lutuk mawle..:)

Unknown said...

Jerusha - its perfect! perfect!! I would save for something like that all my life - it makes for a very just cause.

Jerusha said...

LOL - awi krima tih khan ka lung a ti leng lutuk, ka chhungte krima chauh ti thiam te hnen ah ka hna leh ka zinna chanchin hrilhfiah hi har thei ania awww :) mahse a van lawmawm tak, ka nu u ka ngainat em em tun kumtir lam a boral ta min ti hre chhuak, awm se chu 'Mami, krima I rawn hmang thei chu lawm awm teh e, Lalpa chu fakin awm rawh se..' an tia nga..

Jerusha said...

shirls- save, save with care, save in the presence of the passenjare... Expensive wine maybe should take a backseat and stick to beer while we're saving..?

Mizohican said...

Hey that diving pic of you in a harness, did you update that just now only? I didn't see it last night (I think).

Hehe Pu Admin te nen in lo plan hman hnem hle mai, Xmas lam chu. Mahse, ka DJ hman ve dawn lo, Ka haw dawn lova :( Xmas chu hetah Delhi ah, ka hmang dawn... mahse, "it will be lonely this Xmas, without you to hold" tih kha chu ka sa tawh dawn lo... hrethiams???? *wink*

claytonia vices said...

Lucky you! :)

Zara Ralte said...

kumin khoi lamah nge U-A-MA dawn le? engtik nge hamara desh i rawn kir leh dawn? i awm lova hyd poh a reh ruih an ti:-) he he

Puia said...

lolzz jerusha, nikum masi kha aizawlah ka hmang a maw.. veng dangah nula hmelhriat ngai loh ka thianpan min rim pui a, bawl ang aw, a tia, hei ka thianpa hi Tawngkawlawng atanga rawn zin a nia, hetah aizawlah kristmas rawn hman a tum ve a, a tia.. Chuan, han sawi ve la, min tia..

Nia, hei aizawl ka hmu ve ngai si lo va, krima hman pahin ka lo zin a, tawngkawlawng nen chuan inthlau khwp mai, ka tia, pai tawk hian..an nuih a za si, an awih chiah si lo, an awih lo chiah bawk si lo, kan nui nasa thei lutuk a rupin.. min hmu ngai si lova, awih bawk si vel kha hrethiam em..lolzz

Macabreday said...

the best thing abt ur blog is that sometimes its like watching the travel channel :) and the fact that u always have pics, .. nice

Jerusha said...

kim - yeah I meant to put that up in the first place, I'd forgotten so I update much later. Krismas chu nuam deuhin I hmang dawn nia, hmangaihna lam hi I lawm bawk a, I hmang nuam dawn anih chu chhas te nen :P

Clay - thanks, and yeah, I feel very lucky too!

Jerusha said...

azassk - ka rawn haw trep Hyderabad ho kha min lo ngai ltk suh u :P Kar leh wednesday hian Sydney chu ka chhuahsan ang, a tuk ah Hindustan ka rawn thleng ang a, mahse a tuk leh mai ah Zoram nuam lam ah U A Ma tur chuan ka haw ang. Nang khawi lamah nge I hman dawn?

puia - LOL - in va han sual. Keichu ni ila ka awih lo sa!

mac - my dream job is to work for travel and living, so that's a very very nice compliment for me. So thanks muchos!

Shahnaz Kimi said...

Sounds fun..I am yet to conquer my fear of water, but I love seeing pictures and travelogue like yours. Great post.

Jerusha said...

kimi - I still have a long way to go before I conquer my fear of water! Good to know there are more sisters in arms :)

Anonymous said...

Oiiii..Halleluiah pek thuai mai ka duh. Hei ka try leh chhin a, commentna lo lang ta hlawl mai :)

Makes me wonder..I understand from your previous posts that you 'mastered' how to float on water. Were you able to submerge when you scuba-dived? :P

Jerusha said...

jinx - hurrah! So it seemed out on the great open sea, what with nerves and all, I hadn't quite 'mastered' floating. With me and water, I think how it works is that I sink when I try to float, and float when I try to sink. Very challenging. So hpw I make it work is if my goal is to go down, I jump and try to stay up and vice versa. I got it down to fine art!

Anonymous said...

Garn! No can comment in your other posts. Seems to work only on this one.

And OMG..you actually skydived...I'm full of envy of you hehee Datz one thing I'd really like to try provided I'll get the chance one day.