Saturday, June 16 - Everything in between an Ecosystem

I don't know what drinking games Australians play, but whatever it is it must be fun. I didn't sleep at all this night thanks to those party animals. The evidence is on your left.

After the Great Barrier Reef, Jeff and I went to meet up with Ken and Rachel on the Esplanade. We decided to hit the night markets for a little bit. The Night markets are like the souvenir central of this city, so I bought a few things. Fun fact: Australians have a lot of the same car companies as we do in America. This includes: Toyota, Hyundai, Nissan, BMW, Honda, Mazda, and Dodge. The license plate for Queensland is "The Sunshine State" which is funny because this area reminds me of Florida very much. However, on my friend Amanda's car, it's "The Smart State". She said they're trying to change it over to that.
We then ventured to this amazing Gelato spot near the night markets. They had some amazing flavors, including Red Bull, Pavlavo (The one I tried and LOVED) Tiramisu, etc. We all had some, it was irresistible.

We then attempted to get on a bus back to our campus. Took forever, as usual, since the bus systems are never on time. But, this time we knew.

Many people travel barefoot in this country, however, it's hard for me to accept when I get an earring stuck in my flip-flop (aka thong). I can't bring myself to say thong when referring to my shoe. It's definitely weird to say flip-flop, though.



We were walking back through our pathway to our accommodations and found this little fella on the roof of a tunnel. They have gorgeous butterflies and bugs here (never thought I'd say bugs). However, I have never had so many mosquito bites in my life! Mozzies are what they call them here...I may switch to that, it's easier to spell. 

Here's another video I found, I don't know which day I took it, but you can see the roundabout system and how effective it is! I really want the US to push for this, it's more sufficient.

You'll also hear one of my assistant professors talking in the background. I'm not sure what I was trying to hear other than the accent. This must've been taken soon after I got to AU because I was so determined to record someone's accent. This is the last bit of random info that I can find inbetween my visit to the reef. Next blog will be on my adventure into the Tablelands! Stay Tuned! Cheers!