Back home in Edmonton, the Black-billed Magpie is universally despised. The meanest of the mean. There is a somewhat valid reason for this – they bully other birds, eat eggs and hatchlings, and can make a mess of unsecured garbage. But let me ask you this, Edmontonians: Have you ever seen a sign warning you…
June 21-27th – Magnetic Island
What is it about islands that makes them intrinsically more exciting than the mainland? There are some obvious answers: being surrounded by ocean on all sides, small local communities, etc etc.. But here’s another great thing about islands – you can put a whole bunch of Koalas on them and they can’t go anywhere. That’s what…
June 7-21 – Cassowary Coast
I hate to admit this, but I’m an awful birdwatcher. You might be surprised to learn it’s even possible to be bad at birding, as all you have to do is look at birds. But you’d be shocked at how intense the hobby can get – there are people out there that spend their evenings…
May 30 -June 6 – Atherton
Before leaving on my trip, I read Bill Bryson’s ‘In a Sunburned Country’, in which he documents his journey throughout Australia. What I appreciated most about the book was Bryson’s ability to laugh at himself. In one chapter, Bryson writes about sitting alone in a hotel bar, listening to strangers’ conversations and giving the occasional…
May 14-30 – Kuranda
Kuranda is a little village with a population of just over 3,000, surrounded by some of Australia’s most biodiverse jungle. Monday through Thursday most of the main square is completely closed, but things erupt on the weekends. The majority of visitors come up from Cairns via the Kuranda Scenic Railway, spend a few hours at…
May 7-14 – Cairns
I knew going into this trip that I’d have to learn to tolerate hostel dorms, but it still managed to kick my ass. 9 of my 11 roommates in Cairns had travelled to Australia together from Europe with the intent of partying all night, but not without coming back to the room hourly to turn…
I’m Off to Australia!
Enough time has passed that I can admit my trip to Costa Rica was me running away from my problems. So much hit at once, and I decided the only logical response was to channel my inner Thoreau and run off to a cabin in the middle of nowhere. Most of the trip was spent…