My Trip Down Under
Rose
Me and my new hairy friend!
This past summer, I had the privilege of traveling to Australia with my choir. The trip was amazing. After flying almost 24 hours, we final arrived in Sidney, Australia. As soon as we landed, our tour began.
We visited one large zoo/park where we were able to see many kangaroos, wallabies, wombats, Tasmanian devils, koalas and many other animals too! Not only did we see them, but many of the animals roamed around free in the park so we could also pet them! I had the chance to have my picture taken with a koala and they are the cutest balls of fur I have ever seen (although they are also rather smelly!)
Another amazing thing we were able to do is snorkel at the Great Barrier Reef! We took a boat from Douglas Harbor until we were near to the reef and then we took smaller boats to a tiny island were we put on wet suits (making us look like teletubbies!) and snorkeled above the reef. It was exactly like something from a movie! I saw fish of all different kinds including clown fishes. The various types of reef were also very beautiful.
The main reason for our tour was a concert at the Sydney Opera House, where our choir would be featured! Our choir along with another children’s choir and a few adult choirs joined together under the famous director Eric Knapp and performed two pieces, one of which was called “Mass of the Children." It was a breathtaking piece. After singing those songs with the other choirs our choir had the chance to sing a few of our own songs. It was an amazing experience to sing here, both because it was a sold out show, but also because it was a sold out show at the Sydney Opera House!
We also spent part of our time in Cairns, Australia. It was a cute little town within walking distance from our hotel. Nobody is allowed to swim in the ocean there because of the alligators, but they have a lagoon that always seemed to be surrounded by sunbathing bodies! The town had many gelato shops, local art, food and benches right next to the water where you could sit and admire Australia’s natural beauty.
Other things we did while in Australia included going on a sky tram above a rainforest, visiting the botanical gardens, spending a day at Bondi Beach, dancing to traditional Australian folk songs, eating kangaroo, Riding in an Army Duck Boat, singing with my choir in the streets for walkers-by, going to an Aboriginal Park (where we got our faces painted like the Aboriginals there used to) and many other amazing experiences which I will never forget.
Sadly, when I got home I did not bring back an Australian accent, although I did bring home tons of pictures and memories. I f anyone was to ask me whether I would go back or not, my answer would be: absolutely. I would also encourage everyone else to go there too. Australia is a beautiful place with many wonders to see.
