Yes, I feel like I have been beaten. I took a tour of the great ocean road from Melbourne to Adelaide. We left Monday morning at 7am. The bus had to pick up a few other people so we didn't get out of Melbourne until about 8am. We then hit the great ocean road. The view was amazing! I saw and have many pictures of the Twelve Apostles. There were some spots were there was ocean on one side and cows or sheep on the other. It almost looked like Manitoba until you looked out into the ocean. The first day was pretty easy, just a few walks for pictures and stuff. You could also pay $70 for a helicopter ride over the twelve apostles but I didn't want to pay that much for a 10 minute ride. That night we stayed in a city of about 30,000 people. I can't remember the name of it, but the hostel was nice and our whole group got to stay in one room. A group of us walked down to the water to watch the sunset from the cliffs. It was also amazing, what a great way to end the day.
Day two also started early. We left the hostel at 7:30am. We went to an old volcano site and saw some local wildlife. Then we took 3 different hikes up mountains and in National Parks. It was the hottest day I have ever experienced in Australia. They were saying it might hit 41, but I don't think it got that hot. I would say it was at least 38. Which wouldn't be so bad, except we were hiking all afternoon. I didn't enjoy the day just because of the heat. When we got to the town we were staying we dropped our things off at the hostel and went for a swim in the local pool. It was sort of like the old pool at Curran Park in Brandon. It felt so good to cool off. After swimming the owners of the hostel / tour guides had a BBQ for us. It was so good, but I didn't feel so great so I didn't eat too much. The room we stayed in was so hot and there were 8 beds in there. There were only 7 girls so when one of the other girls went to bed and moved the one and only fan in the room so she could feel it, I was outta luck. At about 1am I decided to change beds for a top bunk that was getting the fan. I still did not sleep well at all. I was now hot, exhausted and couldn't wait to be done this tour.
Day three was still very warm. In the morning we went adventure caving. I was unsure if I would enjoy this since I worry about not having the athletic ability that the 19 year olds who way 100lbs have. Basically they take you into these caves and then you crawl threw little holes and tunnels on your hands and knees or belly or however you can fit. So before we go in we get decked out in overalls and knee pads as well as helmets with lights. Then our guide takes us in and we do a test crawl to see if we liked it. I did fine and wanted to continue. Once we got going and game to the first crawl, I went in first. I am very glad I did so I could take my time and get lots of help from the guide. It was hard but quick so it didn't feel so bad. The second crawl I did not do. It was called the eye of the needle and anyone with big boobs or a big chest struggles to get threw. I didn't want to embarrass myself and get stuck so I didn't go threw. The third one was very difficult. We climbed under these rocks into spaces I wouldn't think a kid would fit. I was right behind the guide because I was worried I wouldn't make it. Just past half way I felt panicked. I was tired and the space was so small. I started breathing heavy and just wanted out of there. The guide told me to just calm down and stop for a minute to catch my breath. I did and I felt better. I was so glad to be outta there, but so proud to have actually done it. The next crawl also included some rock climbing. I decided not to go since it was longer than the last one and I honestly didn't think I could do it. But I wasn't the only one who opted not to go. One girl didn't do any of the crawls at all, so I did feel good with myself. I have lots of pictures of the others going in and coming out of the last crawl. Most enjoyed it but lots were huffing and puffing when they came out. When we were all done and dirty we returned our equipment and then got a certificate saying we completed the crawl. We then went back to the hostel and collected our things. We drove for a few hours to a winery. We got to taste about 7 wines. Yum what a great way to finish the tour. So after trying seven wines you can imagine what the three hour bus ride is like into Adelaide. But we got here and I am staying in the YHA. It is the nicest hostel I have ever stayed in. There is even an elevator. lol.
Until next time,
Cindy
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