Beattys Overseas

We left Jo'burg and arrived nearly 12 hours later in Sydney, Australia.  To the delight of our bloodshot eyes and weary psyches, we immediately went to our hotel, the Sydney Marriott (another priceline.com hookup), checked into our upgraded room (congratulatory honeymoon champagne included!), and went to sleep. 

The next morning, we went to an area of the city called The Rocks and checked into climbing school!  The Harbour Bridge Climb is one of those quintessential things everyone told us we must do when in Sydney.  I had certainly planned to do it (I made our online reservations before we left Cape Town), but I had no idea how popular it was until both our flight attendants and a university pal of John's insisted we do it.  As it turns out, many locals do the climb as well since it truly is spectacular and gives such an amazing vantage point of the city.

The savvy entrepreneurs/climb instructors/marketing geniuses at the Harbour Bridge Climb School have this whole process down to a science.  From the time you check in to the time you leave the building everything is choreographed beautifully (total of a 3.5 hour process).  Groups of 12 climbers begin the climb every 15 minutes; ours left at 11:05am.  Once we check in, we report injuries, sign your life away on a liability form and take breathalyzer tests on us all, since you clearly can't be inebriated for climbing a 167 meter bridge. 
dorky climbing suits

Then we're passed along to another room where we're all given our non-fashionable nor flattering climb suits.  Next is the harnesses and clips and locks, which you'll attach to cables on the bridge, in case of (gasp!) a slip and fall.  We were given headpieces which connected to the microphone of our totally entertaining and enthusiastic guide, Vic.  Once we were out on the bridge, it was a little intimidating, but Vic's commentary about the views were interesting and tips on how to climb certain areas of the bridge were reassuring. 

The climb wasn't very difficult, and at quite a leisurely pace so you have time to really absorb the magnificent views.  Apparently the total number of stairs and steps for the whole climb is around 1,300 and the total climb time on the bridge is 2 hours.  We were so lucky to have blue skies that day at the moment we reached the summit, since it was raining the night before (and tours go out even in the rain--the only exception is electric storms).  The Opera House looked truly amazing from up there, and you could see everything in a 360 range. 

At the end of the climb we each were given cheesy little climber certificates and a complimentary photo.  The other photos, taken by instructor Vic during the time on the bridge, are offered for sale at an enormously inflated rate.  We bought our 5 photos on a CD so we could upload them here, and that cost even more.  Oh well, it's a once-in-a-lifetime thing, and it was worth every Australian penny.

After the Bridge we had lunch with one of our fellow climbers, Norma, a grandmother from 2 hours north who took the climb alone since no one she knew was brave enough to try it.  Norma's a champ, and she got a kick out of meeting two New Yorkers.  Then we walked to Darling Harbour, one of Sydney's top tourist attractions.  Similar to Cape Town's V&A Waterfront, it had a Pier 39 (San Francisco) thing going on.  Overpriced restaurants and a dozen tour company's offering boat cruises, but the main attraction is people watching.  With 80-degree weather and little crowds due to our mid-week visit, we're quite content little campers. 

We have been planning our time in Cairns since this birth of this trip.  Cairns (pronounced as kaens) is on the northwestern coast of Australia, and is one of the main cities that bring visitors close to the Great Barrier Reef. 
One of the "ribbons" of the ReefThe Reef is one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World, can be seen from space, and is an UNESCO World Heritage Site.  Unfortunately, the intricate string of coral reefs and sandy islands are in danger of damage, thanks to - you guessed it - climate change and global warming.  Some marine biologists estimate that the Great Barrier Reef will diminish completely within the next 40 years.  This, we simply HAD to see and experience on our trip. 

We had long been planning a visit to Cairns so that we can get Scuba Dive Certified here, then dive the Great Barrier Reef, where some of the most amazing ocean life can be viewed just a few meters under the surface.  We signed up with ProDive, who we later learned is like the Rolls Royce of diving schools in Cairns.  And, believe us, there are a ton of dive schools.  
Cairns marina at dawn, seen from our hotel roomThe whole town, from a newcomers point of view, revolves around the tourist industry that is the Great Barrier Reef.  There are a bunch of other things to do here, which I'll talk about later, but the Reef is Attraction Numero Uno.   

ProDive's 5-day Learn To Dive  course starts with 1/2 day in the classroom, then a 200 meter swimming test and a 10-minute treading water test in their training center saltwater pool.  We both passed with flying colors, and our David-Beckham-lookalike instructor, named Warren, then put us into our scuba equipment for the first time.  The concept of breathing underwater is very foreign to humans, and for me - having never even snorkeled before - it was more difficult than expected.  John took to breathing through his mouthpiece in 3ft of water fine, but I kept panicking and swimming to the surface.  Not good - Warren told us, "The Surface is Never the Solution!"  And it's true, when you're under the pressure of a few meters of water, bursting up toward the surface can cause serious injury to a diver.  However, I couldn't rationalize with my instinct that I had a huge tank of oxygen attached to my back and if I just kept breathing through my mouth I'd stay alive.  So, in short, I quit.  Diving is not for me, for now... 

But, John continued in the course and is currently out on the Great Barrier Reef, on ProDive's sleeper boat where students go out for 3 dives a day, and are completely certified by Day #4 of the course.  I am currently planning a day of snorkeling tomorrow on a different section of the Reef with our friends Paul & Lorna who are in Cairns now as well.  Paul and Lorna are travelling the world also, although their itinerary and route greatly differs from ours (they're doing a whole year, and they're doing tons of Asian nations!).  It's great to see them, and to have some buddies with us.   

- Whitney

I have always, since my parents took us to see JAWS at the Sunrise drive-in and we played on the swings in our pajamas, been afraid of sharks & dark water.  And since I am a terrible swimmer, especially now that my shoulder is outta whack and whatnot, I have also been afraid of deep water.  If I can't see to the bottom, then it ain't cool.  I am a land lover.

The point of telling you this is that I wanted this trip to be be partially about confronting some of my fears (especially my fear of waking each morning to resume hard work in a cubicle somewhere, or worse!).  So Whit and I planned to learn to dive while at the Great Barrier Reef.  In order to participate in dive school, we needed to pass both a medical exam and a swim test, the latter which we were both secretly worried about.  And the annoying beauty of the $55 medical exam is that you have to pay whether you pass the exam or not.  If I was the doctor it would make cents.

Well, my first medical didn't go too well.  The bad Doctor failed me.  I think he did so maliciously. My ears and sinuses were ok, breathing too.  We  then went over my medical history and I informed him of my motorcycle accident related ankle surgery.  In fact, I had noted it on the questionaire as "O.R.IF.", or "Open Reduction Internal Fixation" -- how it is ALWAYS referred to in the medical field. 

His response was, "ORIF: What's That?"

I then asked if he hadn't been present the day they taught that class in Medical School, to which he made a weird face and proceeded to fail me...  About 2 seconds after I told this guy about my shoulder surgery, he hastily examined my arm and circled the "temporarily unfit" category. 

Not to be deterred, I paid this cat his $55 clams (no pun) and I sought what's known in the business as a 'second opinion.'

$48 dollars and some nice conversation with a new Doc (just down the street) later (including a wish for a happy honeymoon), and I was on my way to dive school with a "good to go" certificate and a ton of apprehension.  The second exam was quicker than the first, too, as the second Doctor and I never even discussed shoulder surgery.  Imagine that.

- John