TravelStream™ news feed for member bpippert on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/bpippert en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Tue, 09 Jun 2009 20:24:03 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/bpippert/1/1244520000/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/bpippert/1/1244520000/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/bpippert/1/1244520000/tpod.html Tue, 09 Jun 2009 20:24:03 -0400 The Brian of OZ - East Coast Australia

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Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

So I have reached my final location for my OZ journey. Before I arrived in Sydney I wasn't really looking forward to my time here as a couple Queenslanders (Kent) had basically said Sydney is a terrible place that I would hate. Sydney is actually a really cool city with some beautiful architecture so I imagine there might be a little Queensland - NSW rivalry in those comments. There a ton to do in Sydney, along with a bunch of day trips like the Blue Mountains and the Hunter Valley (Vineyards). When I first got into Sydney I thought that i had only one day to do everything so the first day I tried to fit everything in. I went on a walking tour of the city, I walked through the rocks (first spot where Captain Cook landed in Sydney), over the Harbor Bridge and then I caught a ferry over to Manly. The ferry ride is basically the best (and cheapest ) way to get an amazing view of both the Opera House and the Harbor Bridge. Manly is a cool spot with a very nice beach lined with shops and restaurants and all that jazz. There was actually a bit of a surf comp happening while I passed through so that was pretty cool, I might have tried surfing again as it was actually a really nice day (despite being winter) but I still wanted to get a good look at the opera house and see a few more sights. So I ferried back, walked around the Opera House which is a really really cool building and took a stroll through the botanical gardens.

That night I was packing up for my flight the next day so it was a little sad, I decided to double check my ticket to figure out what time I was flying out, to my surprise I was actually not flying out for another day. Thankfully I didn't make that mistake of thinking I was leaving a day later then my actual flight or I would have been in a bit of trouble. So I was pretty excited that I had an extra day. I went out to Bondi yesterday determined to go surfing. I got there, walked down to the beach to check everything out and the waves where actually breaking really nicely and perfect for my skills level. The unfortunate part was that it was possibly the windiest day ever and I was freezing with a jumper standing on the beach so I wimped out and decided I would have to hold off my next surf session a couple years. Thats about it, I've said good bye to the last couple people that I've traveled with for a bit and now I have to catch a bus to the airport. Its been an amazing adventure and I can't believe its already over.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/bpippert/1/1244388947/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/bpippert/1/1244388947/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/bpippert/1/1244388947/tpod.html Sun, 07 Jun 2009 11:42:18 -0400 The Brian of OZ - East Coast Australia

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Red Rock, New South Wales, Australia

This was only any overnight stop for me but it was loads of fun. We got in around noon after a short drive from Byron Bay. The camps located basically in a caravan park so there was pt no pot real town for miles. I think the nearest town would be Coffs Harbor. The camp itself had a pretty cool layout with a little volleyball court, some hammocks and a fire pit where everyone spent most of the night.



After a quick surf lesson at the camp we headed out to the beach to get frothing (apparently thats the big word for having fun in surfie talk, kinda like stoked i guess, either that or they were screwing around with us which actual seems to be a thing a lot of the guides do in Australia). I'd been on a surf lesson in Hawaii so that helped a bit, but i wasn't overly successful there so I wasn't overly confident at how well I would do. I got tossed around a little bit at first and having trouble coordinating how to get up and stabilize myself. After a little while and a few tips from the instructors i was actually getting up pretty consistently. It was really frothy (fun/awesome), I imagine I could get used to surfing every day and finishing off around the campfire every night. The one instructor guide guy was pretty much your stereotypical surfie. Imagine --- from 'Fast Times At Ridgemont High' and that pretty much what thus guy looked and sounded like but with an Ozzy accent. It was pretty entertaining for me. If I had a couple more days I might have stayed and tried to improve my surf skills so I could catch some nice big waves.



I'm just on the bus now, we had a breakdown any hour or so in (basically in the middle of nowhere). Apparently a mechanical engineer is close enough to a mechanic that I was enlisted to fix the bus. Being in the middle of nowhere and the fact that is the Sunday morning of a long weekend made getting a bus mechanic basically impossible. Looking at the engine there about 2 or 3 times as many pumps, filters and what not as a car and there where fuel and coolant lines running everywhere, so I figured we might be in a bit of trouble. Luckily it was just a case that the fuel gage was broken and we ran out of gas. the catch was that we needed to bleed the fuel line of air before starting the engine by using a hand pump located in the engine bay somewhere. The bus driver (my first female driver 'Hoops') didn't know where the pump was on this bus and the other driver she called said it was under the bus somewhere so we would need to get under the bus. I'd say 3 or 4 of us looked for a good hour on our backs under the bus with no luck. I'd basically given up when me and this Irish guy Neil just started pulling at thing right at the front of the engine and ended up finding it in probably the most convenient place it could be. Mind you it looked like a cap not a hand pump. So we finally got back on the road and now I'm on my way to Sydney.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/bpippert/1/1244388335/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/bpippert/1/1244388335/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/bpippert/1/1244388335/tpod.html Sun, 07 Jun 2009 11:34:29 -0400 The Brian of OZ - East Coast Australia

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Byron Bay, New South Wales, Australia


As I've already mentioned i didn't schedule my trip very well and i literally just have enough time to get to my flight in Sydney. So, Byron Bay was a really short trip. The bus rolled in town as the sun was setting (it was actually on on really spectacular sunset) and I had to leave early in the morning. But, of what i did see in Byron Bay made me feel like I should have spent a load of time here. Back in the 60's there was a bit of a hippie festival held in Byron Bay and they liked it so they decided to stay. As the story goes they have been there since along with a load of "surfies". The people here gives the town a really cool, laid back vibe. Apparently there is also some really good surfing out of Byron as well. I imagine if/when I come back i would stay in Byron Bay for a while and experience some of the surfer bum lifestyle.

Of what time i did spend there most was in the local bar 'Cheeky Monkeys'. It just so happened that it was there 20 year anniversary or something so there was a load of games and prizes. All the bar staff were wearing some pretty scary looking clown makeup and they had bit of on on circus act with people hanging from ropes and what not. I managed to win a couple of beers in the trivial pursuit game and had a fun night.

I may have had a little to much fun though as a woke up in the morning and forgot to checkout before loading up on the bus. It also happened that the hostel had the highest key deposit I've experienced at $20. So that was a bit of any expensive souvenir. Anyways the next stop is surf camp which I'm pretty excited about.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/bpippert/1/1244010956/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/bpippert/1/1244010956/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/bpippert/1/1244010956/tpod.html Thu, 04 Jun 2009 21:35:38 -0400 The Brian of OZ - East Coast Australia

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Airlie Beach, Queensland, Australia

So I realize I haven't updated in a while, but I'm still alive and well. I've managed to avoid the floods, the swine flu and any kind of Wolf Creek experience (Australia's version of Hostel). I have realized that I did not give myself nearly enough time to do everything I wanted so I've packed a load of stuff into a short time. So, I'll try to recap as well as I can.

Airlie Beach is basically just a jump off spot to set sail on the Whitsunday Islands. The town itself is basically one street that consists of bars, hostels and places to eat. There isn't really much to do in the town but sunbath and drink. So, well, that pretty much what I did until I got on my boat out to the Whitsunday Islands.

I sing up for the sailing trip with my new friend Dusko in Magnetic Island so we set out on Monday for 2 nights on the boat Tongarra. Tongarra was a good size catamaran, but when I saw it and realized that 22 people and a crew had to sleep and spend the next 48 hours on it together I got a little nervous. It ends up that everyone actually just slept on the deck of the boat where they they threw up a big tent cover. I was a little surprised at first, but it was amazing to be able to sleep under the stars which are really spectacular in Australia.

Anyways we set out with a unfortunate forecast of rain but I soon realized that it is what you make of it. Luckily the clouds broke up over the first night so we got some sunshine. I loved being out on the boat again. The views were really spectacular and we ended up getting a pretty good group of people, but once again I was the only North American on the trip which I don't mind at all. Ya, I definitely met a lot of different interesting characters.

The trip was also my introduction to something they call goon here. It basically extremely cheap wine that come in 4 liter boxes. I thought it was actually not bad and when you consider a case of beer is nearly $50 you can see why its often the backpackers drink of choice.

We also visited White-haven beach off from the boat. It basically one of the most beautiful beaches you will see. The sand is so white that it can be blinding when the sun is shining bright.

So after a few nights on the goon and getting up at the crack of dawn I was pretty exhausted. Although late nights and early mornings have become my daily routine. I figure I can sleep when I get back to Canada.

Back in Airlie I stayed a couple more nights and hung out with some people from the boat. Next off to Kroombit.


]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/bpippert/1/1244164230/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/bpippert/1/1244164230/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/bpippert/1/1244164230/tpod.html Thu, 04 Jun 2009 21:14:29 -0400 The Brian of OZ - East Coast Australia

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Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

I decided to stop in Brisbane for a couple night basically just to say I've been here. It was kind of strange at first because I had gotten used to the small town vibe. I liked the fact the for the past couple weeks I was in towns that consisted of one main street that I could cover in 5-10 minutes. The mentality of backpackers here is a bit different as well, many backpackers come to Brisbane to find work so they are here for a couple months so they aren't necessarily looking to socialize every night. I guess I was also starting to not like getting to know a group of people really well and then moving on and having to meet new people, but that's what its all about I guess. Anyways the city itself is really nice, very clean and there some really nice architecture. On the first day I think I hit most of the major sights on a walk that took 3 or 4 hours. I actually ran into a protest of some sort where about a hundred people decided to sit in the middle of an intersection in the center of the city. The cops had to come to sort it all out. Despite being the 3rd largest city in Australia Brisbane actually has a sort of laid back personality, you don't really find the pretentiousness that you find in other big cities.

Last night was interesting as the backpackers I stayed at had a bit of a games night was prizes and what not. Most of the prizes where for trips I had been on or didn't have time to go on but I figured I could trade them for a couple jugs if I did win. I nearly won the first competition which was a thumb war, I took down 5 challengers but a last minute challenger managed to get me because my forearm was already tired and tensed up (that's my excuse anyways). For another competition they called up anyone that could scull (chug) a pint, I figured I could hold my own so I stepped up, worst case I get a free beer. Ends up they never intended to give us beer and we had to down a pint of rice crispies with a cup of soda water mixed with balsamic vinegar to wash it down. You can imagine how pleasant that was and I didn't even end up winning in the end some Canadian girl finished before anyone of the guys had finished half somehow. That also makes me realize that after not really meeting any Canadians for the past couple weeks I would say more then half the bar was Canadians and Americans so that was a little strange.

I'm leaving in a couple of hours for Byron Bay so I'm just trying to preoccupy myself, I might hit up the Treasury Casino and see if I can't make some money to spend over the next few days down the coast.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/bpippert/1/1244013011/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/bpippert/1/1244013011/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/bpippert/1/1244013011/tpod.html Wed, 03 Jun 2009 19:49:24 -0400 The Brian of OZ - East Coast Australia

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Rainbow Beach, Queensland, Australia

This is probably going to be another long one because I just got back and it was definitely the best leg of the trip so far. I'm kind of sad its over to be honest.

Anyways I got into Rainbow Beach in the evening after a bus ride from Kroombit. I was again with Dusko and we met the other 9 members of our group that were going in a self drive 4x4 on Fraser Island the next morning. It was a karaoke night at the hostels bar so we got to know each other and brought down the house at the end of the night with a fantastic rendition of Bohemian Rhapsody.

As per usual it was another early morning and again I was the only North American. It was actually a really diverse group, a couple people from Germany, couple from Holland, couple from Denmark then Ireland and England. So the whole trip was to be self driven, they give you the camping equipment a full tank of gas and a map and you go off which was pretty cool.

Fraser Island is the worlds largest sand island and it also is home to the largest population of pure dingos. The island is basically surrounded by a couple hundred kilometers of fantastic beach. The sand is so fine that is some areas it actually squeaks when you walk over it. That also means that it gets everywhere, I still have sand in my hair and in my ears but I also got buried and made into a mermaid so that's a bit of my own fault.

Once again the forecast was for rain and for the first couple hours it didn't look promising. But it was still pretty fun driving on the beach. Although they did start playing really terrible German and dutch music for a bit there and I got really scared that that was going to go on for a while. So things cleared up and we drove down to Lake Wabby. After about a 30 minute walk we came out on to a nice little freshwater lake with a giant sand dune backing it. We had some good fun here played a big game of soccer on top of the sand dune. Basically the whole trip my truck traveled with the other truck from our hire company so there was a group of 22 and it was quite fun. Anyways, finished off our time at the lake with some swimming a little race down the dune and some beer.

The first night we scheduled things a little poorly so we were forced to find a camping spot along the beach and set up in the dark and it wad quit windy. So setting up was exciting, but in the end we had a really cool little set up. Somehow we managed to make a really nice meal there and had a nice evening.

Second morning I woke up to find that one of our rear tires was flat so that wasn't the most fun thing to wake up to. Luckily there was a few of us that knew what were doing so we fixed that up with the other cars spare while the rest cleaned up and made some breakfast. This is were I got behind the wheel the first time, i was a little nervous as I have never driven a manual transmission with a right hand drive and well I haven't driven in standard for a year or two. That day we were heading to Lake Mackenzie which is about 10 km inland so I got to drive on some really crazy track. This is the kind of stuff that 4WD is made for, it was really a load of fun and I managed to only embarrass myself once when I was following someone and didn't have enough speed to make it up a hill.

Lake Mackenzie is a really amazing lake with a beautiful white beach. The white sand gave the water a really nice bright blue turquoise color. I'm sure many people would say that this was there idea of paradise so it was pretty cool. We had a bunch of fun here throwing around the football and a good amount of time trying to build a giant standing pyramid of people standing on each others shoulders. I don't have any pictures on my camera but I think we got it nearly 4 people high so it was a little nerve racking being at the bottom. We finished up there and went to a campground which was a lot nicer to set up in since it was still light and there was no wind. We made a huge dinner which was really nice again and we had a little party to finish off all the goon that we had brought.

The third and final day we had to get up early to drive all the way up the island to Indian head which is a really rock formation that comes out from the beach. You could climb to the top and see the many kilometers of beach on either side of you, it was great stop. That say we stopped at a couple other attractions on the island like the colored sands and a shipwreck right on the beach from the 1930's. Then we had to make it back to the ferry before the tide came in.

So that was my little adventure, unfortunately when we returned there was a problem with the truck. One of the rear springs was broken, after reading the contract again I saw that we had insurance but it had a list of things that it didn't cover which started with the rear spring. In fact it was a bit of a long list so the whole event got people a little heated, but we decided not to to let it ruin the experience.

So now I'm in Brisbane, checking out the sight and not wanting my adventure to be over quite yet, but i have a few more days to have some fun.

]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/bpippert/1/1244011812/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/bpippert/1/1244011812/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/bpippert/1/1244011812/tpod.html Wed, 03 Jun 2009 03:06:01 -0400 The Brian of OZ - East Coast Australia

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Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia

Leaving Airlie beach the day started early about 6ish so I got a good 4 hours of sleep. Thing got interesting right off the get go as me and Dusko had a disturbing encounter with one of the other people in our dorm room. We stopped for a bit of lunch and a lawn bowling session at midday. Apparently lawn bowling is a pretty serious sport over here which is a little ridiculous to me, but Aussies can be a bit strange. The bus ended up breaking down in the place we were lawn bowling so it added a bit more excitement. It was a little scary there for a while as we waited for the bus to be fixed or replaced as the town was basically just a retirement village and I don't imagine it has much more entertainment then the lawn-bowling club if we had to stay the night.

Avoiding a night of fun at the lawn-bowling club the bus arrived in Kroombit the evening which made it a long day of traveling. Kroombit is about the closest I will get to true outback. It over the great dividing range so its a pretty arid, dry place. All that really happens in Kroombit is cattle farming. I stayed at a cattle station of about 10000 acres with thousands of head of cattle and a couple hundred goats. Once the bus arrived everyone had a little fun learning how to crack a whip, doing some limbo and my favorite a mechanical bull competition. I'm proud to say I emerged victorious beating the next guy by only 1 buck of the bull. I regretted it a bit afterward though as my thighs were recked. I literally could not bend my knees for a good half hour.

In the morning there was more excitement as everyone took part in a bit of a goat rodeo and a goat muster which was really cool. I learned how to throw a lasso and then we made teams and had a little time trial competition. The objective was to simulate the branding of a goat. So, two of us went into a ring with goat, we had to catch the goat drag it by the horns over to the other guy and then flip it by grabbing it legs and lifting it off the ground then holding it down with your knees. Then you would brand it (we didn't actually brand it though). We did a few other goat competitions and then headed out on horses to muster the goats out to passage. We herd the goats by getting up behind them and yelling loudly. We took the goats a couple of kilometers over all sorts of different terrain. The job was made harder by the fact that goats are extremely horny creature. But after a little hard work we managed to muster all of the goat to pasture.

So that was a fun little stop over and after the muster it was off to Rainbow Beach.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/bpippert/1/1242947880/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/bpippert/1/1242947880/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/bpippert/1/1242947880/tpod.html Sun, 24 May 2009 03:19:17 -0400 The Brian of OZ - East Coast Australia

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Magnetic Island, Queensland, Australia

So on my second stop down the coast I visited Magnetic Island which is a beautiful island of the coast from Townsville. On the way down the bus visited a croc farm so I got to see some more croc feedings. This time there was a nearly 5 meter giant that they fed which was pretty cool. There were also kangaroos, wallabies and what I assume was an emu running around the place so we got to hand feed some kangaroos, which was pretty cool and there were a couple fresh out of the pouch and a couple with there feet still hanging out. After a 20 minute ferry ride we were there and I started to meet lots of interesting people right away. There are a load of people from the UK and Ireland backpacking but I've met people from all over the world already. The hostel is pretty cool, it basic accommodations but its located right on the beach with a pretty amazing view. The hostel is also the site of the islands main bar so I've already had a few fun nights.

After 2 weeks of basically meat and beer in Cairns I decided that I needed a little exercise so I set out on a hike of which there are a couple on the Island. The first hike I tried actually ended up being 2+ hours of walking up and around a mountain so it was pretty intense, but the views were definitely worth it. A Scottish guy I met the first night decided to tag along unfortunately he was wearing flip flops so it he still nursing a number of blisters. I suppose it was 2 days ago now, but on my second full day on the island I decided to do another walk were there was supposed to be koalas, unfortunately there were none but again some pretty spectacular views. After that I went to go a little walk down to one of the beaches and get a bus back, unfortunately I later found out the bus didn't go to that part of the island so I ended up on a race against time to try to navigate through a poorly marked trail to get back to civilization before the sun went down. I nearly had a heart attack running up and down a mountain but I made it and ended up getting a pretty sweet sunset pic as well.

Anyways now I am in Airlie beach and I'll have to update after be sailing trip to the Whitsunday Islands.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/bpippert/1/1242686700/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/bpippert/1/1242686700/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/bpippert/1/1242686700/tpod.html Thu, 21 May 2009 19:07:01 -0400 The Brian of OZ - East Coast Australia

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Daintree, Queensland, Australia

For the last little trip out of Cairns Tarrah and I went up to Cape Tribulation in the Daintree national park. Apparently it is the oldest rainforest in the world and it looks pretty much the same as it might have millions of years ago (not actually sure of how long ago). The drive was a little exciting as we didn't get there until dark and the road to Cape Tribulation consists of about a half our of windy roads stuck between cliffs and big drop offs. Apparently you also have to watch out for cassowaries.

The rainforest was really spectacular and we went on a few walks around Daintree which were cool. We also went on a kayak tour around Cape Tribulation (a cape is apparently just a big protrusion of land out from the coast). The first mistake made was that neither of us remembered to bring sun lotion and on a sunny day like it is apparently the sun can burn in about 10 minutes. So we got a little toasted but nothing to bad. There are some really long beautiful beaches all along the coast there and one cool thing is that you can see the holes left by sting rays on the beach from when the tide was in. I'm sure you all know who Steve Irwin, anyways apparently we stood about 10 km from the spot that he got it from a giant sting ray a couple of years ago. Another interesting thing was that near the top of the beach there was all sorts of little balls of sand, which I'll post a picture of, apparently there are really small sand bubble crabs that eat all the bacteria off the sand and then throw it outside of there holes. These balls lined kilometer long beaches so you can imagine how many there are, they were pretty easy to catch but most weren't any larger then a large spider.

So that was a cool trip. Then it was time to say goodbye to Cairns and Tarrah and hope on the OZ Experience bus down to Magnetic Island.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/bpippert/1/1242379020/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/bpippert/1/1242379020/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/bpippert/1/1242379020/tpod.html Fri, 15 May 2009 05:25:52 -0400 The Brian of OZ - East Coast Australia

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Tully, Queensland, Australia

Two days ago we went to Mossman Gorge which has a big river with a bunch of natural swimming holes. Tarrah took me to a secret local spot that we had to clime through the rain forest to get to, but it was worth it. The water was ice cold but refreshing and there was a rope swing. I was a little hesitant at first of the stability of the rope and the safety of the whole situation but I survived. Tarrah wimped out because the water was too cold so she didn't partake.
Probably the highlight of my trip so far was whitewater rafting on the Tully River. Now I was rafting in the Ottawa River last summer but this actually put that to shame. We went through grade 4 rapids (on a scale up to 6 with 6 being unraftable) right through the middle of the rain forest. When we weren't paddling to avoid getting flipped the scenery was incredible and there all sort of these bright blue Ulysses butterflies which are beautiful. I got tossed once before lunch, but that was in a spot they were trying to flip us because it was relatively safe. After lunch thing were a little quicker pace going 10 km over 2.5 hours. On the second last rapid, one of the longest and probably one of the most dangerous to flip our boat came over the top of a rock and the raft flipped. At first I wasn't to worried, I got thrown a little further from everyone else and for the moment I was being held by a rock so I grabbed a bunch of floating paddles. At this point I don't think anyone knew what kind of danger we were in so no one was that panicked, although it hard to judge as there head were still bobbing in the water . I looked up and the guide looked to be pretty panicked as he raced to try to get everyone onto the still flipped raft. Apparently at first Tarrah was stuck between the raft and a rock until the guide grabbed her from on top of the raft. At this point I lost my hold and started drifting down to the side, so I thought I would slowly drift to the raft and I would jump on. When this didn't happen and I saw that there was still a couple hundred feet of rapids in front of me I decided to ditch the paddles and try to save my limbs from some serious damage. Luckily moments before I got sucked down a rope hit me and I grabbed onto it and I joined another raft. The water as running to fast for us to help my old raft so we had to get down the rest of the rapids trying to grab paddles where we could. I looked on from the bottom of the rapid while the rest of the guides tried to figure out how to flip this raft right way up in the middle of a rapid. This process took about 15 minutes and apparently the other rafters had to be paddling hard the whole time to keep there boats in position to help my old raft, still flipped. Eventually everyone got down safely without any real damage done. To say the least it was pretty intense and a really amazing experience so i wouldn't want to put anyone off from rafting. Unfortunately the camera guy was not filming at the time or I'm guess there would be some amazing footage.

Right now we are preparing for Tarrah's big birthday party on the beach. We just picked up a keg cooler and about $100 worth of meat so it looked to be a pretty good time. Hopefully I'll update again when I'm at Magnetic Island in about 5 days.
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