Straya Mate!

So this past week, I have been informally polling my friends, getting their opinions on where I should do my next blog post on (since I was kinda running low on ideas), and it appears that the majority of them think I need a post on Australia, so guess what this post's about? If you guessed Timbuktu, you're wrong. It's Australia.

I have to admit, I honestly have never given much thought to a vacation in Australia (probably because I always just associated it with crocodile wrestlers and violent kangaroos), but after thinking about it over the past few days, it actually sounds kind of fun! The first thing I would want to do in Australia is visit Sydney Harbor, where a lot of the really well-known things in Sydney, like the Sydney Opera House, Sydney Harbor Bridge, Botanic Gardens, and ferries are. I've kind of had a thing for harbors and sailboats ever since I visited Baltimore's Inner Harbor this summer, so I would definitely want to see Sydney's harbor if I ever get the chance to visit.

An aerial view of Sydney Harbor.
Image Courtesy of: Wikipedia

Since the first time I watched Nemo however many centuries ago, I have had the life goal of finding the real life 42 Wallaby Way Sydney. For those of you who have no idea what I am talking about, you really need to waste more of your life watching Disney movies. I would have no problem spending an entire in Sydney looking for this address. Unfortunately, however, the prospects of me actually finding this address are looking slim, based on my search on Google Maps; it comes up with a map of Utah, so that's always promising!

This movie is honestly my life!

Video Courtesy of: YouTube

Another thing I would want to do in Australia is visit Tasmania, an island off the coast of the Australian mainland. Because Australia was more separated from other continents as they broke away from Pangaea, they have a lot of really weird animal life that is not found on other continents, and Tasmania is kind of like weirdness of most of Australia x 10. They have (well, had, because some of them are extinct now) these weird Tasmanian tigers, Tasmanian devils, these big poisonous lizard-dragon things that I saw on Animal Planet once, and more! I would definitely want to see as many weird Tasmanian animals as I could while in Australia.

Look at that cool Tasmanian tiger! Too bad they are extinct :(
Image Courtesy of: Daily Mail

Finally, while in Australia, I would like to creep on hot guys and hear them talk. I think it is unanimously agreed that Australian is the hottest accent (although I have some friends who would argue that Portuguese is), so if I ever get to go to Australia, I would be sure to shut up enough to hear my fair share of Australian accents. While at my nerd camp this summer, my roommate's best friend was from Australia, and I loved her accent so much that every time she would come into our room, I would turn off my music just to hear her talk!

Are you guys going anywhere fun over Spring Break? Let me know if you are; I'd love to know where people are going to be visiting!

Las Islas Galápagos

For the past two weeks in two of my classes I have been learning about the Galapagos; in biology, we have been learning about Darwin's finches, and in Spanish, we've been learning about, well, Spanish... but specifically, Spanish and culture in the Galapagos. It's kind of weird how these two classes just happened to be teaching similar things at the same time (it's probably one of those "co-learning" B.S. things), but the more I learn about the Galapagos Islands, the more interesting it seems and the more I want to go visit.

The Galapagos on a map of the Americas.
They are kind of loners out there by themselves.
Image Courtesy of: World Atlas

The thing about the Galapagos we have been focusing the most on, in both Spanish and biology, is the animal life. Because it is so isolated from the "mainland" of South America, a lot of really weird animals have evolved here that can't be found anywhere else in the world. Of all these animals, I have to say I think marine iguanas are the weirdest. They're technically reptiles, and they live on land, but they get their food from the sea and can stay underwater for a really long time. They basically cliff-dive into the water and swim around using their tail (and they kind of look like Dwayne Johnson trying to do the worm). Then, when they get out of the water, they sneeze out all the water in their system. Marine iguanas are some weird dudes, and I'd definitely want to check them out if I ever go to the Galapagos.

I don't know why, but I think this video is hilarious.

I laughed so hard during the first two minutes, and nobody

in my class really understood why.

Video Courtesy of: YouTube

The Galapagos Islands aren't just home to marine iguanas; they are home to many other interesting animals, too, like dolphins, seals, fish, and turtles. Ever since I watched Nemo (best movie ever!), I have wanted to see ocean life in real life, and since the Galapagos have such diverse and unique marine life, this would be a great place to do this! As I talked about in my Costa Rica post, my experiences with scuba diving have been not-so-great, but I have snorkeled before without drowning, so I'd be willing to try that again. Think about how cool that would be to snorkel in the Galapagos: you'd be swimming in crystal-clear water, next to sea turtles, stingrays, rainbow fish, and sharks (although that shark part might freak a few people out).

Snorkeling with a sea turtle in the Galapagos.
Image Courtesy of: World Tag

Another thing I'd want to do in the Galapagos is hike. I'm usually not a big hiking person (probably because I always get left behind and lost in the woods), but if I visited the Galapagos, I'd want to take advantage of the opportunity to see one of the most beautiful natural landscapes in the world. My #1 "Dream Hike in the Galapagos" is a hike up a volcano. Because the Galapagos were formed by volcanoes, they have a ton of volcanoes, many of which are still active. I've never seen a volcano in real life, but the ones I've seen in movies have been really cool-looking, so if I ever go to the Galapagos, I'll be sure to check out a volcano!

Sierra Negra, a volcano on the Isabela Island of the Galapagos
Image Courtesy of: Summit Post

The Galapagos Islands are home to amazing natural features and fascinating wildlife. If I never need a nature fix, I know exactly where to go!

Ethiopia: An African Utopia*

*Before I say anything else in this post, take a second to appreciate that nice rhyme in the title there. It may or may not have required a rhyming dictionary, but it is by far the best rhyme I have made all week.

Ok. Now back to Ethiopia.

Ever since I went to a killer Ethiopian restaurant down in Salt Lake, I have wanted to travel to Ethiopia. Ethiopia is a pretty boss place. Most people don't really ever consider African countries as a travel destination, unless they are in to service work or safaris, but as I've looked into it, Ethiopia has a lot of fun and different experiences for tourists.

One thing I really want to do in Ethiopia is feed hyenas. Natives of the city of Harar, known as "hyena men," have tamed hyenas here for centuries and call them out by name to feed them from their own mouths (meaning the hyenas are literally eating out of their mouths)! Hyena men will often ask for volunteers and teach foreigners how to feed the hyenas, as well. You can watch a pretty cool video of this here.

A hyena man in Harar feeding a hyena.
Image Courtesy of: Globe Spots

I don't cook. Ever. It drives my parents insane how all I eat comes from the freezer, a restaurant, or their time and effort. In all honesty, I actually enjoy cooking; the maybe five times in my life I have cooked have been pretty enjoyable. The problem is I have absolutely no cooking skills and even less time (yes, I am aware that is in the negatives, and, yes, that is accurate). However, one day I will have time and lazy kids like me, so I will have to get some cooking skills, and what better place to do so than an Ethiopian cooking school!

Lalibela Cooking School is a well-known cooking school located in Lalibela, Ethiopia, where students can learn how to prepare authentic Ethiopian dishes. You can learn how to make injera (like a sourdough crepe) and curries and vegetable dishes. The classes are a little bit expensive, but hopefully with my future time and lazy kids will come a little bit of moola, if you're smellin' what I'm steppin' in.

Students and teachers after a class with a meal prepared at
Lalibela Cooking School.
Image Courtesy of: Food for Life

If I ever go to Ethiopia, I also want to visit Omo Valley. Omo Valley is located in Southern Ethiopia, where much of the country's "African" wildlife live. It is home to hippos, lions, gazelles, giraffes, zebras, rhinos, and all that jazz! Another thing in Omo Valley that sounds really interesting is their native people. The Omo Valley is home to about 200,000 people belonging to eight different African tribes. It is one of the only places on Earth where you can find people who are untouched and unaffected by the modern world and global culture. I think it would be amazing to see how life for these people is without any influence from the rest of the world whatsoever.

Children of African tribes living in Omo Valley.
Image Courtesy of: Wild Frontiers

Ethiopia is a fascinating country home to amazing opportunities. Although many people often overlook this amazing country as a travel destination, it has many unique and enjoyable activities for travelers. So next time you are looking for a place to go outside your usual trip to the beach or Boston or wherever, consider Ethiopia.