Happy Valentine's Day!!!

I made this for all of you.

Spooky Days

It is Friday the 13th and what is the first thing I see this morning on the beach?



A black cat crossing my path. I hope that is not bad luck...especially since Valentine's Day is tomorrow. Bad luck on Valentine's Day can be the worst luck of all sometimes. At least I didn't get a double whammy with something like this happening:

Tree Kangaroo

Have you ever heard of a tree kangaroo? The interesting creatures are threatened with endangerment, but are very unusual animals...even more than regular kangaroos. Apparently they are awkward on land, but are very fast in trees and can jump great distances. While the highest populations of them let are in New Guinea and Indonesia, there are dwindling populations left in Northern Queensland in Australia. There are a few different types of tree kangaroos, however.


This species is called the Goodfellows tree kangaroo. There are very few (if any) of these left in Australia outside of zoos.


This one is called the Lumholtz tree kangaroo and is the most common species found in the Australia.

I don't think any of these are on the islands, however. I didn't see any at the Koala Gallery Wildlife Experience, but I will have to check again. I would love to see one of these. Have any of you ever seen one?

Caption Contest #1

Here is the first of a series of contest I will be throwing on this blog. What I am looking for is the best (read: funniest) caption for this photo. Post your captions in the comments and Camille and I will choose the best one. The winner will receive a $20 gift card to Amazon/iTunes/whatever. You have until 2/17 to submit.

Good Luck!




*Please not, this is not a real contest. It is just a sample and there will be no winner.

You Ask, We Answer!

Hello Everyone. It is time again for 'You Ask, We Answer' features, where we respond to your questions. Remember, feel free to send us your questions on video! Here we go:

Hola. I am a college student and have been trying to figure out where my friends and me should go for Spring Break. I have been following your blog and the Great Barrier Islands look amazing, but I had a question. I see that the islands seem very family and couple friendly, but how party friendly is it? I mean, I want to have a good time while I am there. Plus, are there many chicks there?
- John

Very good question, John. The islands are very accommodating to families and couples, but that doesn’t mean they are boring by any means. There are lot of young people that come here to vacation and party. There are plenty of bars and definitely a lot of ladies here. As long as you are respectable, you should be able to have a great time. What I mean by that is, the islands are small, so you probably don’t want to embarrass yourself in front of people you are going to run into again and littering is a big no-no. Simple enough. There are plenty of people that have parties here all the time, however, so you won’t be the only ones. Plus, there are a lot of fun activities to do during the day with your friends like beach and water sports.

What are drop bears? – Anonymous

Drop bears are the scariest things ever. Imagine a koala with sharp fangs that hangs upside down from tree branches and drop teeth first onto the heads of their prey. Don’t be the next victim!*.

Eby – Have you heard about all those fires in Australia? Are you affecting the area you are in? – Liz, Kansas, USA

Hi Liz. Yes, I have been reading about them and watching it on the news. It is unfortunate how things have happened, but the fires have not affected the islands, luckily. Have you seen this video of firefighters giving water to a koala they found?



Hello,
I check out the blog everyday but I was wondering if you had any type of microblog that I could also check out? Like Twitter or Tumblr. Also, do you have a Facebook?
Robert Ford

Robert Ford? Like from the movie “The Assasination of Jessie James by the Coward Robert Ford?” Obviously you are not him, or you would be 147, and I am pretty sure (*spoiler alert*) he was shot at the end of the movie. Anyway. Yes, I do have all of the above. You can find my Twitter here [insert url], my Tumblr here [insert url], and my Facebook here [insert url]. Feel free to follow me on Twitter and Tumblr and add me as a friend on Facebook.

I didn’t see anything in your submission video about how well traveled you are, so I am curious. Where have you traveled to in the past?
David P.

The main reason I did not include that in my video is because it didn’t really matter. Sure, everyone can brag about where they have been and how much they love to travel. I feel like most people love to travel, though some people are privileges to have gotten to do it more that others have. Also, since every place is so different, it doesn’t effect how someone would be able to handle this type of job. Honestly, someone that have never left their country could do this job, as long as they are entertaining and motivated and such. But since you asked, I have been to Ecuador a couple times (volunteering as an eco-tourism guide for a stint my second time), I have been to Mexico, I have traveled a lot around the U.S. (opting to explore that which is closer to home than going abroad on occasion), I have been to Beijing and the surrounding area, and I have been to Indonesia (Jakarta and Bali).

Hey Eby, I wanted to congratulate you on the job. I also think your style of blogging is interesting. What made you decide to go with this approach over something more professional? I like it a lot more, but was just curious.
Alicia, Sydney, Australia

Thanks a lot, Alicia. I am glad you appreciate my approach. Here is my rational. I didn’t want to do something very new program-like, or traditionally travel show-like, or pamplet-like. I feel like that stuff is boring and seems so manufactured. I wouldn’t want to watch/read that stuff, so why anyone else want to? The experiences are real, so I wanted to be real with you all and show it how it really is. I want to give you great photos, make interesting/funny videos, and share my real thoughts on how things are. I don’t want to be fake and corny to you all…honestly, there is no need. Like I have to pretend like living on a tropical island on the Great Barrier Reef is awesome… ;)

Eby, I had to ask this question. If Hamilton Island was deserted and you were the only one stuck on it and could have only 10 items with you, what would they be? No electricity but the buildings are still there. Think of it like a ghost town. And no boats to leave it. And no satellite phones.
Windsor

Wow. Nice question, man. No electricity would render any electronic useless after whatever charge they have is done. And who knows how long I will be here? I guess I should start with the survival necessities: large lighter (ones used to start a grill), gallon of lighter fluid (unless it can be more than that, but I am assuming you would have to be able to carry it), crank flashlight (doesn’t require batteries), a large, sharp knife, a water filter, and a huge thing of sun block. Now on to the things to pass time with: my skateboard (only since the building are still around and it would be useless without a ground to skate on), my banjo (maybe I can finally get good at it), pinhole camera (doesn’t require batteries), and a case of film. I was assuming that I would be able to find things in the building like pencils, pens, notebooks, and rope. This was a fun one. Thanks, Windsor!

Hello Eby,
I was wondering what your plans were once the 6 months are over. Any ideas?
Winny

Well, I definitely am not going to need a vacation after this, hahaha! I love it so much here that I would really like to stay (as they warned when promoting this job), so I will see what I can find to do around here. Otherwise, I will be pitching a travel show that I am trying to produce. It won’t be a traditional one, I can assure you of that, but I don’t want to give away any surprises until it is further along. Don’t worry, I won’t abandon you all after this. I will keep Tourism Queensland up-to-date on what I am doing to communicate with you. If anything, I will go back to doing what I was doing before while trying to figure out if all of this really happened or was just a long, surreal dream.

Eby – Have you seen any celebrities on the islands? - Perez

Well, here the celebs are the whales, sea turtles, and dolphins, and yes, I have seen plenty of them. But as far as human celebrities go, I have actually seen a few. Sir Richard Branson (of Virgin fame) visits quite often. I think he is trying to buy another island or something. Brad and Angelina have been here. I think they wanted to adopt a kid, but there aren’t really any orphans on the Great Barrier Islands. Sorry. Cate Blanchett came to Hamilton Island on vacation. She is from Australia actually. And gentlemen, the iconic ozzie Elle Macpherson was actually here for a photoshoot last week. She may be 45 now, but she is still a supermodel and looks the part.

Quick question: Have you been to the mainland Queensland yet, or have you just been on the islands? I going to Queensland soon and wanted to know your take on it and what I should do there. I am visiting family there for two weeks and I have never been there and want to do fun things outside of seeing my family. Thanks.
Sherry, New Zealand

Well, outside of passing through, I haven’t really spent much time on the mainland yet. I have been on the islands for the most part. I have planned on going in this weekend, so I will let you know about what I find out. Also, if anyone ready this can answer Sherry’s question, shoot me an email and I will post the info. Plus, it would be useful for Camille and I for the weekend too. Thanks.

Hi Eby – Do you have any crazy/scary travel stories? They don’t have to be from this trip. I look forward to hearing them.
Lucy, Melbourne

I don’t have any crazy/scary stories from here, yet. Hopefully I don’t get any scary ones from here since I don’t like those, but bring on the crazy. My closest stories to meet your criteria both come from my stint as an eco-tourism guide in Ecuador. The first was from my first time leading a swamp tour by myself. The first thing you have to realize is that we were in the middle of the rainforest: a 6 hour motorized canoe ride to the closest small city, which was a 12 hour bus ride to a large city. Well, I had been through the swamps with the local guides a few times and figured that I could give one on my own when there was a lot of tours coming through at the time and needed to break the groups up into more separate one. I took some through the forest into the swamps and was doing fine until I almost stepped on a huge electric eel (it was thicker than my arms). It was right in our route and the tourists got scared and wanted to go back so I took them back. The thing is that I didn’t have my camera with me and wanted a photo. So when I got back (it was a 40 minute walk back to the cabins) I grabbed my camera and ran back to where it was. It was gone, so I decided to wander into the swamps in the area, off the trail to find it. This ended up being a bad idea because an hour passed and I was chest deep in mud and lost. If I were to run into it at that point and get electrocuted, I would have drowned since I was by myself. I should also note that there were anacondas in the area. I all of a sudden got really scared. Luckily, I found my way back to the trail and back to the camp. It was terrifying. The second experience was at the end of that trip, while slowing making my way back to Quito (the capital city) by stopping in a few towns on the way, I met up with a friend of mine in this town called Puyo and somehow contracted Malaria. Luckily I was rushed to a hospital, and given the necessary shots after everyone realized I needed medical attention. I could barely walk and couldn’t eat anything and they wanted me to go to another hospital, but I wanted to get home and my flight was in a couple days. I ended up missing my flight but got another and made it home to have the doctors check me out and hydrate me. Apparently since I could eat or drink, I was the most dehydrated person they have ever seen in person. That was scary. But, alas, I am alright now…that was almost 10 years ago. I don’t anticipate anything like that happening here!

Thanks again to all of you for your emails. Keep sending in the great comments and suggestions. If you want to get your questions answered or just want to tell us something, shoot an email over to [insert email address]. Remember: you can submit video questions too (just upload to YouTube and email us the link)!

-Eby

*Note: these are mythical creatures. You know, not real

Remember what got me here.

My video application.

SHARK!!!

I have been getting a lot of questions about sharks. Yes, there are sharks in the reef, but due to the warm temperatures of the water (yes, the water is nice and warm), the more aggressive sharks tend not to inhabit the area, just the smaller more placid ones. While I have seen a few sharks while here, none of them were bigger than I am and they usually are so scared that they swim away when they see me. Yes, I am that terrifying! If you are worried about swimming in the ocean, snorkeling, or scuba diving because you have seen the movies Jaws, Deep Blue Sea, or (more appropriately, because it was supposed to take place at the Great Barrier Reef) Open Water, fear not. Since 1976 there have only been 3 shark attacks in all of Queensland, with only one being fatal.

You have a greater chance being verbally assaulted by Christian Bale than getting attacked by a shark! Though I am not sure what is worse.



*That picture of Christian Bale is from the movie The Machinist, which is actually a good movie. And obviously the background it is superimposed over is from the movie Jaws.

Did you know...

The Red Bass is the oldest species of fish at the Great Barrier Reef. They can live up to 56 years old. And they call owls wise...the oldest one only lived to be 28 years old! Red Bass need a reputation that doesn't involve being caught by fishermen younger than they are.

Did you know...

Have you ever heard about this marine mammal called the dugong? It may look like a manatee, but, while it is related, it is not. These herbivorous marine mammals live in the Indo-Pacific, with the largest populations of them around the Great Barrier Reef. As you can see they have tapered snouts that are more muscular than those of manatees that they use to uproot sea grass from the ocean floor. I imagine it being akin to myself gnawing on mango jerky slices, haha.

The sad news is that due to declines in sea grasses levels, they have started to become omnivorous with some of them eating invertebrates more recently. Worst so, the dugong is classified as a species vulnerable to extinction due to illegal hunting, loss of habitat, and fishing fatalities. It is a shame how people can be so clueless to these facts and contribute to the extinction of animals in these modern times. These animals have a life-span of 70 years but they don't breed very rapidly. I propose the Australian government starts lacing seaweed with aphrodisiacs.



Look at this one. The only thing I can imagine anyone hunting it with are hugs and belly rubs.

Don't Be Fooled

Perhaps you have seen the story about the baby koala in a bucket of water in Victoria, but I am not as naive as they would like me to believe. I know that they photoshopped that photo. I have uncovered the real image:



DROP BEAR!!!


Watch the transformation of this beast...

Went Snorkeling

We went out to the reef to do some snorkeling with some people we met on the island: Jeremy, Gia, Budi, and Eko.


Gia taking her first jump in.


Jeremy taking it to the bottom.


Self-portrait from just beneath the surface of the water.


Budi hanging out on the boat...he was kinda scared.


Camille took this one of Eko, me, Gia, and Jeremy from the boat.


Budi finally got in the water, but I think it was a little cold for his taste...though I thought it was warm.


I love the way this photo of Jeremy came out.


The bulbous, smoothing looking coral was huge. It is hard to tell in the photo but it was bigger than a person with outstretched arms and legs.


...between two worlds.


I think this photo was of Eko exploring the reef.


Gia swimming in place...if you could have only seen...



She used the lifejacket to float on the surface and look at everything from above.


I hate when my thumb gets in the photos!


As you can see behind me, this was a pretty popular diving spot.



This was my attempt to get a shot with both above water and underwater images.





We brought bags with bread with us to toss about a bit so that the fish would come close. What resulted was hundreds of colorful fish nibbling on our toes!



The departure and return.



Seaweed, coral, and fish.



It may seem like it was dark from some of these photos, but I assure you, the water was very clear, albeit it was a little muggy from the morning rain.




Some shots of my underwater ballet.


Gia on the way back to the boat.


Me throwing out some left over bread.



This is one of the boat drivers who decided to take a swim around.


Me by that huge piece of coral I mentioned before.


Budi decided to get in the water one last time before we left.


Getting ready to leave.



Jeremy and I decided to swim under the glass-bottom part of the boat.



We found a deep area with no coral and took some jumps off the boat.


And they finally able to drag us out of the water to head back inland.


Jeremy had a Super8 camera and was shooting some 8mm footage.


Looking down on some coral from the boat.

All in all, it was super fun and we got to see a TON of fish. No sharks this time...maybe next time! I definitely plan on doing this a lot more.