The iconic Great Ocean Road. It's a tourist destination but no matter how many other people are there alongside you admiring the view, the experience is still a unique one. It's amazing. It's beautiful.
Obviously, i'm IN LOVE.
We signed up for two tours with autopiatours.com.au a few weeks ago. The first was Great Ocean Road, the second one was for a guided tour at the Grampians (Nov. 9). Although i'm not a fan of strict itineraries (or am I?!), I didn't mind the fact that we got to see so much in a day.
(click for a close up)
I have no idea why people LOVE taking gate/entrance photos. I think it's silly, but almost traditional. We've all got photos or know people who have taken pictures with or of the "Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas" sign and the Golden Gate at San Francisco. There's somethin' about gates, I tell ya.
Another one for the record!
Gateway to the beach in Torquay
It's a KOALA!!!!!!!!! It was just sleeping on a tree right next to where our tour bus was parked!
OMGGGGG. We can't get enough of its fluffy-ness. It's actually a lot smaller than what I expected it to look like :)
Locals have this myth about "Drop Bears" (to scare tourists), which they say are the gremlin versions of Koalas. Apparently drop bears fall from trees and try to eat people's faces. hahaha. I can't believe I fell for that one!
Also visited the rain forest. Funny how the guide said that Oz has bad soil...
i've never seen such an abundance in vegetation as I have here!
On the right is a eucalyptus tree, locally referred to as the "Gumtree".
They grow to be one of the tallest trees in the world.
How can you tell the height of a tree? By measuring the its shadow or by cutting it down. :P
Look how massive these ones are! This is what you can call an actual tree house. heheh
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It is not an understatement when I say that we encountered many winding roads. Looking back, the path to Great Ocean Road just seemed like a squiggly line to me.
Things I did to prevent nausea/motion sickness:
1. GINGER- Two every 3 hours or whenever I started feeling nauseous.
2. I tried to eat better and snacked often so my stomach felt "settled". No grumbling, acid reflux, etc. (you do what works for you though)
3. Accupressure/Accupuncture Points- I can't tell you how many times these techniques have saved my life. I have a very weak stomach which basically reacts to everything and is unpredictable. Pressing these two points interchangeably has helped settle my stomach (#TMI- acid/gas indigestion, nausea) time and time again.
Pericardium 6 / Nei Guan
Large Intestine Point #4
You could google them if you want to understand how these pressure points work to alleviate symptoms :)
4. Breathing calmly and deeply
5. Closing my eyes, relaxing, and focusing on some good music.
I listened to Broods' EP album for a good chunk of the trip!
6. Lastly, I did my best to feel comfortable. Took my shoes off (don't worry, my feet smell like Febreze), wore comfy pants, etc. so as not to feel constricted/claustrophobic or anxious.
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Just gonna put it out there that Jesse and I actually got tickets to go see Broods next month. STOKED! They're touring for their new album "Evergreen" :)
Here's my favorite song from them at the moment!
Ciao,
Chelsea