We went ot Australia in the simmer of 1998 to pick up my brother, Doug, from his mission. He was called to the Brisbane, Australia mission. We were in the "land down under" for almost a month. About three weeks. We spent one week in New Zealand with a couple from out ward that was on their mission there. Then we spent a week in Sydney. I might have moved on, but my heart is stil l in Sydney. If I could live anywhere in the world, it would be Sydney, Australia! I absolutely LOVED IT! Then after a week of bliss in Sydney we went to Brisbane and Townsville to get Doug. Then he showed us around the upper part of Australia for a week. While we were in Australia we had some really cool experiences. We got to go to the Great Barrier Reef, pet a kangaroo, play with baby crocodiles, eat some things that I don't want to eat again, realise exactly how good McDonalds is, and well, go to Australia. Here are some stories from Australia:

We went to this ladies house because my brother wanted us to meether. She was exactly like the ladies on the British comedy shows. Down to the missing teeth and the hair. Her son, on the other hand, was But, hw was kinda in a gang and there was that inseident where he had put someone in intensive care only two days earlier. So, against what my heart was saying I left with my parents. Another thing that kinda made me think twice about the gorgeous 18 year old gang member was his pet, the 6 foot Python . I don't do snakes very well.

We went to the Gold Coast . You know, the white beaches, the naked sun tanning, the surfers paradise. Too bad we were there in the middle of their winter.

We went to the Great Barrier Reef. I will admit it. I was sick on the way out. But, the way backI was great. The way back cool because the wind was blowing and the sease were choppy. My Dad and I were standing on the side of the boat holding the rail and enjoying every minute if the rough seas. While the native Australian people weren't handling the tossing and turning very well. They were alkso at the side of the boat. just to give you a little feeling of how big these waves were....we wer sitting in the last row of chairs(which were turned so that you were backwards) on the top deck of the boat. When the waves would hit we would literally fly out of our seats. It was so fun!

I got the opportunity to wander through a rain forest. I hadn't expected to be able to wake up in the morning and have already showered. It was so humid that we could barely breath. Another thing about the Towensville area that I didnt' like was the Gecko that had made itself home in our hotel room.

The part of the trip that I was not prepared for was the 18 hour plane ride from L.A. to Sydney. The total flying time for the way home from Brisbane, Australia to Salt Lake City, Utah.....24 hours. Yes, one whol day. That is not counting the layovers, the plane switching, the times zones, anything. That is actual time in the air. In fact, we landed in Salt Lake exactly in hour after we had left Brisbane, Australia. Time zones. We also completely lost a day.

Of course, everyone knows that time zones can mess with your mind a little bit. When the whole family was up at 3:00 in the morning the night we got back we decided that we were going to have to readjust.


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