Adelaide: Southern Australia at Christmas Time

So once school was out it was time for me to start my holiday travels. The first place I traveled to was Adelaide. Adelaide is cosidered the state of South Australia. It is know for it's wineries and one of it's biggest tourist attractions is Kangaroo Island.

Getting to Adeliade wasn't as easy as I thought it would be. Laura had said she wanted to go with me so I booked the tickets for both of us. The morning it came for me to fly out it turned out Liam who was orginally going to take me to the aiport couldn't anymore. So he actually called his mum to take me. I felt terrible to have to make her take me. When we were about to leave Laura was too sick to go and had to forfeit her trip. So I was off by myself to Adelaide. I had packed quickly and mainly sun dresses but the weather wasn't on my side and the beautiful summer weather felt more like winter.


So once I was there I went ahead and toured around some of the more known streets in Adelaide and stummbled across some good food. I found the center of town and saw their beautiful christmas tree in the square. However by time I got back to the hostel I wasn't feeling so good. It might of been the lack of sleep from the week before, sharing the bed with Laura the sick girl before coming over, over eating, or the quick change of weather but whatever it was didn't allow me to meet up with my friend Carla for a few drinks.


Luckily I woke up the next day feeling much better! I got up and went to read a bit while sipping on some amazing coffee. A little while later Shayna flew in and met up with me. We spent the rest of the day walking through town then we were off to the beach. When we got there we fought the wind to make it to the end of the pier. Right before we got to the rails it starting coming down like a monsoon! We ran all the way back to the shops and dove into a cafe. It turned out to have over 20 different types of hot chocolate and we indulged into our nice hot cuppas. After the rain died down it turned out to be quite a beautiful day. We walked around the rest of the beach town and headed back to Adelaide. We found the botanical gardens and walked through the beauty.


The best came after, when we stumbled upon the Carols by Candlight site. We had heard about it and wanted to go but wasn't sure where it would be. It turned out to be a lot larger than we thought. I just assumed it would be a few townspeople singing Christmas Carols.
When we got in and crawled our way to the front we saw there was a huge stage with a choir and a symphony. There were many performers during the 2 hour concert including a harp player, kids choir, all boys choir, a few famous Australian singers and a famous Australian pop star that we had seen at the Oprah show just a week before in Melbourne.
It was beautiful and we sang along with the carols. Santa even showed up for a few songs. It really helped to get us in the Christmas spirit.

The next morning we got up for our tour to the famous Barossa Valley. This is where many great wines in Australia come from. We were able to go to 4 wineries but before we got to the first we stopped at this place called the whispering wall.
It is a water reserve that was built in a curve. THey didn't realize it until they were building it but the way the wall bent allowed sound to travel from one side to the other. So I ran across the bridge and tested it out. The whole tour could hear me without me even raising my voice and I could hear them even though I was on the complete opposite side of this at 200 meter bridge.
It was really cool. Then we were off to the more important part of the day, tasting wines! I loved the wineries and all the beauty. The wines were delicious but mainly Cabernets. Each winery had some amazing wines. I got a beautiful riesling from the second winery and a delicious sparkling shiraz from Wolf Blass.By the end of the tour I was feeling quite good that is for sure and enjoyed myself very much.

That night I met up with my friend Carla. We talked and talked!(be surprise) She had mentioned to she needed a change and that she knew a lot of people moving to Melbourne. About a week after I left Adelaide I got a text that she was moving here! So we are now thinking of living together since my lease is up very soon. We enjoyed ourselves then it was off to the hostel for some sleep since I had to wake up at 5:30 then next morning for Kangaroo Island.

Kangaroo Island was beautiful but truly a full day. We left the bus station around 6:30 for an hour drive to the ferry then a 45 minute ferry ride to the island. Shayna and I were pumped to see what it had to offer but also snoozing every chance we got. The first stop on the island was seal cove, where we saw an amazing amount of seal and seal babbies (calves I believe they are called).
Some were sun bathing, others jumping the waves, fighting with each other and even some babbies crying for their mommies then waddling up to them. It was great to see. We then had the most amazing buffet lunch....yummy!
After lunch we saw the birds of flight show. It sounds nerdy but it was awesome. They brought out different birds and they did tricks. We saw an owl, kookaburras, the largest eagle in the world and a few more. I even got to wear the trainer glove and two kookaburras (australian birds) flew unto my arm. It was so cool. Then we saw the arch which had an amazing view and had different kind of seals playing in the cove. It was a great day but by time we got back to the hostel it was almost 11pm and I was absolutely exhausted.


The next morning I flew back into town and was ready to start the Christmas celebration!

Wilsons Promontory Camping Trip

So I guess in hearing it so much I forgot that this beloved camping spot sounds like an actually person's high school dance. After putting it as my status on facebook I quickly remembered what we American's think of when we here prom. Wilsons Promotory is Victoria's only National Park. I went for a weekend camping trip with Liam and his buddies to celebrate Liam's birthday.

We decided to leave Friday night when everyone got off work. It was a slow week so Shayna and I actually didn't get work that day but luckily enough got to go see Oprah instead. It was her day to arrive in Melbourne to do a quick interview. It was held in Federation Square and there was a massive crowd awaiting her arrival. They had famous Australia performers come and entertain us until she got there. It was a great afternoon listening to music and the excitement built to see her live. It's funny I had to come all the way to Australia to see Oprah live. Oprah and the Prime Minister, Julia Gillard finally arrived. It was so cool and Oprah said her recently famous lines.... I LOVE AUSTRALIA. She spoke about how Melbourne was the most welcoming city yet. I bet she says that to all the cities she visits. It was really cool.

After the Oprah apparence I got a phone call from Liam asking if we were ready...opps we were not. So Shayna and I got home as fast as we could to pack up for our camping trip. Luckily for us but not so great for Liam, his friends were running late too. They came picked us up a few hours later and we finally got to Liam's around 8. He wanted to leave at 6. But we finally got on the road.

On the way we ended up seeing this big thing in the road and we thought it was a wombat. It turned out to be a massive male koloa. It was just strolling from one side of the road to the next. This is very rare for koloas because they tend to stay in trees and you hardly catch them awake. I tried to get a picture but Gezzer got out and pet it before I could, so of course it scurried off. The rest of the drive was uneventful other than going through a drinking and driving stopping point. Thankfully Liam had not been drinking so we were all good.


We finally got to Wilsons Prom around midnight and drove around and around to find the perfect camping spot. We were trying to find one with not too many people around so we wouldn't disturb anyone. We finally set on one and got out to set up camp. I felt very helpful in putting up the shelter and the tent. I was surprised at my skills:) Since we got a late start we had a lot to catch up on. Once the shelter was put up we got the chairs out and the drinking began. we all talked and laughed and had a great time. So much that we stayed up all night. At one point Liam was like do you see that and it turned out to be a wombat and I got to see one for the very first time. I started basically following it around our site but it was too dark to get a good pic. That night we also saw a ringtail possium. It was much, much cuter than the possiums in America. Then come 6am in the morning when Liam and I were trying to blow up the air matress but the pump wasn't working so well. I am sure it was quite a commical site to see. It took forever. Finally my air matress was all set. I might even been one of the only ones who ended up sleeping in a tent. When I woke up only a few hours later I saw most had retreated to the truck or car. The boys cooked breakfast and we started the day off right.


After awhile we made our way to Whiskey cove one of the beautiful beaches there at Wilsons Prom. It was a bit chilly but we had a good time. The boys being boys were wrestling around. Funny enough Shayna and I started talking about which one we think could beat the other, of course we both thought that we could beat the other one. This could only lead to one thing; us wrestling it out. I to know surprise took her down but not without a struggle. It was a close one but I won. Feeling a bit proud I did a surprise attack on Liam and pinned him down too. Though the gesture was returned not to long later and I was left completely helpless in a lock. We ran in and out of the water and had a good afternoon. That night we went back to the campsite for dinner and some more social time. When people started falling over I realized it was time to go to sleep. I think we all called it a decently early night since most of us hadn't slept much the night before. The next morning I thought the tent was going to blow in because it kept flapping and then leaning so much that at some point it was touching my head but it never flew away or fell down. We got up to get coffee and clean up the site before going off to bbq. The boys made some great food and then we were off on the road again.


I being of sound and mind was able to drive Liam's truck all the way home. Poor boy slept most of the ride only to wake up to complain about me being too close to the white line. He didn't know what he was talking about. I never once made the side of the road make that noise it makes when you get too close. I enjoyed being behind the wheel on the left side of the road. I had missed driving since I have been using public transport for everything. However we had to make a few stops because the other car that Adian was driving light kept coming on. We tried to figure out what was wrong and were going to haed back to the last town when the light turned off. We then drove the rest of the way home. It was late by time we got back so Liam, chris and I ran to the shop to pick up quick oven ready treats for dinner. It nice and simple. I felt so lucky to find some Aussie that have welcomed me into the group and allowed me to share this experience with them. I hope to go to Wilsons Prom again and this time climb the mountain and caneo a little across the river.

Sunshine Coast

My trip to the gold coast was a beautiful chance to get away from the city for a few days. I had met a friend traveling the east coast months back and took him up on his offer of letting me stay with him for my mini holiday. I flew into Sunshine coast on a Thursday. Nils pick me up and his friend showed us some amazing view points of the city and the beach on the way to their place. Unfortunately it was a bit misty that day and of course I caught crap that I brought rain to the sunshine coast. That night Nils had to go to work so I caught a ride with his friend to Noosa. I saw the town and then I had the most amazing pinapple Chicken parma. He was in noosa to have a jam session with his friends there. I stayed around and listen a bit then we went home.

The next morning I had one of my million cuppas, which is a cup of tea. Nils is a little obessed with tea and literally fed it to me the whole time I was there:) After a bit of tea and laying around in a hammock we were off to the beach. The coolum beach was gorgeous and secluded. The weather was perfect; the water was warm and rough. We had a blast running around on the beach and jumping waves. It was quite a workout too! Nils had to head off to work again so I hit the bustling town of Coolum. It had lots of cute shops and cafes. It was my goal to find a new bather (swim suit). I ended up finding two I loved and got both of them. Then I was back off to the beach to lay out and enjoy the sun. I read a good book on the beach and relaxed. This particular holiday was really good for relaxing/working out. If I wasn't laying on the beach or in the hammock, I was off doing some sort of gruling but fun adventure.

For my third day it was time to head to Brisbane for a day. I wondered through the streets of Brisbane for the whole day and really feel in love with the city. It was a beautiful town. Southbank was awesome. I walked around the lagoon, had fish and chips on a hill where many people where relaxing or having picnics. I bought some jewerly from a sidestreet vender then I was on the ferry to New Farm. This area was quite happening. That night I was ready to hit the town in full party mode. I went to Fortitude Valley. In the first bar I was at I met an awesome girl who I partyed with all night. We danced the night away with a few friends we met along the way.
We went to this awesome 3 story club. The next morning I was off to the Waterworld theme park. I went on all the water rides. There was one that was an acutally water roller coaster. It was awesome! After the day at the water park wasn't so hot though because what meant to be an 2 hour travel back took 6 hours. It was crazy. I took the train back to Brisbane where I had just missed the train going to Noosa. I had to wait 2 hours for the train. Then it finally came and we went a whole 3 stops when they told us all to0 leave. I had to take a bus to the next train station where I had to take 2 more buses to get where I was going. I caught the first bus about 10 minutes after we arrived but once I got off I had to wait another hour for the next bus because once again I missed the last one by a few minutes. By time I got back to Nils I was exhausted! However I ended up staying up and talking to Nils for a bit.

Nils finally had a day off and so he planned the whole day for us. We met up with one of his friend Marco and went to a beautiful rainforest. We hiked all through it and found a waterfall with a swimming whole. I actually swam under the waterfall. It was unreal. I felt like I was in a herbal essence commercial. Then we hiked to where there was an even bigger waterfall. We even saw a snake laying on a fallen branch. It was the first time I had ever seen a snake in the wild. It wasn't big but I think the boys said it was a python. Hours went by and we didn't even notice. The next thing we knew it was getting late so we went off to get a little snack. We ate at this great cafe that had amazing food. Later that night we met back up with Marco and his girlfriend. We all took a walk around the lake in Noosa and then had a picnic with cheese, bread and wine next to the lake. It was a nice night with great conversation with some new friends.

Then it was sadly my last full day there but we decided to make the most of it. We were very ambitious and decided to fit in a lot. First off we hiked through Noosa National Park to get up to a beautiful view of the Noosa Beach.
Then we actually went to the beach and Nils taught me how to surf!!! I wasn't a natrual by any means but it was fun and exhausting.
I had a blast fighting the waves with me board and trying to stand up. Then we caught a bus back to Coolum to climb Mt Coolum all the way to the top so we could see the view of the whole city; Seriously breathtaking. At this point I was just plain tired. We went back to his place and had a bbq with his best friend. We ate great steaks, drank some wine and smoked flavored tabacoo out of their hookah. We stayed up quite late and boy did I pass out in the end.

The next morning I had to get up early to get to the airport way too early. I was sad to leave but I was happy to get back to my wonderful life in Melbourne. This was the first time that I could really tell that Melbourne was my home because I really did miss it a bit and was ready to return to my bed and my normal life here.

Melbourne Life

Okay so what have I been doing since Queensland! I have been enjoying myself tremendously in Melbourne. Melbourne has really become my home here in Australia. I love this city! There is so much to see and do, especially now that it is getting nice and warm all the time. I have made many more friends and even more exciting, I have made Australian friends hee hee. It seemed for awhile the only people I was really hanging out with were Canadians that were doing the same work that I do. This hasn’t changed completely but at least now I have the best of both worlds.

As far as the North America friends go, us CRTs (casual relief teachers) get together quite a bit. It is nice. We meet for trivia or just a few drinks at different bars from time to time. Tomorrow the plan is to get together at a market for music, food and boozes! I also actually met an American doing the same stuff I am. Her name is Shayna and she is from New York. We have become very close friends very quickly because we have the same interest: live it up while we are here!!! That is exactly what we have been doing. Together we found a Halloween party and a bar that dressed up for Halloween. Went to Melbourne Cup together, this is comparable to the Kentucky Derby in
the states! And much, much more.

I also have been lucky enough to meet my friend Liam. He is super hee hee. Liam is a born and raised Australian and has really shown me around this great city. His friends are super cool and accepting of this American chic. Through these guys I have ventured to new bars, suburbs, festivals, beaches and even participated in an Australian BBQ. Life has been good. This past weekend a fun group of us went to a Latin Festival and Phillip Island.
I can’t believe I have already been here for 4 + months now! I also just came to the realization that I was planning on leaving this amazing continent in June so I really only have 6 more months here. I think I might have to extend that at least by a month. The plans are to continue living and working here in Melbourne but travel through the holidays and whenever I feel like it. So far Adelaide is planned for December, Sydney for New Year’s, Western Australia for January. The rest is in the works on getting the right dates. After I leave Australia in June or July, I will be going on an around the world trip to make my way back to America. I am quite excited about all of this and will continue to keep you updated on all my fun!

Finally Writing about the End of the Queensland Trip

Some time has gone by now since I have finished my great 3 week trip to Queensland. I guess I had so much fun then and since then that I have gotten a little behind on my blogging. After Whitsundays we drove to Mission Beach. We didn’t really plan to stop there originally but we found out how long the drive would be to go on to Port Douglas so we decided to stop in Mission Beach. I was so glad we did. It ended up really being one of my favorite spots. So much that we all decided to stay 2 extra nights there. The hostel was set up surrounded by nature. It was so beautiful plus there were tons of friendly people staying there. The beach was beautiful and we took a day to go to Dunk Island, where I did a 2 hour hike to the top of the mountain to see the spectacular view. Mission Beach was absolutely fabulous, not ruined by commercialism like a lot of the tourist places we had seen. It was like you had your own secluded beach when you were there.
Next stop was Port Douglas! This hostel was amazing since it came equipped with a movie room, an awesome bar, plus 5 hammocks hanging about from trees over by the pool area. Everyday there I read a little or snoozed a little in one of those hammocks. We also got on a boat once more and this time I was able to SCUBA DIVE in the Great Barrier Reef. It was honestly the most amazing thing I have ever done. I loved scuba diving. I saw a sea turtle, clown fish in their sea anomie, a massive fish that was bigger than me and of course tons of other colorful fish and the coral reef. All of it was literally breathtaking. The other days at Port Douglas was spent at the beach. One of the days the waves really kicked in and we had the best afternoon jumping and body surfing the waves.

From Port Douglas we drove completely through the windy roads in the rainforest to the very most northern part of the Australian East Coast called Cape Tribulation. While driving, we got the chance to see a crossawary crossing the road which was awesome. These things are humongous birds. In Cape Tribulation we did a bit of hiking through the awesome rainforest! Then it was time to make our way to our last stop of the trip…Cairns (the party capital of Queensland).

Cairns was exactly what it was cracked up to be. The lagoon swimming pool was cool and the shopping was nice but the partying was unreal. The first night went out with a couple of the girls and enjoyed ourselves at the hostel bar downstairs, dancing and meeting Europeans. The next day I wandered around the town, swam in the lagoon then laid out by the pool. I met a girl named Carla, who happens to be a teacher in Adelaide and I now plan on visiting her there. We went out that night to the bars in town and had a blast. The next and final night of our trip the whole crew went off on the Ultimate Party pub crawl in what else but our togas. It was so fun and I met tons of people. It was a perfect way to end a great 3 week holiday!

Whitsundays

Once we had dared the darkness of the caves we drove to Whitsundays. We stayed in Airlie beach. This town was much more commercial and very busy. We stayed at a hostel that had a pretty big bar down below. The first night after getting unpacked, we all got ready. It seemed to be a harder task than ever since the humidity was very high and you felt sticky while putting on anything. Not to mention how mine and a few others’ hair did not want to truly straighten. But after a lot of effort the deed was done and we were ready to go downstairs. We chatted up a few new people. Wonder down the street to a couple other bars and had a good time.
The next day I took full advantage of free wifi and skyped with some family and friends in the morning. It was nice to catch up with them! Then I checked out the town and the beach. I am sad to say I wasn’t impressed with the beach. It was quite small and nothing really to it. I kept wandering though and fell upon a wonderful spot. Up the hill and around the beach was a little villa right on the top of the hill so you could see the whole town, beach and ocean. I felt so lucky to have stumble on such a jewel. The view was gorgeous and the view was an open shelter. No one else was around and I took full advantage. After traveling at this point for a week and half with 7 other people sometimes you just need time to yourself. Fortunately I packed all the perfect essentials in my beach bag. I had cheese, crackers, water, a good book and my beach towel. I laid my towel down on the floor of the villa and alternated from looking at the beautiful view of the ocean with the boats harbored to reading my book which was getting really good. I must have spent at few hours there. At one point I just had an Aha moment looking at the waves hit the beach that I was so fortunate to have had the opportunities that I have bestowed upon me. It was the most peaceful afternoon and I loved it.
That night we all gathered together after laying out a bit at the lagoon to cook some nachos. While I was off having my peaceful picnic in the villa some of the others had went to the grocery store and pick up an enormous amount of food to cook. We all worked together chopping up the onions, peppers and mushrooms, simmering the chicken in one pan and the steak in the other. We through it fresh veggies in the pans and added the fajita season that was out of this world with its delicious spices and it all made the best smell. After it was done we had an amazing feast. We had so much food we couldn’t even eat all the meat between the 8 of us which is really hard to do. We had decided to keep the rest of the meat for tomorrow and make nachos out of them.

The following day we got up early and ran around getting ready for our sailing trip. We were all hyped and so ready for this trip. We caught the bus and arrived at the harbor to see our awesome purple sail boat awaiting us. It was called the Cameria. When boarded we got comfy on the top deck and laid out in the sun that was perfectly shining down on us. We sailed into the great wide ocean. While laying there feeling so happy I thought of my family and realized that it was my father’s birthday. I ran to my phone and once again I was very lucky because it actually had service. I called them and sang only a few notes before my dad stopped me, said thank you but I have heard that song a little too much today. I chuckled then he put me on speaker phone so I could hear him and the family while he opened gifts and cards. It was so nice like I was actually there. After getting off the phone I saw that right afterwards I had no service. Talk about perfect timing. It was then time to for our snorkel instructions.
The crew told what we needed to do and then let us get our gear. I was so excited because I had never went snorkeling before and we were in the beginnings of the Great Barrier Reef.

Part 3: Fraser Island

After surfer’s we were off to Hervey Bay to go on a day to trip to Fraser Island. When we got to Hervey Bay we drove around the town to find the best spot to stay for the night and then we did. We went to a YHA hostel that had cabins instead of dorm like rooms. It was great we got two cabins for the 8 of us. The crew went to go get food for dinner but I was sick of being in the van so Caitlin and I stayed behind. We then scoped out the cabins and found the best one for us to stay in. It was by far the best accommodations we have had since we left Melbourne. Our cabin was adorable with a kitchen, wicker table and chairs, a living room and 2 bedrooms. It was great to stay in a place that was bigger than just one room. The group came back then we cooked pasta and had a family meal. It was delicious and the right price. All of us went up to the pool and got a poolside table to play games on. It was a fun night until Amy spotted a man standing at the fence watching us. When we all turned to look instead of leaving he moved farther into the bushes. He just stood there watching even though we were obviously staring, pointing and talking about him. Dean stood up but he didn’t move. I went inside to let a worker know what was going on. She came and they had said he had left when I went in but then I saw him just a little further down on the fence. It was so spooky. The worker went over to him and told him to leave the property. She came back and told us it was just a drunk Australian man and was very apologetic. We decided it was probably time to return to our cabins at this point plus we had to leave early for our island trip the next day.
The next morning we got up, pack the van, ate breakfast and were ready for our big day on Fraser Island. The bus came and picked us up and took us to the ferry. I love ferries so I was very excited about this. We sat on the top of the ferry so we could see the great view of the ocean on the way to the island. After the beautiful ferry ride we met our tour guide for the day, who was very entertaining. To drive on the island you have to be a 4-wheel drive or better. Apparently the rule with the roads because they our so narrow that the biggest vehicle has the right away which was great since we were one of the biggest vehicles on the island. We first drove to the rainforest and then stopped to take a bushwalk (hike) through the stunning rainforest. Learning about all the different kinds of trees and realizing this is a sand only island. The whole island was made of sand and all the vegetation grew out of the sand. It was crazy. We were also told that this was the biggest sand island in the world. We didn’t see any but the island also is known for their dingos running around. After our bushwalk we drove along the beach. While we were driving she would tell us stories and facts about the island. Then we saw a plane fly past our bus and land on the beach. It turns out it was a plane that took tourist around so they could see the spectacular view of the whole island from the clouds. In the mood of living life to the fullest with no regrets I took the plane ride. It was absolutely breathtaking and fabulous. We flew over the ocean and then over the whole island seeing all of it glory. There were over 40 fresh lakes on the island and so many different kinds vegetation including grasslands, wetlands and rainforest all taking up this indescribable island. The flight was so memorable. When we landed we were at the shipwreck site of Mahino. Here was a ship that used to take luxury cruises along the Australian ocean comparable to the size of the Titanic, stuck in the sand of the beach. We were then escorted to the fresh water creek that once inhabitants of the island would drink from. We walked in the creek up the way and climb into some trees for some fun. Then it was lunch time and we got an amazing buffet at the island resort. After lunch we were off to one of the glorious freshwater lake for a swim. At this point the breeze had picked up a bit so some were a little to chicken to jump in but not Lindsey, Caitlin or I. We jumped in the lake like champs. We were told the water was so nice that it made you ten years younger from swimming in and the sand was a natural exfoliate to make your skin nice and smooth. So some of us took the smooth amazing sand and rubbed it on our legs and arms and it magically worked. Out skin was very smooth and even though I didn’t look 16 my hair was really soft from the water. We then had to reluctantly make our way back to the ferry. On the ferry ride back to Hervey bay we were surprised with getting to see a few humped back whales swimming in the distance. They are rather common this time of year because they are migrated south to their homes from being in the north for the winter. We saw them blowing air and water through their blowholes and flipping their big tales. Another amazing day on this great trip up the whole coast of Australia!
The next day we drove to Rockhampton and stayed the night. We got up early the next morning got dressed and went to the caves. The caves were so cool. Since it was raining a little bit we got to see exactly how the caves have eroded through the years. The tour guided said it was actually very rare to see this because it was a dry cave in the middle of what they call a dry rainforest. This is because the area doesn’t normally get rain. It was kinda awesome and she said that if we got a rain drop to hit us in the cave it was actually considered good luck. So we all got lots of good luck that day hee hee. The tour guide took us through all the different parks of the cave and told the history behind it. We went to one part where it is called the cathedral and they actually had benches set up in this part because there had been so many wedding there plus the acoustics were apparently comparable to the Sydney Opera House. They have music concerts in this part as well. The tour guide turned off all the lights and showed us how dark the cave actually was and how the originally foundered would of actually had to find it and search through it only with candlelight. She turned on a recorded of Amazing Grace to show how amazing the sound quality was in this part of the cave. At that time the cave was so peaceful and wonderful.