As my last stop in the Southern Hemisphere a friend and I spent a weekend in Chirstchurch, New Zealand on our back towards the states. The trip was a little too quick and our bank accounts were a little too low to fully experience all of New Zealand, but we made due with what we could.

The trip started out on a bad foot when we arrived at the Perth airport Thursday night to learn that our “plane was broke.” We were scheduled to land in Christchurch Friday afternoon and then take a bus down to a scenic hiking area of the South Island called Akaroa. Unfortunately, the delay meant that we didn’t land in Christchurch until 3 a.m. early Saturday morning, so we decided to skip Akaroa and spend our weekend in Christchurch.

The first day we spent exploring the city, which was very nice and easy to check out. We toured the Anglican cathedral, walked through the city itself, and took a gondola ride to the top of a nearby mountain for some spectacular views. We also learned that that night the New Zealand All Blacks - the world-famous national rugby team - would be playing the English national team in Christchurch. Tickets were harder to come by than a seat at Fenway Park, but we did get to watch the game from the team’s official local bar. The All-Blacks dominated the game and the fans celebrated well. We were also introduced to the Haka which is a traditional Maori (native New Zealander) war dance that the All-Blacks do before every game.

The following day we decided to get out into the beautiful New Zealand country. We took a 90 minute bus ride out to Hanmer Springs to spend the day hiking and taking in the scenery. Along the way I also stopped to bungy jump off a 150-foot bridge. The jump was a rush and I am glad I did it. You walk out to the bridge and they strap you in, before you know it your toes are peaking over the edge at the river below. They really don’t give you too much of a chance to get nervous. The instructor informed that he would countdown from 3 and if I didn’t jump then, I would lose my chance. I guess they don’t want anyone getting cold feet right before take off. So within about 2 minutes of getting to the bridge I was diving superman-style towards the rocks and water below. The experience was a lot of fun, but if I was going to do it again it would have to be from a much higher distance (longer freefall) in order to be worth the money - it wasn’t cheap.

Unfortunately, after a quick walk around the city the following morning it was time to round up our obscene amount of luggage and begin the long trek back to reality. By this point my camera was broken so I don’t have any personal photos of the trip, but my friend has some good ones along with the video of my bungy jump which I will be sure to get up here as soon as possible.

Continuing my week-long dream vacation in Thailand, about half of our group left Bangkok at 6 a.m. on our fourth day while the rest stayed behind to explore the city some more. I went with the group to Phuket and I am thrilled that I did.

Phuket is located right along the coast in the southern part of Thailand and is one of the most beautiful places in the world. When we arrived we took the 20 minute ride to our hotel, which was again much to nice for what we were paying. The rooms all surrounded a huge pool complete with two waterfalls and a swim-up bar - all of which we took advantage of. Phuket was filled with just as many shops and many more exciting places to go out at night.

One night I made my debut as lead singer in a Thai cover band that happened to singing (pretty poorly) a Beatles song as were walking by the bar. A friend and I went in and when the band realized we knew all the words, they invited us on stage to sing a few songs with them. Americans seemed to be welcomed with open arms wherever we went, probably because the amount of money that tourists drop. But owners of bars and stages were more than happy to give us free reign on a few different occasions.

We also planned two day trips there that turned out to be the highlights of our whole trip. The first was a day long boat trip to the Co Phi Phi Islands - where the movie “The Beach” was filmed. This was by far the most beautiful place I have ever seen. We went snorkeling in crystal clear waters and had tropical fish eat bananas out of our hands (yes, apparently fish really like bananas). I also shook hands with a wild monkey who jumped on to our boat as we rode close to the rocky outcroppings that lined most of the water we rode through. Our group spent the afternoon soaking in the sights and discussing whether or not life could get any better. Our tour guide was also very funny and kept us entertained while cruising from island to island.

The following day we hired a van to drive us around for the day and visit a few spots we had picked out on the map. The van, which cost each of us a grand total of $6, picked us up at the hotel at 9 a.m. and dropped us off anywhere we wanted to go and waited as long as wanted to say until 5. The first stop we made was a small beach that we had completely to ourselves. There were traditional asian-looking homes overlooking the water which was just as clear and blue as the day before. I also decided to get my first Thai massage on a straw mattress right by the ocean - the Thai massage is everything it is made out to be especially when you are listening to waves crash up against your own personal beach. After the beach, we went to one of the two major buddhist temples in the area. We explored the buildings and took in a little bit of local culture before grabbing lunch at a small, nearby restaurant. The last thing we did before returning home was spend a few hours at a national park filled with waterfalls. The falls themselves were not quite as gushing as we had hoped, but none of us were in any position to complain. We hiked through the wooded areas to the top of a stream and myself and one other guy were brave enough to climb up one of the cliffs and take the 20 foot leap into the waterfall. It was deep enough, but we didn’t have a huge landing pad, so I was a bit nervous. Luckily we all left intact and the girls were pleased to stop off at a local market for some more cheap shopping before arriving back at the hotel.

I can’t say enough good things about my trip to Thailand. If anyone ever has an opportunity to get over there, I give it a 100% recommendation. I didn’t want the post to run on for too long, but I have plenty more to say so if you want to hear more post a comment or let me know, I will talk to you until you are sick of hearing about it. Oh yeah, I almost forgot - I got to ride an elephant too.

At the end of each semester in Australia there is a one week “reading break” before exams get started. Since I don’t know how to read, I rallied 16 friends and we spent our week “reading” in Thailand. The first three days and nights were spent in Bangkok.

Bangkok is an amazing city, smells horrible, but it has a never-ending skyline and a never-ending list of things to do. Our first day we landed in the Bangkok airport around 10 a.m. and it hit me for the first time that I was on the other side of the world. Australia is very westernized, but Bangkok is a whole differnet world. We settled into our hotel - the Prince Palace - which was way too nice for a 21 year old to be staying in, but Thailand is very cheap so we decided to take advantage. The 50-story building with the rooftop pool was ornately decorated from top to bottom and we basically had an entire floor to ourselves.

The first night a few of the guys decided we would go check out a Muay Thai boxing match. Muay Thai is the national sport of Thailand and it is taken very seriously there. It is basically kickboxing with elbows and knees thrown in there. We sat ringside for 11 bouts and quickly made friends with the beer girl. It was a good idea too, because later in the night she took us back to meet some of the boxer and congratulate them on their wins. The fights were great as was the atmosphere with people constantly screaming out bets in the middle of each round. We got into the action, but no one spoke enough Thai for us to throw some money around.

The next two days were spent touring the city. We went to the Grand Palace on day two and saw the biggest collection of gold and gems you could ever imagine. An entire complex full of huge buildings, all covered in priceless jewels. We also stopped off at a city that peaked in 3,000 B.E. (Since Christianity is basically non-existent in Thailand B.C. didn’t exist either) I’m guessing the E stood for era.

One of the most popular tourist activites in Bangkok is shopping. Mostly because nothing- not even a hotel damages charge - has a set price in Thailand, so bargaining is half the game. Also, there were a few very cool marketplaces that we took advantage of. Khao San Road was a popular stop where most of the guys I was there with picked up custom-tailored designer suits for about $150 each. I opted out because a) I’m hoping that I will only ever have to wear a suit to my wedding and my funeral and b) I think at that point I had about $140 dollars in the bank account. It was a good thing Thailand was cheap.

We also went to a place called the Floating Markets, which is another must-see stop. A whole village completely on the water - it was basically Thailand’s version of Venice. We would cruise down the canals in our traditional looking boat with stands selling souvenirs, food, and other items lining the sides. When you wanted to buy something you just hollered, then grabbed on to the side of the bank and started haggling. I picked up a bow and arrow due to some nice haggling for three dollars. It took me about 2 hours before I realized how completly pointless the purchase was.

I could go on until I filled up the entire internet talking about the things I saw and the stories we had while in Thailand, but I think I covered a good portion of the top places. Also, I think my mother might read this so I will leave out some of the stories from the bars we visited. But, this was definitely my favorite week of our whole semester and an experience I will never forget.

So it’s been a pretty crazy month between traveling to Thailand, Singapore, and New Zealand, finishing the semester, moving back to the states, and starting my new job with the Baltimore Examine. I will be writing updates on all of those shortly, but just to catch up I put together a little list to some of the past five months of my life, most likely the best five yet.

The Best 5….

seconds: Standing on the edge of a 150-foot high bridge I barely had time to glance down at the rocky river below me before I had to jump. In my weekend stop off in New Zealand on my way back to the states I decided to embrace the “extreme sports capitol of the world” by bungy jumping. The bridge was located about 15 minutes out of Hanmer Springs on the South Island, it had some kind of historical significance but I had a few other things running through my head so I didn’t quite stop to read the plaque. The free fall itself probably only lasted 2 or 3 seconds, but that along with the 3,2,1..Jump! countdown makes it the most intense and favorite 5 seconds of 2008.

minutes: This one would probably have to go to a certain night in Phuket, Thailand. After a few drinks, my friends and I found our way on to the stage an outdoor concert (This became a bit of a trend for that week). Most of the spectators, who were watching while enjoying their meals from long banquet style tables, were thrilled to see Americans on stage and got into the show. We worked the crowd, singing and clapping, even making a leap onto an especially long table of Japanese tourists and dancing on the tabletops much to their enjoyment. That was a handful of minutes I will probably never forget.

hours: A friend and I were scheduled to leave Australia on a Thursday night at 11:45. Unfortunately, when we got to the airport we learned that our “plane was broke” and we wouldn’t be going anywhere until the morning (Also became a bit of a trend in my travels). It was frustrating but also a little exciting to get to return to Freo and spend one last night with everyone. We made it to Rosie’s - the regular Thursday bar - just at closing time, but we received a hero’s welcome from everyone (who had had a few drinks) and were very surprised to see us. The whole group made our way down to the beach and built a fire to celebrate our last night. Technically I didn’t leave until 6 a.m. the next day, but there is was just about an hour of sleep mixed in there that I’m not counting toward the best 5.

days: As part of a class that I took on Australian history and culture, I camped in the outback for five days with an aboriginal family. The experiences and the stories they told us were amazing. Check out “The Outback” post to hear a little more about that trip.

weeks: This one was a little harder to decide because there were a couple of great stretches during my time down under. But I think I have to go with the final 5 weeks spent down under. A period that included 4 different countries, plenty of memorable nights at home, my first footy game (complete with a broken thumb to remember it by), and really getting to know the people I was travelling with. I said at the beginning of this post that these were arguably the best five months of my life, the last five weeks were a huge part of why I felt that way.

But now the dream semester is over and its back to reality. Time to work and before I know it my senior year will be starting up. I will definitely miss Australia, but at the same time, it’s good to be home. Read the rest of this entry »

A few hours ago I finished up my last days of classes at Notre Dame Australia. I officially have one year of education remaining in my life before becoming a real person. The past week has been a hectic seven days of finishing papers, presentations, and months worth of work that has been put off until the last possible moment. I have still managed to have a pretty good time along the way though. Wednesday night we went to The Orient, the local campus bar, for karaoke night and a few of us put on a stellar performance of the Village People’s YMCA. There are rumors of a video somewhere out there and if it surfaces I will definitely put it on the blog.

I am excited to be done with school work, except for exams of course, for the next few months. However, I don’t have time for too much deep reflecting because later this afternoon I am leaving to spend a week in Thailand. About 20 total students are going on the trip, we are flying to Singapore for about 6 hours. Then it is off to Bangkok for 4 days and Phuket for four more. I don’t think I will have any access to the net while I am there, but if I do I will be sure to post an update. It is supposed to be rainy in Thailand but I am sure we will still find some ways to have a good time. Either way, I will certainly have plenty of stories to write about when I return next week.

It has once again been far too long since my last post, but this time I have a little more of an excuse. Two weeks ago the internet in Port Lodge unexpectedly went out. It was discovered, two days later, that the problem occurred when our household pets chewed through the cables that were connecting our building. It took about a week to get the internet back up and running, and the rats so far have stayed away. Other than that, I really don’t have an excuse but a lost has happened since my last post.

Last weekend my dad and brother decided to make the trip halfway around the world for a visit. Their trip meant that all seven Murphy’s have now been down under. It was good to see family after having been away for a long time, not to mention the free meals and drinks for a few days. They arrived in Perth on Friday afternoon and spent the weekend here before heading off to explore the rest of the country.

The two highlights of their trip here was our day on Rottnest Island and Sunday’s footy game between the Freo Dockers and the Western Bulldogs.

After a few drinks at a local pub Friday night, both my dad and brother were falling asleep in their Guinness so they decided to call it an early night to get over the jetlag from a 52-hour journey here. It was probably a smart idea because the next morning we took of at 7:30 on the first ferry to Rottnest Island. It was cold (relatively speaking) when we got there so we decided to skip the snorkeling and rent bikes to explore the rest of the island. It took us about six hours to make it all the way around, stopping frequently to check out the awesome sites. The island is full of harbors, bays, different rock formations, and an old army bunker. It is also inhabited by quokkas. Quokkas, which only live on this small island off the coast of W.A. are marsupials, but look more more like a rat. When the Dutch first arrived at the island a couple hundred years ago, they thought they were rats and somehow through their translation rat’s nest became Rottnest.

This is Cathedral Rock, located at the far west side of the island. A spot that is arguably as far West from the U.S. as you can be without saying you are going to the east.

And this my Tim and I hanging out on a cannon built in case Australia was attacked during WWII. The cannon fired 300 pound bullets that could go up to 26 kilometers in the air.

The next day we took a quick tour of the Fremantle prison, checking out the gallows and all, before getting on the train to Subiaco. We had tickets (good seats thanks to Chubbs footing the bill) for one of the final Dockers’ home games of the season. Freo has had a rough year (1-6 record thus far) but has looked promising in close losses to some of the top teams in the AFL. Western, a team from Victoria, came in with a 6-0 record. Freo as usual got out to an early lead but gave up 19 unanswered points to lose by 5 or 6 points at the end. It was still a good experience, both my dad and brother enjoyed the game and I was able to teach them a little bit about what was going on. It was also the first real game I saw in person and it was a lot more exciting than watching on television. The endless pushing and shoving that goes on away from the play makes the game a lot more physical than you might realize from just seeing a few clips of a game. Now it makes a lot more sense why they only play once a week.

Monday morning the boys took off around noon, but we managed to check out the Maritime museum before they left. The building was very cool and right on the water. But with a country that really wasn’t established until about 100 years ago there is only so much they can put in the museum. I was jealous to see them head out because they were on their way to Ayer’s Rock and Sydney. Two places that I unfortunately will not get to see while I am here, but maybe I’ll make the trip back eventually.

Friday night the Western Force rugby club took own the Chiefs from New Zealand at the Subiaco Oval, 20 minutes north of where I live. The four guys who I live with decided that we had had enough estrogen and snuck away to drink a few beers and watch grown men smash into each other for a few hours.

Despite knowing next to nothing about the sport, my first professional rugby game was a great experience. The Force got out to an early 14-8 lead at the half. Points, I learned, are scored in three different ways: a try is worth 5 points (crossing the goalline and touching the ball to the ground), then you get an extra point type situation worth two points, or when the ump calls a penalty you can opt for a penalty kick which is like a field goal and worth three points. I did my best to catch some video but between pesky security guards, nosebleed seats, and a 5 year old digital camera with a screen that would make you believe it only takes thumbnails, I didn’t come up with anything to worthwhile. Instead I stole some highlights from YouTube. Sooner or later I will be legit.

After that, the Chiefs made a run late in the game and were leading 21-19 with no time left on the clock. Apparently in rugby, somewhat like soccer, this means next to nothing. Although rugby is a bit better in that there is actually a definite ending to the game. Once time runs out as long as the ball stays in bounds you keep playing. So with -10 seconds on the clock the Force were able to get a penalty kick which they nailed for the walk-off victory.

If I had to compare rugby with a big-time American sport (relax meatheads I know some people play it in America) I would say it is pretty close to football without pads or whistles. The hits weren’t quite as frequent but there were definitely a couple of shots that Ray Lewis would have been proud of. Probably the biggest link between American and Australian sports that I have found so far is the gender gap.

In our nosebleeds we were mostly among Force season ticket holders, or club members as they are called here. The girl sitting next to me was probably about 18 years old and said she had been to every game this year. I was glad because never having seen a rugby game I would have someone to at least explain the basics. I was also glad that she was slightly better looking than the average belligerent ogre dressed in their Force’s purple jerseys. She got a few of the basics out of the way early on, but once I moved to more complicated questions like: What is a penalty? or How many points for a penalty kick? She got a bit lost. Luckily, her older brother was a few seats away and I eventually learned the rules through a miniature game of telephone. Sitting next to her I couldn’t help but imagine my own sister or a few of my Notre Dame friends sitting next to an Australian during his first trip to Notre Dame Stadium struggling to explain a first down or a holding penalty. It made me laugh and I also realized that it’s all the same game, just different rules. It’s a small world.

Due to a recent conversation with my blogging sensei - and the fact that I am desperately trying to avoid writing a philosophy paper - I have decided to take a slightly different approach tonight. In our discussion we touched upon many subjects such as cewebrities (Nope, your computer has not developed the cute lisp of Julian from Big Daddy, that is a legitimate term now), writing about day-to-day events, utilizing video, and of course the art of massage in Thailand. It was the second topic that has inspired me to write this blog - but don’t worry more to follow on the massages in a month.

After reflecting on my day for a solid 20 minutes (another philosophy stalling tactic) I realized that I spent this April 29th almost as if I were a legitimate contributing member of society.

I awoke to the sounds of my internet alarm clock before 9 a.m. (8:57 to be exact) I had to go with the internet alarm because my real one is trapped between the wall and the bottom of my 6 foot bunkbed. Yes, at the age of 21 I still sleep in a bunkbed so maybe I should rethink the whole “legitimate person” deal, but for sake of the blog just bare with me. After a balanced breakfast it was off to work (class) for a solid three hours of learning my trade of journalism before lunchtime.

I spent the rest of the afternoon writing and responding to e-mails, researching, and even squeezed in a little exercise with my buddy Rich. Check us out!

After a workout like that, it was time for a serious meal. For dinner I made myself some fresh boiled broccoli with ravioli. I even threw some oregano and garlic salt in the sauce. For those 15 minutes I owned the kitchen, I felt like I was Emeril Ligassi in his prime. The only problem was I got a bit carried away with my “Bam!”, accidently switched it over to the Flintstones’ version and ended up clubbing an innocent housemate with my wooden spoon a few times. Don’t worry she was fine. All jokes aside, I guess the exquisite meal and sauce preparation is the real reason I felt like I was teetering on the edge of maturity tonight. Luckily Holden Caufield (main character of Catcher in the Rye for those of you who skipped high school English) was there for me in the form of a Winnie the Pooh cup that I nabbed from the cupboard and used to drink my grape juice along with the feast I had just prepared.

The meal obviously tasted delicious. I was also quite proud that I made it through the entire process without any new stains on my shirt (DISCLAIMER: This does not include the chocolate sauce and gravy stains that I acquired the day before). But there are still 3 hours left in the day so I guess I shouldn’t claim victory over the washing machince quite yet.

So, after further reflection, I decided that perhaps I am not as close as I once thought to being an actual person. Still one year left before hanging up the winnie the pooh cup and losing the guardrail on my bed. I think the great philosopher William “Billy” Madison sums up my thoughts the best when he says, “Stay here. Stay here as long as you can. For the love of God, cherish it. You have to cherish it.”

Oh, and for those of you who are counting, that makes 2 Adam Sandler references in 1 blog. Who said his career was over?

This Friday (April 25th) was Anzac Day in Australia. Anzac Day is held every year in memory of the combined forces of Australia and New Zealand that fought during WWI. It is a huge national pride holiday because it is considered to be one of the first elements that really pulled the Australian people together as a group and separated them from their ancestors in Europe. There is a movie called Gallipoli (the place of the ANZAC troops greatest battle) that really captures the pride that Australia has in the day.

Every year there is a dawn service held at sunrise in Perth’s King Park. (To read more about the park and see some pictures check out my “A Day in Perth” blog) The service is only about 15 minutes long but thousands of people gather on the lawn in front of a huge war memorial and stand completely silent as the sun rises. Then they have a ceremony and an old army general spoke for a few minutes.

This is the war memorial in King’s Park. The inscription on it, blocked by two of my friends, reads “Let silent contemplation be your offering”

There is no school or work on Friday so the entire country has an extended weekend (something that Australians hold very dearly). Somewhat like the US’s memorial day many people have picnics or go on short trips. Our group of american students had a barbecue planned for Sunday but unfortunately rain moved it inside. The cookout went on and the weekend was a nice, relaxing one. Much needed before the hell week that lies ahead. Papers and presentations are starting to pile up at this point in the semester and the weekend was a good chance to catch my breath before buckling down to do some work.

It has been a while since my last post for two reasons. I recently spent a whole week camping four hours from any internet, electricity, or western civilization with a family of aborignial australians. It has taken me a while to write about because I struggled, and I still am struggling, to find away to put down in words all of the amazing things that happened on the trip.

A group of 30 students along with two leaders from the school departed from Broome early Saturday morning and loaded into a convoy of “utes” (utility vehicles). The 4-hour drive down what one of our guides called a highway - a narrow red dirt path carved through the bush that quickly turned to mud and ponds at certain points - brought us to the Mudnunn community in the West Kimberley part of Australia.

While camping we saw a series of amazing things. The first day we were taken to a beach that had 11,000 year old footprints of a man and his wife running down the beach on a hunt. That means that those people were walking on the beach 6,000 years before the pyramids were being constructed in Egypt. We were constantly reminded throughout the trip about the timeless and sacred connection the aborginial people shared with their land.

Along with hearing stories about the past, dreamtime stories and personal tales of racism, we also got to take part in a few aboriginal customs. We carved boomerangs and spears out of nearby trees and later used the spears to go hunting for crab and caught our own dinners. I also got a chance to learn to play some dijeridoo - an aboriginal instrument made naturally from termites hollowing out the inside of the snappy red gum trees. We went swimming almost everyday on amazing beaches - some of them we later learned we were also swimming with 20 foot long saltwater crocodiles.

Despite all of these cool experiences, it is hard to explain how the trip was really a life-changing experience. The people on the trip with us were the ones who made it a week that I will never forget. The wundargoodie mob, or the Morgan family in their Christian name, were all incredibly open to our questions about their culture and were quick to laugh and have a good time. One night sitting up at the campfire with the head of the family, Colin, he turned to me and told me that he was the richest man in the world. Then he pointed up at the sky and said, “Look at all my Kimberley diamonds” He was right, the sky was more lit up than I had ever seen it, and no matter where you looked it was sparkling with the southern sky. Looking at that it was no wonder why these people felt so connected to the land. But for me, and most of the other 30 students on our trip, it was them being there that provided the connection for us.

A relatively well-maintained and flat part of our road to the Kimberley.

A picture of our whole camp when we arrived back at the Broome airport before leaving for home. If you can see a little disappointment in my eyes, it’s because about 2 minutes before this picture was taken I realized that my passport was in the back seat pocket of the plane that I took from Perth to Broome and I now had no identification to get myself home. Luckily air security in the outback is a little more lax than, well, LAX so I was able to talk my way on to the flight and by some miracle my passport was waiting for me at the lost items counter when I arrived in Perth.